Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-01-05
CRADLE OF CHRIST.
SHADOWS AND SUNSHINE ON THAT
Lowry BeD.
Rev. DR.. TaImaEc. In His Christmas
sermon, Tells the story of the In
cnrnation In a Sc~ way-Practicai
Uses of the EsStiy-I


Uses OF the FestivcL.
GCopyright. Louis Rlopsch. ISoo.l
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2I.-The story OF
the incarnation is here told 10y DIR. Tai
mage in new way, and practical use
Is made OF these days of festivity; text
Matthew i. IL, $50 all the generations
from Abraham to David are IL genera
tions. and from David until the carry.
ing away into Babylon are II genera
tions. and from the carrying away into
Babylon unto Christ are Ii genera
tons"
From what many consider the dullesi
aud most unimportant chapter OF the
New Testament | take my text aud
find 1t full of practical. startling and
eternal interest. This chapter is the
front door OF the New Testament
through which all the splendors OF
evangelism and apostolicity enter
Three time II generations are spoken
of in my tcXt-that is. II generations
reaching down 90 Christ. They all had
relation to him. and at least ~ genera
tions past affect us. If they were good
we feel the result of the goodness. II
they were had. we feel the result OF
their wickedness. If some were good
and some were bad. IL is an intermin-
Cling influence that puts its mighty
hand upon us. And as we feel the eff
feet OF ut least a generations past we
viii in turn influence at least 40 gen
eratiOns to come. IL the world shall last
a thousand 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.
Notice among the shadows on that in
fant's bed that there was here and
there a specimen Of dissolute ancestry.
Beautiful Ruth his ancestress? oh.
yes! Devout Asa one OF his forefa-
Tiers? oh. yes! Honest Joseph his
father? oh. yesI Holy Mary his moth
err? Oh, yesi But i'm that genealogical
table were idolatrous and cruel Am
mon and oppressive Rchoboam and
some men whose denominations may
not be particulariZed. So you see bad
men may have good descendants. One
of the most consecrated men l ever
knew was the son of man who lived
and died n blasphemer. In the line of
an oppressive Rehoboam comes a gra-
clous and merciful and glorious Christ
Great encouragement for those who
had in the ~ generations that preced-
cd them, however close by or however
IN f,,S %, I'll
and baleful and corrupt ancestry.
Effects of Ancestry.
To my Amusement, | found in those
parts of Australia to which many years
ago felons were transported from Eng
land that the percentage of crime was
less than in those parts of Australia
originally settled by honest men and
good women. Some who are now on
judicial benches in Australia. and in
high governmental positions, and in
learned and useful professions, and
leaders in social life, are the grandsons
and granddaughters of men and wom-
en- who were Cxilcd from Great Britain
To Australia for arson and theft and
assault and fraud and murder. So you
see IL is possible for the descendants Of
those who do wrong TO do right
Since we are all more or less affected
by our ancestry, we ought TO be patient
with those who go wrong. remember
ing that they may bc the victims of I'M
happy antcccdcntS. How lcnient II
ought 10 make us i'm our judgments Of
the fallen. Perhaps they had IL geo.
erations back OF them pushing them
the wrong way. Five hundred years
before they were born there may have
been parentage OF iniquity augment
cd by n corrupt parcntage 200 years
ago. DO not blame n man because he
cannot swim up the rapids OF Niagara.
Do not blame ship captain because
he cannot outride Caribbean whirl-
wind. 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 n bad
propensity which he now feels. one of
the Ten Commandments given on
Mount Sinai recognizes the fact that
cvn may skip Il generation when the
commandment speaks OF visiting "the
iniquity OF the fathers upon the chill
dren unto the third and fourth genera
tion." but says nothing about the SEC
ond generation. and IL evil may skip
one generation why not two and three
and four and five generations, making
n mighty leap and allgh;ing very hard
upon the head and the heart CT some
poor victim? Better he a little merci-
full toward the culprit. lest after awhile
some hereditary evil born in the year
1000 or 100. having skipped the cen.
turtles. alight just as heavy upon you.
Meanwhile keep carefully your fam
lily records. The old place for the FAM
lily record in the Bible. between the
Old ana New Tcstaments. is most ap-
propriate place. That record. nut I'm
such impressive surroundings OF chan
Ter. bounded on one side by the prophe-
cies OF Malachi ana on the other side
by the gospel OF Matthew. will receive
ftrcsS AID Sanctity from it's posItion.
That record is appropriately bound up
with the etcrnities. Do not simply saw
in your family record. Born NJ such n
time and died nj such n time" hut IL
there has been among your ancestors
some man or woman especially conse-
Grated and useful make n note OF IL for
the encoura cement OF the following
generations. Two family records OF
The Bihle-thc one i'm Matthew reach
Ing from Abraham to Christ and the
one In Luke beginning with Joseph and
reaching back TO the garden OF Eden
with thr sublime statement (which
was the son OF Adam. which was the
son Of God" charge you TO this duty
OF keening the family record Nv the ~
which are past and the az
generations which are to come. 1t ia
u good thinS-the new habit abroad of
seeking for ones pedigree.
shadows on the Cradle.
Another shadow on the Christie era
die was that II stood under depraved
king. Herod was ut that time ruler
ana the complete impersonation of all
depravities. 1t was an unfavorable
time for innocence to expect good treat
lnent. So dark was the shadow drop-
ping on the cradle from that iniauitsus
throne that the peasant mother had to
lit her babe out of il and mako hostv