The
great poet and English writer, William Shakespeare, wrote, “To thine own self be true and it shall
follow as the night, the day, that thou canst not be false to any man." Hamlet, Act 1,
scene 3. Indeed, the struggle against self is the greatest war we can ever
wage. The Arabs say: "The greatest Jihad is against one's own soul."
Pity they have never applied that one. But there is much truth to this personal
struggle that is constant and unceasing beneath the muscles and sinews of the
heart. The most devastating and disparaging war America ever fought was against
herself - her own citizens and family - the War Between the States.
A
certain Harvard professor, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, composed the poem that
serves as the literary basis for the Christmas Song, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Following a series of heart-breaking reversals, i.e. tragic
death of his wife and the serious wounding of his son in the Union Army,
Longfellow had given up all hope of peace and concord among men. But as he
despaired on Christmas Day of 1863 about the sad state of affairs, he suddenly
realized that he was overlooking a most important truth - the sovereignty of
God over the affairs of men. So he wrote Christmas Bells.
Christmas Bells
I HEARD
the bells on Christmas Day
Their
old, familiar carols play,
And
wild and sweet
The
words repeat
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
And
thought how, as the day had come,
The
belfries of all Christendom
Had
rolled along
The
unbroken song
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till
ringing, singing on its way,
The
world revolved from night to day,
A
voice, a chime,
A
chant sublime
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then
from each black, accursed mouth
The
cannon thundered in the South,
And
with the sound
The
carols drowned
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
It
was as if an earthquake rent
The
hearth-stones of a continent,
And
made forlorn
The
households born
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
And
in despair I bowed my head;
”There
is no peace on earth," I said;
"For
hate is strong,
And
mocks the song
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then
pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God
is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The
Wrong shall fail,
The
Right prevail,
With
peace on earth, good-will to men
It
is noteworthy this song was written by a Harvard professor (Longfellow). It is even more noteworthy the motto of
Harvard College since 1692 was, and still is, "Veritas Christo et
Ecclesiae" which translated from Latin means "Truth for Christ
and the Church." It would perhaps be more accurately,
"How far art thou fallen!" But Harvard College, like
many other American Institutions, was once a Fountainhead of Truth, Learning,
and Godly Wisdom. Consider other Christmas hymns, carols, and songs that were
given to us by Harvard men:
1) It came upon a Midnight Clear
by Edmund Hamilton Sears (Class of 1837) in 1847;
2) O Holy Night was produced
by John Sullivan Dwight (Class of 1832) in 1849;
3) O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by an Episcopal Bishop,
Phillips Brooks (Class of 1855) and published in 1868;
4) Sleigh Ride was
written by Leroy Anderson (Class of 1829) and published in 1848;
5) Jingle Bells was composed by James Lord Pierpoint, son of Rev.
John Pierpoint.
Though the latter two songs do
not reflect the true and full glory of the Christmas message, they nonetheless
point to the general view of the veneration of Christmas to Americans of the
era - even at Harvard!
So
Longfellow, walking the lonely streets of Boston on Christmas day, forlorn and
sorrowful, suddenly heard the bells of a nearby church chiming a Christmas
carol. He suddenly awoke from his stupor of misery and thought of the greatness
of God - even in times of dire hardship.
I HEARD
the bells on Christmas Day
Their
old, familiar carols play,
And
wild and sweet
The
words repeat
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
It
is through the old familiar carols
and hymns of the church that our mundane lives are reminded to return back to
the God of our Salvation. They
remind us of something quite valuable buried deep in our hearts perhaps by a
mother while we sat at her feet as a child. True hymns and carols have a power
of recall to us. The repetition of truth in hymns and carols endears those
truths to our hearts and souls.
And
thought how, as the day had come,
The
belfries of all Christendom
Had
rolled along
The
unbroken song
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
The
powerful voice of the Church Universal and Militant can be discovered in a
single line of Holy hymnody. When this fact is realized, it seems that the
whole world of Christendom suddenly joins, as it should, in one grand voice of
praise to God. The song of the Angels to the poor shepherds overlooking sleepy
Bethlehem suddenly seems to become an unbroken refrain from the moment they
were first proclaimed from the brilliantly-lighted skies. You will remember the
story well: "And, lo, the
angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be
a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in
a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men."
(Luke 2:9-14)
The sorrowful heart of
Longfellow rallied deep in his soul.
Till
ringing, singing on its way,
The
world revolved from night to day,
A
voice, a chime,
A
chant sublime
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then
from each black, accursed mouth
Yes,
the earth revolved as it has from the moment it was flung into space by the
hand of God. It has not ceased to revolve, and neither has the great message of
the Angels ceased to inspire and make joyful the heart of man. See, it is all
as God has planned from Eternity Past. The earth keeps her place, and God's
truth, even more so, is unchanging in its promises. Creation began the first
day at night (in darkness0 and each succeeding day was completed in glorious
light of day. ("The evening and the morning were the first
day.") God's creation began in darkness but ends in Light. Jesus
Christ came on Christmas Day which began at night, but He was taken up in the
splendor of heaven not only IN brilliant light, but as the Light of the World!
The
cannon thundered in the South,
And
with the sound
The
carols drowned
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
We
seldom see this verse included in the song. It makes reference to the
iron-throated cannons belching out fire and death from both sides of the lines
of combatants far to the South. The scourge of war may, for a time, drown out
the beautiful songs of the spirit; but wars shall someday cease and carols and
hymns will win the day. Even in
the heat of battle, there can be a spiritual peace that surpasses all
understanding in the heart of the Christian.
It
was as if an earthquake rent
The
hearth-stones of a continent,
And
made forlorn
The
households born
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!
See
what ugly havoc war brings to a people who heretofore had lived at peace. In an
instant, the outward peace can be shattered by a single barrage of artillery
over a remote island (Fort Sumter) and the whole land experiences the
conflagration that follows. The
hearthstones of a continent are its families who have dwelt in peace and
brotherly love; but war is a divider of hearts. Now, Longfellow sees that
brother is pitted against bother, and all is forlorn of hope. "Peace on earth, good will to men"
fades as the morning mist.
And
in despair I bowed my head;
”There
is no peace on earth," I said;
"For
hate is strong,
And
mocks the song
Of
peace on earth, good-will to men!"
The
strong point of faith is that faith is persistent. It is always chiming
somewhere across the terrible musketry and horrible moans of battle. It is
often revived at the very moment that all hope seems forlorn. That was the case
with Longfellow. Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, the mind latches on to a
promise heard somewhere down the halls of time by the Christian: " . . . weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh
in the morning. " (Psalms 30:5) This is perhaps the promise that
the Master whispered into the ear of the great poet that sad day in 1863. In our weak moments, we may believe
that hate is stronger than love; that the mockery of Satan has silenced the
song that God placed in our hearts. But, then, we will be reminded by the Holy
Spirit: ". . . . greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world. " (1 John 4:4) At that
moment, our hearts are made glad.
Then
pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God
is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The
Wrong shall fail,
The
Right prevail,
With
peace on earth, good-will to men
When the roar of the
battlefield seems most deafening, there is a sudden prevailing of the voice of
mercy to the believer. When evil is at its height, the voice of faith and
righteousness peels evermore loudly and commandingly. The ancient truth
prevails whether we acknowledge that truth or not. ""God is not dead, nor doth He
sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.
It
is Christmas. Have you heard those chimes that delighted Mr. Longfellow 150
years ago?
