The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-12-26
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

Chicago, Dec. 81. - Appropriate t.
the approaching celebration is the fol
lowing sermon by Rev. f. De Wit
Talmage, on the epochal event of the
worlds history, from the text Luke IL
IL, Lying in Manager"
How large is an average crib? 81
suppose" you answer, "about four
feet long and two feet wide. 1t is as
large perhaps as an average manger
at the end of horses stall, at which
the four legged animals MUNICH their
oats and hay after long, tiresome
days work" Yes, my friend, you are
right. Your definition is so completely
right that in this Christmas sermon
am going to preach about a famous
manager, which was once used for a
cradle l am going to talk about a
stone manger, hewn out of the solid
rock, in which nearly 1000 years ago
was laid newborn babe. About this
manager the wise men from the east
and the shepherds from the surround
ing hills gathered and over it the an
gels sang the first lullaby in the chant
of the Christmas song. This stone
cradle was the manger of Bethlehem
of JudRa. 1t was the first earthly rest
ing place of the Divine Child, who was
the son of Mary the Virgin and was
also the only begotten Son of the Fa-
Their God.
But while we may try in this Christ
mas sermon to picture the manager
Christ, yet we must be careful not to
weaken our picture by reciting too
much the false legends and the ficti-
tious stories that have been written
about the Bethlehem khan. We must
remember that the many Christmas SUI
perstitions may be a positive hindrance
and confusion to the gospel student, as
the wrong use of books can sometimes
weaken the intellect Of a modern pro-
fessional man. Only the other day l
had this idea vigorously emphasized
In conversation with prominent west
ern judge | asked him the question:
How can you account for it that in
the youthful days of Abraham Lincoln
Illinois was able to develop so many
great legal minds? There was prac-
dcing at the Illinois bar not only a
Lincoln, but also a Stephen A. Doug
las, an Elihu B. Washburn, a David
Davis, Sidney Breese, a Norman B.
Judd, Leonard SWEET, a William II.
Herndon and a score of others with
notable legal brains. These men had
seemingly no legal advantages. They
went from county seat to county seat
on horseback. They had comparative
ly no books and but few reference Ii
braries." With that the judge turned
and put his hand upon me as he i'm
pressively said: "Mr. Talmage, you
have now touched upon one of my pet
beliefs. | believe in this age of null
Htudinous printing presses that books
ran often be positive detriment to a
man. These men had great legal minds
because their intellectS were not stunt
ed by too much reading. They learned
first the great underlying principles OF
the law. Then upon these true prin-
ciples used for foundation they con-
centrated and focused all their brain
power to write out their cases. In
that thinking and solving they made
themselves great" So today in this
Christmas sermon upon the manger
Christ we would cover up all the ficti-
tious descriptions which the famous
artists have painted. We would close
the lid of every book which in legend
would try to tell us that on the night
Jesus was born the sheep and the
goats and the cattle and the horse
Bonded the knee as did the wise men
to worship at the feet of the newborn
Child. And in the simple nativity ac-
count written by the biographer st.
Luke we would find four underlying
gospel principles or reasons why Je-
Sus should have opened his earthly
eyes first in a stable and not in
palace.
A Manifestation of Divine Love.
The whole rendering of the verse of
ny text reads thus: "And this shall be
or sign unto you; ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, ly-
ng in a manger." The manger is sim
)lified and tender manifestation of the
livine love. 1t is not difficult for the
lverage uninspired man to think of Je-
lovah as a God of majesty, of power,
# fiery passion, a God who can hold
he seas in the palm of his hand and
Tod who can unsheathe the fiery swords
f the lightning. Why, even the hea-
hen in the darkest days of barbaric SUI
'erstitiOn were able to think of such
.ods as that! When the Euroclydons
we're born in the Mediterranean archi-
elago and instantly sprang up as full
rown giants and with their swiftly
moving feet leaped from wave top to
vave top and drenched their long locks
nd wide flowing robes with the white
oam and out of a mere Satanic desire
0 destroy hurled the shipping upon the
jagged rocks and covered the surround
lg coasts with wreckage, it was a very
asy matter for the ancients to picture
Neptune striking right and left with
is trident and to call him god of the
cas- When the mighty conquerors of
be east made triumphal entry after en-
~ into the city of Rome, with de-
hroned kings chained to their chariot
Theels and with their legions loaded
own with captured spells, after whole
egions had been brought under the
hadow of the scepter held in a Caesars
and. it was not a very difficult matter
or the Romans to build great temple
D Mars, the god of war. 1t was not
cry difficult matter to rear this gigan-
C temple, even though thousands and
undrpdS of thousands of men and wo-
men had to be sacrificed at its shrine
and though the walls of the temple had
10 be covered with the captured tro-
Dhies. Even the Hebrews were and