Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23


born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star
In the East, and come to worship him.
When Herod the King had heard these things he
was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests
and scribes of the people together, he demanded
or them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him. In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it Is written by the prophet.
And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea,
not the least among the princes of Judea; for out
or thee shall come Governor, that shall rule my
people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had prlviy called the
wise men, inquired of them diligently what time
the star appeared
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go
and Search diligently for the young child; and
when We have found him, bring word again,
that may come and worship him also
When they had heard the king, they departed
and 10, the star, which they saw in the East, went
before rhem, till it and stood over where
the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy
And when they were come into the house, they
saw the young child with Mary his mother and
fell down, and worshiped him and when they had
opened their treasure, they presented unto him
gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they
should not return to Herod they departed into
their own country another way
These Three Wise Men were named AIecbior
Kaspar and Balthazar. They are sometimes called
the Three Kings of Cologne" Their bones are
said to rest in the cathedral of Cologne. This Is
the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in Eur
ope and ITS building took more than 600 years
124S to 1880. Anyway, skulls nurporting to he
theirs We're exhibited late the Eighteenth
century To touch them was to be healed An
old prayer charm reads:
Kaspar, Meichior and Bathazar
hIaf AnG n l9r the Ss how hour of death.
Early tradition supplemented this account by
adding fourth wise man. And the story of this
fourth wise man is for us all to keep in mind
at Christmas time
This fourth wise started with the other
three to make the journey to Jerusalem and pay
homage to the newborn King But he never
reached the manger where lay the child Instead
he sacrificed his life to render service. Never
theless, before he died he granted a vision
of the Christ. Henry Van Dykes "The Story of
the Other Wise Man" tells the tradition most ex
cellently well:
Detained by his efforts to save dying stranger
Artaban becomes separated from his companions
He, therefore, seeks the Christ alone, travelling
from place to place. feeding the hungry as he goes
clothing the naked, nursing the SICK comforting
the oppressed
One after another he spends for others the
precious gifts which he had hoped to offer to the
Christ. At last he surrenders his one remaining
pearl in order to ransom tormented slave girl
Struck on the temple by falling tile, he lies
bleeding and breathless. But ne hears q Voice
commencing him.
Unable to believe the testimony of his own ears
the Other Wise Man murmurs:
mot so, my Lord For when saw Thee an
hungered and fed Thee? Or thirsty and gave
Thee drink? When saw Thee n stranger and
took Thee in? Or naked, and clothed Thee? When
/ Thee sick and in prison and came unto
Thee? Three-and-thirty years have looked after
Thee; but have never Thy face nor min.
istered to Thee my King"
But the Voice replies:
"Inasmuch thou hast done 1t unto one of the
least Of these, my brethren thou hast done 1t unto
me-"
Is 1t hard to imagine the Fourth Wise Man re-