254 BOYS OF THE BIBLE.

kine, and bleating of lambs; the noise and bustle of the
over-crowded inn; the flaming of the lustrous star that set
all the sky ablaze with beauty; the humble shepherds
bending low, paying the first tributes of homage to their
Saviour Christ the Lord; the adoration of the Wise Men,
who came from far with gifts of gold and frankincense and
myrrh!
Oh strange, oh wondrous birth! Now has Solomon’s
dream in the temple of old Jerusalem become a fact. The
solemn questions hidden in fables by the ancient world are
answered! The hopes of the ages are realized! God in
very deed has come to “dwell with men upon the earth!”
Oh happy Bethlehem! The night of the ages has ended!
The world’s fairest morning has dawned!
“There’s a song in the air!
There’s a star in the sky!
There’s a mother’s deep prayer,
And a baby’s low cry!

And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing;
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King.

“In the light of that star,
Lie the ages impearled;
And that song from afar,
Has swept over the world!
Every hearth is aflame, and the beautiful sing
To the homes of the nations.that Jesus is King!”

These peasant shepherds of the plains were astonished
and alarmed, as they well might be, when the glory of the
Lord filled the wide spaces of the starry heavens. Multi-
tudes of angels strong and fair, waving their wings that
shone like fire, broke forth in happy chorus; and with the
first words of the heavenly anthem the fears of the shepherds
fled. Glad tidings of great joy to all peoples for evermore!
This was the burden of their song—In the city of David