"Indeed, I was, my boy. My heart stopped beating. The others were standing, but I had no power to rise. I lay there motionless upon the earth. My eyes were fixed upon that wonderful face; upon those clear, shining eyes; upon that brow that seemed to beam with the purity of the soul within. It was not a smile with which that face was lighted.
It was something too n.o.ble and exalted to call by that name. It was a look that told of power and peace, of joy and triumph."
"Did you know that it was an angel?"
"I knew not anything. I only knew that what I saw was glorious, too glorious for mortal eyes to look upon. Yet, while I gazed, and in far less time than I have now taken to tell you of what I saw, the terribleness of the look began to disappear, the sweetness and grace of the soul shone forth, and I had almost ceased to tremble before the angel opened his mouth. And when he spoke, his voice, clearer than any trumpet and sweeter than any lute, charmed away all my fears."
""Be not afraid" he said, "for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Messiah, the King. And this is the sign unto you. Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
"Oh! that voice, my boy! It makes my heart beat now to remember its sweetness. It seemed to carry these words into our innermost hearts; to print them on our memory, so that we never could forget one syllable of what he said. And then, before we had time to make reply, he turned aside a little and lifted his face toward heaven, and, in a tone far louder than that in which he had spoken to us, but yet so sweet that it did not startle us at all, came forth from his lips the first strain of the great song:
""Glory to G.o.d in the highest!"
"When he had uttered that, he paused a moment, and the echoes, one after another, from hills that were near and hills that were far away, came flying home to us; so that I knew for once what the prophet meant when he said that all the mountains and the hills should break forth into singing. But before the echoes had all faded we began to hear other voices above our heads, a great chorus, taking up the strain that the angel first had sung. At first it seemed dim and far away; but gradually it came nearer, and filled all the air, filled all the earth, filled all our souls with a most entrancing sweetness. Glory to G.o.d in the highest!--that was the grandest part. It seemed as though there could be no place so high that that strain would not mount up to it, and no place so happy that that voice would not make it thrill with new gladness. But then came the softer tones, less grand, but even sweeter: "Peace on earth; good will to men."
"Oh! my boy, if you had heard that music as I did, you would not wonder when I tell you that it has been hard for me to wait here, in the midst of the dreary noises of earth, for fifty years before hearing it again. But earth that night was musical as heaven. You should have heard the echoes that came back, when the angels" chorus ceased, from all these mountains and all these little hills on every side. There is music enough even in this world, if one can only call it forth; chords divine that will vibrate with wonderful harmony. It only needs an angel"s hand to touch the trembling strings."
"Did you see the choir of angels overhead, grandfather?"
"Nay, I saw nothing. The brightness was too dazzling for mortal eyes.
We all stood there, with downcast eyes, listening spell-bound to the wonderful melody, until the chorus ceased, and the echoes, one after another, died away, and the glory faded out of the sky and the stars came back again, and no sound was heard but the faint voice of a young lamb, calling for its mother.
"The first to break the silence was my father. "Come," he said, in a solemn voice. "Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pa.s.s, which the Lord hath made known unto us."
"So the sheep were quietly gathered into the fold at the tower, and we hastened to Bethlehem. Never shall I forget that journey by night. We spake not many words, as we traveled swiftly the twenty furlongs; talk seemed altogether tame; but now and then my father broke forth in a song, and the others joined in the chorus. We were not so spent with running but that we could find voice for singing; and such words as these of the prophet were the only ones that could give voice to our swelling hearts:
""Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; And break forth into singing, O mountains; For the Lord hath comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.
""How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, That publisheth peace, That bringeth good tidings of good, That publisheth salvation."
"It was midnight when we climbed the hill to the little city of Bethlehem; the constellation Cesil, called by the Greeks Orion, was just setting in the west. We knew not whither to go. We had only the sign of the angel by which we should know the infant Messiah. He was a babe of one day. He was lying in a manger.
""Let us go to the inn Chimham," said my father. "It stands on the very spot where King David was born. Peradvanture we shall find him there."
"Over the entrance to the court of the inn a lantern was swinging from a rope stretched across from post to post. Guided by its light, we entered, and found the courtyard full of beasts of burden, showing that the inn was crowded with travelers. In the arched shelter of the hostelry as many as could find room were lying; some who could not sleep were sitting up and waiting drearily for the morning. Two aged women near the entrance, were talking in a low tone.
""Peace be unto you!" said my father.
""The Lord be gracious unto thee," answered the oldest woman, in a solemn voice, as she looked upon my father"s white beard; "but," she quickly added, "there is scanty cheer in this place for late comers."
""We seek not lodging," said my father; "but know you whether among these guests is an infant born this day?"
""Verily there is," answered the aged dame; "a man-child more beautiful than any my eyes have ever beheld. He is lying in a manger there in the cave that serves for stable."
"We hastened to the mouth of the cave, and there beheld our King. The oxen and the a.s.ses were lying near, and a strong man, with a grave and benignant face, was leaning on his staff above the manger. A beautiful young mother lay close beside it, her cheek resting on her hands, that were clasped over the edge of the rock-hewn crib. Into this a little straw had been thrown, and over it a purple robe had been cast, whereon the infant lay. A lamp, set upon a projection of the wall of the cave, burned brightly near. The great eyes of the wonderful child were wandering about the room; his hand touched his mother"s lips. I waited to hear him open his mouth and speak.
"There was a moment of silence after we entered the cave. My father broke it with his salutation:
""Hail, thou blessed among women!" he cried. "This child of thine is a Prince and a Savior."
"And then we all bowed low upon our faces before him and worshipped him with praise and gladness.
"The two aged women, with whom we had spoken, had followed us to the door of the stable, and, seeing us worshipping there, had run to call others who were awake in the inn, so that when we arose quite a company were standing at the door, or just within, gazing upon the King in his beauty and listening to our thanksgiving with great wonder.
"Then my father told them all the things that we had heard and seen--the message of the angel, the song in the air, the glory of the Lord that had appeared to us--and how we had quickly come to Bethlehem, and had found things as the angel had told us. "And it is even," he cried, "as the prophet himself hath spoken: "Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth hast been of old; even from everlasting.""
"All that heard were full of astonishment--all save the mother. I saw no wonder on her face; the great things that my father told caused her no astonishment; she listened with a quiet and solemn joy, like one who was saying in her heart: "I knew it all before."
"When my father had finished speaking, we all bowed low again before the young child; and the mother lifted him in her arms and placed his cheek against her own, smiling graciously on us, but uttering no word.
And we came forth from the stable and stood again beneath the stars in the courtyard of the inn. By this time many of the travelers were awake, and an eager company had gathered around us, all of whom desired to be told of the sign that had been shown to us. To one and another we rehea.r.s.ed our story, lingering long to make known the good tidings, until the morning star appeared and the dawn began to kindle over the eastern hills. Then we hastened to our own homes in the city, and told our kindred what had happened unto us. In the early morning we came back again unto our pastures and our flocks, rejoicing to stand again in the place where the glory of G.o.d had shone and the music of heaven had filled the air."
Stepha.n.u.s paused, his face all aglow with the tale that he had been telling. His eyes swept again the circuit of the moonlit hills and were lifted reverently up to the sky.
"Did you ever see the Lord Christ after that?" asked Joseph.
"Once only. My father and I were at Jerusalem at the pa.s.sover. It was the year before my father died, seventeen years ago; it was the same week on which our Lord was crucified. My father was then an aged man--fourscore and five years old. Our tent was pitched on the slope of the Mount of Olives, near the Bethany road. While we sat there one morning, a great noise of shouting was heard, and presently we saw one riding on an a.s.s, followed by a great company, crying "Hosanna!" As we drew nearer, we heard them say that it was Jesus of Nazareth; and, when we saw His face, we knew that it was He, by the wonderful eyes, though it was the face of a bearded man, and not of an infant, and was very pale and sad. As He drew near to our tent, the city came full into His view, with its gilded roofs and marble pinnacles, blazing under the morning sun. Suddenly He paused in the way, and we heard Him weeping aloud, though we could not hear His words of lamentation. The mult.i.tude halted, too, when we did; and the cheering ceased, and some of those who stood nearest Him wept also, though no one seemed to know what had caused His grief. But soon they went on again, and before they reached the foot of the hill another mult.i.tude met them, coming forth from the city, and we heard their shouts of "Hosanna in the Highest!" as they entered the gate of Jerusalem."
"What said your father when he saw all this?" queried Joseph.
"He said but little. There was a shadow on his face, yet he spoke cheerfully. "I cannot understand it," he murmured. "They are trying to make Him King of the Jews; but King He will not be, at least not in their fashion. Yet in some way I know He will be Prince and Deliverer.
I cannot understand, I will wait.""
"Were you not in Jerusalem when He was put to death?"
"No. My father was frail and ill and we had hastened home to Bethlehem. News of His death on the cross had only just reached us when another messenger came to tell us that the sepulcher in which He had been laid was empty; that He had risen from the dead.
"My father"s eyes kindled when he heard this message. He cast aside his staff and stood firm on his feet. His voice, when he spoke, rang out like a trumpet. "Blessed be the Lord G.o.d of Israel!" he cried. It is thus that He redeemeth His people. This Jesus is not to be the Captain of our armies, but the Savior of our souls. His kingdom is the kingdom of righteousness, and therefore it is that the prophet hath said: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end."
"Always after that, words of the prophet concerning the Messiah kept coming back to my father; and once and again he cried out: "Truly, this Jesus was the Son of G.o.d, the true King of Israel!" As the months wore on, his words were more and more of the crucified and risen Lord, and he dwelt in a great peace. At length, when the flocks were led forth to the midwinter pasturage, he begged to go with me. It was on this very day that we came, the same day of the year on which the Lord was born. He was feeble and tottered as he walked; but he leaned on my arm and we came slowly. In the evening he said: "Let me go, my son, and sit once more under the great rock." I wrapped him in my coat of skins, and sat here where I sit now and where he was sitting when the angel came. We talked here long, under the stars, that night, of Him whom we had learned to love as Master and Lord, of the works that He had done and the words that He had spoken, as His disciples had told of them. We had been silent for a few moments, when I looked up, and saw that his head had fallen backward against the rock wall. I sprang to him. His eyes were shut, but his lips were moving. I put my ear to his mouth, and heard him say only: "Peace--on--earth--good will"--they were his last words. He had gone beyond our starlight, into the country where the light always shines--the glory that fell that night, fifty years ago, upon these hills of Bethlehem."
Stepha.n.u.s was silent and Joseph"s eyes were full of tears. At length the old man rose.
"Come, my son," he said. "Cesil is in the south; it is midnight; let us call your father and his brother. The old man and the boy have kept their watch, and it is now time for rest."
[*] Used by permission of the Author.
THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS[*]
Nora A. Smith
"A great spiritual efficiency lies in story-telling".--_Froebel._
Christmas Day, you know, dear children, is Christ"s day, Christ"s birthday, and I want to tell you why we love it so much, and why we try to make every one happy when it comes each year.
A long, long time ago--more than eighteen hundred years--the baby Christ was born on Christmas Day; a baby so wonderful and so beautiful, who grew up to be a man so wise, so good, so patient and sweet that, every year, the people who know about Him love Him better and better, and are more and more glad when His birthday comes again.