St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-01-27
A CHRISTMAS SERMON
=. ralmage Tells the Story Of the
Incarnation.
eeashine and Shadow o. the cradle
" the SaviOur-Fractical Use
Wade Of Religious Fcs-
tival Days.
Copyright. 1899. by Louis Klopsch,
Wa @hfr.s.ar

tSopyright 1899. by Louis klopschl
Washington,
1Ee story of the incarnation is here
toto Dy Dr. Ialmage in new way. and
practical use is made of these DAYS OF
Iestivity; next. Matthew 1:1.: so all
Inc generations fromAbraham to David
are IA generations, and from David I'M
"a the carrying away into Babylon are
II generations, and from the carving
away into Babylon unto Christ are IA
generations
From what many consider the dullest
and most unimportant chapter of the
New Testament take my tex. and. find
II 1uii OF practical, startling and eternal
interest. This chapter is the front door
OF the New Testament, through which
al the splendors of evangelism and
aposfolicity enter. Three times Ia
generations are spoken of in my text
that is. AZ generations, reaching down
10 Christ. They all had relation to
him. And at least ~ generations past
affect US. If they were good, we feel
the result of the goodness. II they were
bad, we feel the result Of their wicked
ness. 1t some were good and some were
bad, 1t is an intermingling influence
that puts its mighty hand upon us.
And as we feel the effect of at least AZ
generations past we will in turn influ-
ence "a least AZ 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 Gissolute ancestry. Beau
tiful Ruth his ancestress? Oh, yes! De
vout Asa one of his forefathers? Oh,
res! Homes, Joseph his father? Oh.
yes! Holy Mary his mother? Oh, yes!
But in that genealogical table were
idolatrous and cruel Ammon and OPP
pressive Rehoboam and some men
whose denominations may not be partic-
ularized. So you see bad men may have
good descendants. One of the most
consecrated men I ever knew was the
son of man who lived and died . bias
phemer. In the line of an oppressive
Rehoboam comes gracious and merci-
full and glorious Christ. Great encour-
agement for those who had in the 42 |
generations that preceded them, how
ever close by or however far back, some |
instances of pernicious and baleful and |
corrupt ancestry.
To my amazement 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 position and in
learned and useful professions and lead
ers in social life are the grandsons and
granddaughter of men and women
who were exiled from Great Britain. to
Australia for arson and theft and as
sault and fraud and murder. So you
see it is possible for the descendants Of
those who do wrong to do right Per
haps we make too much of the doctrine
Of heredity. While those OF us who can
gratefully turn in our family record to
healthful and virtuous pedigree, let not
those who have had abhorrent natures
in the ancestral line despair of useful
ness and happiness and heaven.
Since we are all more or less affected
by our ancestry we ought to be patient
with those who 60 wrong, remember
Ing that they may be the victims Of
unhappy antecedents. How lenieut it
ought to make us in our judgment Of
the fallen! Perhaps they had 42 gen
erations back Of them pushing them the
wrong way. Five hundred years before
they were born there may have been
parentage of iniquity augmented by
corrupt parentage 200 years ago. Do
not blame a man because he cannot
swim up the rapids of Niagara. Do not
blame ship captain because he cannot
,utride a Caribbean whirlwind. The
father of this man who does wrong may
have been all right and his mother all i
light, but away back in the centuries 9
here may have started bad propen- I
sity which he now feels. One Of the Ten i
given on Mount Sinai I
the fact that evil may skip
! generation, when the commandment n
peaks of visiting 'the iniquity Of the Il
athers upon the children unto the I
bird and fourth generation" but says c
lothing about the second generation; Q
md If evil may skip one generation why il
lot two and three and four and five I
making mighty leap and s
lighting very hard upon the head and a
he heart Of some poor victim? Better 8
e a little merciful toward the culprit +,
st after awhile some hereditary evil G
orn in the year 1000 or 100, having a
kipped the centuries, alight just rs D
eavy upon you. Il
Meanwhile keep carefully your fam u
Y records. The old place for the fam "
" record in the Bible, between the Old O.
nd the New Testaments, is most APP n
ropriate place. That record, put in 81
ach impressive surroundings Of chap
r, bounded on one side by the prophe- Il
les OF Malachi and on the other side by tt
be gospel of Matthew, will receive n
.ress and sanctity from its position. "
hat record is appropriately bound up di
18th eternities. Do not simply say in Il
our family record: Born at such a ia
me and died at such a time" but il t.
lere has been among your ancestors in
,me man or woman especially conse- OF
.ated and useful make note Of it for p<
le encouragement of the following W
Two family records of the r.
ible-the one in Matthew reaching pr
ON Abraham to Christ and the other pc
Luke beginning with Joseph and ii
aching back to the garden of Eden, b<
it'll the sublime statement (which was 10
le son of Adam, which was the son of nj
ID" / charge you to this duty of III
,eping the family record by the AZ ar
which are past and the OF
generations which are to come. 1t bl
q good thing-the new habit abroad OF
fry- - nl.J / he