The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-02-01
A CHRISTMAS SERMON
Dr.. Talmage Tells the Story Of the
Incarnation.
Sunshine and Shadow ON the Cradle
of the SaviOur-Practical Use
Made OF Religious Fes-
tival Days.
copyright, 1899. by Louis Klopsch.7
h

copyright, 1899. by Louis Klopsch.1
Washington,
The story of the incarnation is here
told by DR.. Talmage in new way, and
practical use is made of these days of
festivity; next, Matthew 1:17: $50 all
the generations from Abraham to David
| are IA generations, and from David un-
til 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 dullest
and most unimportant chapter OF. the
New Testament l take my text and find
it 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 times "a
generations are spoken of in my text
that is, AZ generations, reaching down
to Christ. They all had relation TO
Him. And at least AZ generations past
affect us. If they were good, we feel
the result of the goodness. If they were
| bad, we feel the result of their wicked
| ness. If some were good and some were
bad, it 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 infiu-
ence at least AZ generations to come, il
/ Lnn 1 G.,
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 a
/ specimen of dissolute ancestry. Beau
tiful Ruth his ancestress? Oh, yes! De-
/ vout Asa one of his forefathers? Oh
yes! Honest Joseph his father? Oh
yes! Holy Mary his mother? Oh, yes!
But in that genealogical table were
idolatrous and cruel Ammon and op-
pressive Rehoboam and some men
whose denominations may not be partic
| ularized. So you see bad men may have
/ good descendants. One of the mos
| consecrated men / ever knew was the
son of man who lived and died a 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 4:
generations that preceded them, how
ever close by or however far back, some
instances of pernicious and baleful and
corrupt ancestry.
To my amazemcnt found in thos,
parts Of Australia to which many year.
ago felons were transported from Eng
Land that the percentage of crime was
less than in those parts of Australi;
originally settled by honest men ant
good women. Some who are now OF
judicial benches in Australia and il
high governmental position and il
learned ana useful professions and lead
ers in social life are the grandsons ant
granddaughters of men and womel
who were exiled from Great Britain I,
Australia for arson and theft and as
sault and fraud and murder.
! Since we are all more or less affecte,
by our ancestry we ought to be patien
with those who go wrong, remember
ing that they may be the victims o
unhappy antecedents. How lenient
ought to make us in our judgment 0
the fallen!. Perhaps they had AZ gen
erations back of them pushing them tn
wrong way. Five hundred years befor
they were born there may have been
parentage of iniquity augmented by
corrupt parentage 200 years ago. d
not blame a man because he canno
swim up The rapids of Niagara. Do nc
blame ship captain because he canno
outride Caribbean whirlwind. Th
father of this man who does wrong ma
have been all right and his mother a
right, but away back in the centurie
; there may have started bad proper
!, sity which he now feels. One of the TIE
!. Commandments given on Mount Sin;
recognizes the fac. that evil may ski
:, generation, when the commandme1
5 speaks OF visiting "the iniquity Of til
i 1&tu6TS UPON tliC uhSO ~
third and fourth generation" but say
! nothing about the second generation
: and if-evil may skip one generation wh
) not two and three and four and fl,
generations, making mighty leap an
: alighting very hard upon the head ar
: the heart Of some poor victim? Betti
: be a little merciful toward the culpr
I lest after awhile some hereditary e,
!, born in the year 1900 or 100, havir
skipped the centuries, alight just ;
heavy upon you.
Another shadow of the Christie Grad
!, was that it stood under deprav,
I king. Herod was at that time rul
= and the complete impersonation of Z
deprayities. 1t was an unfavorable tin
: for innocence to expect good treatmer
So dark was the shadow dropping I
the cradle from that iniquitous throl
Z that the peasant mother had to lift b
Z babe out Of II and make hasty figl
Depraved habits Of those IN authori
ere apt to be copied by subjects, i