The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1899-12-27

4 IOlQ Dy LII. ldludSe III AS"
u way, and practical use is made OF
these days of festivity; text, Matthew IL
II, $50 all the generations from ADra-
ham to David are IA generations, ana
from David until the carrying away into
Babylon are IA generations, and from
the carrying away into Babylon unto
Christ are IA generations.
From what many consider the duilest
and most unimportant chapter OF the
New Testament l take my text ana nnd
it full of practical, startling ana eterhai
interest. This chapter is the front door
OF the New Testament, through when all
the splendors Of evangelism ana apostle
lcity enter. Three times IA generations
are spoken of in my teXt-that is, 81
generations, reaching down to Christ.
They ell had relation to him. AND at
least II generations past affect us. Ii
they were good, we feel the result OF the
goodness If they were bad, we feel the
result of their wickcdness. If some were
good and some were bad, it is an inter
mingling influence that puts its mighty
hand upon u.s. And as we feel the effect
OF at least AZ generations past we will in
turn influence at least II generations to
come, if the world shall last 1000 years.
SO you see the cradle is more important
than the grave.
[ propose to show you some of the
shadows upon the Christie cradle of
Bethlehem and then the sunshine that
poured in upon the pillow Of straw. No
tice among the shadows on that infants
bed that there was here and there
specimen of dissolute ancestry. Beautl-
full Ruth his ancestress? Oh, yes! De-
vout Asa one of his forefathers? Oh,
yes! Honest Joseph his father? Oh,
yes! Holy Mary his mother! On, yes!
But in that genealogical table were
idolatrous and cruel Ammon and oppres-
siYe Rehoboam and some men whose
denominations may not be particularized.
SO you see bad men may have good de-
scendants One of the most consecrated
men / ever knew was the son of man
whc lived and died b1asphemer. In the
line of an oppressive RehobOam comes
a gracious and merciful and glorious
Christ. Great encouragement for those
who had in the ~ generati tons that pre-.
ceded them, however close by or how
ever far back, some instances of PERM
cious and baleful and corrupt ancestry.
We Should Be Lenient.
Since VIC are all more or less affected
by our ancestry we ought to be patient
with those who go wrong, remembering
that they may be the victims of unhappy
auteccdentS How lenient it ought to
make us in our judgments of the fallen!
Perhaps they had 42 generations back of
them pushing them the wrong way. Five
hundred years before they were born
there may have been a parentage Of in
iquity augmented by corrupt parentage
200 years ago. Do not blame a man be-
ca 1se he cannot swim up the rapids OF
Niagara. Do not blame ship captain
because he cannot outride a Caribbean
whirlwind. The father of this man who
does wrong may have been all right and
his mother all right, but away back in
the centuries there may have started a
bad propensity which he now feels. One
of the Ten Commandments given on
Mount Sinai recognizes the fact that evil
may skip a generation, when the COM
mandments speaks of visiting 1.-The in
Equity OF the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation, :"
but says nothing about the second gem
Grafton; and if evil may skip one genera
ton why not two and three and four and
five generations. making mighty leap
and aiighting very hard upon the head
and the heart of some poor victim: Bet
ter be little merciful toward the cnlprit
lest after awhile some hereditary evil
born in the year 1000 or 100, having
skipped the centuries, aight just as
heavy upon you.
Meanwhile keep carefully your family
records. The old place for the family
record in the Bible, between the Old and
New Testaments, is I; most appropriate
place. Do not simply say in your family
record, Born at such time and died
at such a time" but if there has been
among your ancestors some man Or won-
an especially consecrated and useful
make note of it for the encouragement
Of the following generations. | charge
you to this duty of keeping the family
record by the AZ generations which are
past and the AZ generations which are TO
come. 1t is good thing-the new habit
abroad Of seeking for ones pedigree.
The old family records hardly ever went
back further than the grandfather and
grandmother. Not one of us knows ANY,
thing about our great-grandparents, al
though they may have been indescriba-
Uy DC(Lt5 Ludu LLciI CllIluFcu Or grand
children.
Under a DEPRIVED Ruler.
Another shadow on the Christie crad,,
was that it stood under q depraved king.
Herod was at that time ruler and the
complete impersonation of all depravi-
ties. 1t was an unfortunate time for in
necence to expect good treatment. So
dark was the shadow dropping on the
cradle from that iniquitous throne that
the peasant mother had to lift her babe
out Of it and make hasty flight. De-
PRAYED habits of those in authority are
apt to be copied by subjects, and from
the immorals of the Herodic throne /
Judge of the immorals Of a nation. There
was malaria of sin in the air when the
infant Christ first breathed it. Thickest
shawl could not keep the babe warm
when in that wintry month, with his
mother, he became q fugitive.
Historians say that it was ut time of
peace that Christ was born, but his birth
aroused an antagonism Of which the
bethlehem massacre was only a feeble
expression. War Of the mightiest nation
Gf the earth opened against that cradle!