The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-01-04
so0a0seees0sss0 soss.s
ne shepherds Bind Jesus.
Eleanor, queen Of England W

Eleanor, queen Of England went
to Carnarvon Castle C12S3, A. d.
in order that her royal son might
be born on Welsh soil, and her
subjects of that realm pacifed, by
having the heir to the British
throne always afterward called the
Prince Of Wales. In the same way
the mother Of Jesus went to Beth
lehem, probably without conscious
purpose, but none the less certain
ly that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled. The immediate cause of
the Journey was the enrolment
ordered by Augustus Caesar, who
seemed to have had a passion for
census taking. As a concession to
Jewish prejudice, those to be en-
rolled were allowed to report at
their ancestral villages. This
brought Joseph and Mary to Beth
lehem. But it brought others al
so, on the same errand; and in such
numbers as to tax all places Of en-
tertainment; so that the weary
travellers were glad enough to
avail themselves Of stall from
which some beast was turned to
make room for them.
Midway between Jerusalem and
Bethlehem was Migdel Elder,
Watch-tower of the Flock, con-
corning which there was a tradi-
ton that the first announcement of
the birth of the Messiah was to be
made there. TWAS the gathering
place for the shepherds of the sa-
cred flock which furnished sacri-
fees for the temple. But the case
is not much altered if the tradition
should prove a bit Of folklore, and
the shepherds turn out Just COM
mon Judean rustiCs. Whosoever
they were, their occupation led
them to be contemplative and rev.
erent. The poet says, The unde-
vout astronomer is mad" You
might read it the shepherd. "
Both astronomers and shepherds
are much in the solemn stiffness
of the night, and in company with
the heavenly planets. One who
does not find such conditions con-
ducive to devotion is abnormal, if
not mad. " May not those rus
tic star-gazers have been in com
munion with heaven at the mo-
ment when the apparition occurr-
ed? The prepared message comes
to the prepared mind.
A tall, white angel standing in
the flaming fire of the shekinah
was the vision which brought the
awe-struck shepherds to their
knees, The message matched the
Fear not! Good It'd
ing! Great joy to all people. Born,
a Savior, Christ, the Lord" The
new born prince will not, however,
be found in any golden crib, or un-
der any silken canopy. Dew-drops
are on his cradle and his bed is
with the beasts Of the stall. But
this very humiliation is his sign.
Manger and swaddle are the
double seal upon the Messiahship.
The very fact that he is born in a
stable is the sign that he is king.
Now, upon the vision Of the al
ready enraptured shepherds bursts
a brilliant spectacle. Suddenly
the arch of heaven is peopled by
multitude of the heavenly hest,
and wave on wave of seraphic mu-
sic rolls DER all those wide-extend-
ing plains. Grander oratorio new
ar greeted human ears. But the
were not satisfied with
the aesthetic enjoyment afforded
by the sight and sound, much less
did they fall to dreaming, debat-
ing or doubling. They cried;
The thing has come to pass! The
Lord has made it known Let us
go and see"
The Teachers Lantern.
The golden milestone stood in
the center of Rome. All high
ways of the empire radiated from
it. All petitioners travelled to-