The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-02-05
THE BIRTH OF JESUS
Quest of the Magi the Theme
of DR.. Talmage's Sermon.
The Eloquent Divine Draws "A Lesson
OF Christian Hope and EncOur-
agement From the Experi-
ence of the Wise Men.
[Copyrlght ID. by LouIs Klopseh.l

the atoig OF lut ludbl Nu'oA i'N'if'' "
new setting and the lesson Of Chris
tian hope and encouragement is drawn
from their experience. The text Is
Matthew ii, l, Behold, there came
wise men from the east!'
When, in 506 A. d., St. Augustine
was sent to convert the British isles to
Christianity, Pope Gregory commanded
his missionary as far as possible to
harmonic the Christian ordinances
with the heather feasts. The result Is
that many of the customs associated
with Christmas have their origin not
in the birth Of Christ, but in heather
festivities. 1t IS my purpose today 10
tell the simple Christian story. as found
in the Bible, and to apply some OF its
beneficent teachings to the practicali-
ties Of everyday life.
The account Of Christ's birth is mol
only simply told, but very briefly told.
Some Of us are apt to think too briefly.
We would Ike to have known all the
details Of that wondrous event which
is destined to transform the world. We
deplore the loss Of any fact relating to
our Lord. But the historians would
not have us concern ourselves with the
accessories Of the picture, but with that
glorious life and death in which our
eternal destiny is bound up. They
briefly state the main facts and proceed
to the narrative so momentous TO the
whole world.
A few years ago a southern CORE
spondent hurried to the telegraph Office
and sent this message to the editor of a
great New York daily: Fearful rail-
road accident Many killed, Many in
iuredl Column story! Shall send itF
The New York editor telegraphed back,
"send me coo words-all want The
correspondent telegraphed again, Can
not be told in less than 100" The edi-
tor tersely replied: "Story Of the crea-
tlon of the world told in 600 words.
Try IT," But if the story Of the crea-
ton IS told I'm 600 words, the story OF
the nativity is even more simply and
briefly told. The account of Jesus
birth is about as simply told as the rec
ord of her baby's advent which a fond
mother writes in the family Bible.
Gertrude, or Jane, or Mary; born June
g. 1883" A dozen verses In all more
than contain the simple story Of
Christs birth. The second chapter OF
Matthew's gospel runs like this: Now
when Jesus was born. in the days of
Herod the king" In the east they did
not reckon time so much by the year as
by the time this or that king sat upon
his throne.
Then this simple account Of the ma
tivlty goes a step further. The birth
Of Christ is connected with a startling
incident The name Of Peregrine White
Is never mentioned but the explanatory
statement is also made that "she was
born on the Mayhower when the pill
grim fathers were on their journey ia
live In a new world" Christs birth Is
hardly ever mentioned without an as
sociate statement. When Jesus was
born that was the year the wise men
came from the east, saying, Where Is
he that IS born King Of the Jews, for
we have seen his star in the east and
are cQIne to worship him" The mag
have been the theme for many an art
lists brush, poets song. as well as min
ister's sermon. If in the short accoun'
Of the nativity it was important enough
10 note the visit Of these wise men
surely 1t will not be wasted time fol
us in a Christmas discourse to consid
er who were the wise men, from
whence they came, what they did wher
they knelt and worshiped at the man
ger, where they went after they had
seen the newborn Christ.
Who were the magil They were the
wise men. They were not fools, no
ignoramuses, not silly star gazers
They were not tramps going from
place to place because they were to'
lazy to work. They were the intellec
tual giants Of the east They wer'
such intellectual giants that when thel
appeared in Jerusalem they startled al
the sages Of the Herodian era Will
their grasp Of affairs and mental pow
er. They belonged TO class that wal
the repository Of all the scientific
knowledge Of the time. They were tn
observers Of natural phenomena, tn
philosophers Of their day, the leader
In the world of mind. When Matthew
described them as "wise men, he knew
that the description would be clearl.
understood as applying to men who's
erudition and mental ability place.
them among the aristocracy Of knowl
edge.
As with Homer or Socrates. the per
sonal lives Of these men are all wrap
ped up in mystery. Their names, thei
positions. their influence over thei
countrymen, are all matters Of conjec
ture. Professor Sandy in his Christ
mastide" gives a strange legend. II
writes that the number Of these wis
men who came from the east wa
three. He writes that the first Of thes
magi was a very old man. with a lone
white beard. His face was wrinkles
with thought, and his limbs were tol
tering. His name was Melchior. tn
second was a very young man. III
cheek was smooth and ruddy, his ste
firm and athletic. his arm strong an
powerful. Yet his mind was clear a
his searching eye His name was Cas-
par. Truly he was a prince anon
meni The third sage was a middl
aged Moor called Balthasar. In hi
hair and beard was the blackness O
the midnight. The muscles stood ou
in knots upon HIS swarthy neck. Ih
legend declares that these three me
followed the guidings Of a huge bin
whose one eye glittered Ike a monst'
star. But whether the sages wei
three or Eve or ten, whether the
mes were Melohior, CasDar and Ba
thasar, whether the star in the east wa
the monster eye Of huge eagle or NJ
whether there is any truth among th
many legends that are told about thes