The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-24

a child decided Waterloo, showing the
army or Butcher how they could take q
short cut through the fields when IL the
old road had been followed the prussian
general would have come up too late to
save the destinies OF Europe. II was a
child that decided Gettysburg. he having
overheard two Confederate generals in a
conversation In which they decided TO
march for Gettysburg instead OF Harris
burg. and. this reported TO Governor
Curtin. the Federal forces started to
meet their opponents at Gettysburg. And
today the child is to decide all the great
battles. make all the laws. settle all the
destinies and usher in the worlds saliva
ton or destruction. Men, women. ma
tions, all earth and all heaven. behold ;he
child,
Gods nor Science.
Notice also that in this Bible night
scene God honored science. WHO are the
three wise men kneeling before the Di.
vine Infant? Not boor. not ignoramuses,
but Caspar. Balthasar and MeIchior. mer
who knew all that was to be known.
They were the Isaac Newtons and Her
chefs and Faradays of their time. Their
alchemy was the f%orerunner of our sub
lime chemistry, their astrology the moth
er OF our magnificent astronomy. And
when / see these scientists bowling before
the beautiful babe i see the prophecy OF
the time when all the telescopes and mi
croscopes and all the LeydeE jars and all
the electric batteries and all the observa-
tories and all the universities shall bow to
Jesus. It is much that way already.
Where is the college that does not have
morning prayers, thus bowling at the
manager? WHO have been the greatest
physicians? Omitting the names Of the
living lest we should be invidious. have
we not had among them Christian men
like James Y. Simpson and Rush and
Valentine Mott and Abercrombie and
Abernethy? Who have been our greatest
scientists? Joseph Henry. who lived and
died in the faith of the gospels, and
Agassiz, who, standing with his students
among the hills, took off his hat and said,
Young gentlemen, before we study these
rocks let US pray for wisdom to the God
who made the rocks" All geology will
yet bow before the Rock Of Ages. All
botany will yet worship the Rose of Sha-
ron. All astronomy will yet recognize the
Star of bethlehem.
Behold also in that first Christmas
night that God honorcd the fields. Come
in. shepherd boys. to Bethlehem and see
LIN NiGiiNi. ~. ~ - VIC Tx L'N
dressed good enough to come in" Yes.
you are. Come in" Sure enough. the
storms and the night dew and the b-aEl-
bles cave made rough work with their
apparel. but nOHr his Il better right to
come in. They were the first to hear the
music of that Christmas night. The FIRST
announcement of u S~;aviGUr'S birth WAS
made to those men in the fields. There
were wisCacres that night il Bethlehem
and Jerusalem snoring III deep sleep, ana
there were salaried officers Of government
who. hearing of it afterward, may have
thought that they ought to have had the
first news OF such q great event, some enc
d~ismounting from a swift camel at their
door and knocking till at some sentinel's
question, "Who one there?' the great
ones of the palace might have been told
of the celestial arrival. No; the shcp-
herds heard the first two bars of the mu-
sic, the first in the major key and the
last in the subdued minor, GLORY to God
in the highest and IN earth peace, good
will to men" Alb. yes. the fields were
honored.
Following the Shepherds.
The old shepherds, with plaid and
crook, have for the most part vanished,
but we nave grazing on our United States
| pasture fields and prairie about 42,O0O,-
900 sheep. and al! their keepers ought to
follow the shepherds OF my text and all
these who toll in tields-all vine dressers,
| all orchardiSts, all husbandmen. Not only
| that Christmas night. but all up and
| down the worlds history. God has been
| honoring the fields. Nearly all the mes
siahs of reform and literature and elo-
quence and law and hcnevoience have
f--- A. SfJ-# ~
the fields. jefferson from the fields. The
presidential martyrs, Garfield and Lin
coin and Mckinley. from the fields. Hen
~ Clay from the fields. Daniel Webster
from the fields. Martin Luther from the
fields. Before this world is right the
overlooking populations Of our crowded
cities will have to take to the fields. In
stead Of ten merchants in rivalry as to
who shall sell that one apple we want at
least eight of them to go out and raise
apples. Instead of ten merchants desir-
ing to sell that one bushel of wheat we
want at least eight Of them to go out and
raise wheat. The world wants now more
hard hands, more bronzed cheeks. more
muscular arms. To the fields God hon
ored them when he woke up the shep-
herds by the midnight anthem. and he
will while the world lasts continue to
honor the fields. When the shepherds
crook was that famous night stood
against the wall Of the Bethlehem khan,
it was a prophecy of the time when
thrasher's fail and farmers pillow and
woodman's ak and ox's yoke and sheaf
binders rake shall surrender to the God
who made the country as man made the
town.
Behold also that on that Christmas
night God honored motherhood. Two an
gels on their wings might have brought
an infant Saviour to Bethlehem witbou,
Mary's being there at all. When the vii
layers on the morning OF Dec. 20 awoke
by divine arrangement and in some unex
planned way the child Jesus might hav,
been found in some comfortable cradle OF
the village. But no. no. Motherhood fol
all time was to be consecrated. and one OF
the tenderest relations was TO be the ma
ternal relation and one OF the sweetes
words mother" In all ages God ha.
honored good motherhood. John Wesle!
had a good mother, st. Bernard had