The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-01
TALMAGES SERMON.
In this Bibls scsne Of Christmas Night
God Eonorsd Childhood.


This discourse Of Dr.. Talmags is full
Of the nativity and appropriate for the
holidays; text, Luke il IS, "And they
came with haste and found Mary and
Joseph, and the babe lying il man
ger"
The black window shutters Of Do.
cember night were thrown open aa6
some Of the best singers Of $ world
where they all sing stood there, and
putting back the drapery Of cloud
chantsd q peace anthem until all the
echoes Of hill and valley applsuoeo ard
encorsd the halleluiah chorus, Come,
lei Us 20 into that Christmas scene IS
though We had never before vorahipeo
at the nanger. Here is Madoans
worth looking at. wonder not that
the most frequent name in all LANDS
and in sll Christian centuries IS Mary.
And there sre Msrys in palaces and
Marys in cabins, an5, though Garnsn
snd French and Itslisn snd Spanish and
English pronounce it differently, they
are all naaesakes Of the ore whom We
find on bed Of straw, with her psle
face against the soft cheek Of Chris:
in the night Of the nayity. All the
great painters have triso, on canvas, 70
present Mary and her child and the in
cidents Of that most famous night Of
the worlds history. Raphael, in three
different masterpieces, celebrated them,
Tintoretto and Chizisnosio surpassed
themselves in the alteration Of the
nsgi. Oorceggio needed to DO 20 more
than his Madonna to become immortal.
The "Msdonns Of the Lily" BY Lson-
ardo Dc Vi1ci, will kindle the adnirs-
ton Of all ages. But al the galleries
Of Dresden are forgotten when I think
Of the small room Of that gallery con-
tsining the ''Sistine Madonna" Yet
al Of them were copies Of St. Mat
theW's Madonna and Luks's Msoonna,
the inspired Madonna Of the old book,
which We had put into our hands when
We were infants and that We hope to
have under our heads when We die
Behold, in the first place. that On tee
night Of Christ's life God ho1orad the
brute creation. You cannot get into
that Bethlehem barn without going past
the camels, the mules, the dogs, the
oxen. The b-utes Of that stable heard
the first CRY Of the infant Lord. Some
Of the old painters represent the oxen
and csnels kneeling that night before
the newborn babe. And well might
they kneel! Have you eyer thought
that Christ oane, snong other things,
to alleviate the auferings Of the brute
creation? Was it not appropriate that
he should, during the first few dsgs
and nights Of his life On earth, be sur
rounded by the dumb beasts, whose
mosn and plant snd believing have
for ages been prayer to God for the
arTesting Of their tortures and the
Fighting Of their WEcngs? Not kennel
in sll She centuries, not bicc's nest,
not Rornout horse cn toWpath, not q
herd freezing IN the poorly built COW
pen, not 8 treiE Eht car in summer time
bringing the bree7es to msZkst Tithout
Wster through q thousand niles Of
agony, not surgeons roon witnessing
the struggles Of fox OF pigeon or 5og in
the horrors Of vi7issction. but mas sn
interest in the fsct thst Christ was
born in stable surrounded by b1utes.
Standing then, as I imagine now I
do, in that Bethlehem night With st IN
FAINT Christ on one side and the speech
less creatures Of God cn the other, 7
cry; Lock out how you strike the roEel
into thst horses side; tska of that
curbed bit from that bleeding mouth:
remove that saddle from that raW bsc5 !;
shoot not fer fun that bird thst is too
small for food; forget not to put wate-
into the cage Of that oarsry; throw out
some crumbs to those birds caught too
far north in the winters inciemenoy:
arrest that man who IS making that enc
horse draw load heavy enough for
three: rush in upon that scene where
boys are torturing cat or transhzing
butterfly and grasshoppeE; e5iVe rot cH
that old robin, for her nest l8 moth
er's cradle and under her wing there
nsy be three or four musicians Of the
sky in training II your families and
in your shools teach the coming gen
erstion more mercy than tie present
generation has ever shown aaG in this
marvellous Bible picture Of the nativity,
while you point oct to them the angel,
show them also the camel, sn6 while
they hear the celestial chsre let tbsn
also hear the cows moan.
Behold also il this Bible scene how
on that Christmas night God ho1o:ed
childhood. Childhood vas to be hca-
o,ed by that event. He must have :
child's light limbs and child's dinpl-
ed hand and child's beaning eye sd
chil6's faxeo hair, ard bsbyhooo was
to be honored for all time to come, ard
cradle was eomea2 more tbao q grave,
Mighty Gcd, may tie reflection Of that
one chil6's face be seen in all l1fsntlle
faces.
Enough have ali those fs!hers and
methers on haud if they have child II
the house. A throne, cEown, scep-
ter, q kingdom, under charge. Be care
ful how you strike hin acIo:s ne heso:
jarring the brain. Whas goa say tc
him will be celtenis! soo ni,leoi=i,
and hundred years snS q Thousand
years will not stop the echo snd re-
echo. Do ro5 asy, 1T = only ch:!G. >
Rather say, 1T is o0iy az innos,
tai" 1t is only g masterpiece Of Jaho-
yah. L is only being that shsi. cat
live sun ard moon snd star sna ages
ousdrionnial. God has i1inite resoac-
css, and be can gi7s presents Of gIeat
value, but vben be wants to give tke
80 -,.nn;hlo or.ft "a hnr aehnld Se