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December 20, 1911] THE
THE NATIVITY.
EDWARD ARTHUR WICKER, IN TORONTO
PRESBYTERIAN.
Every new birth is wonderful; it is as though
this miracle had never been wrought before.
Here is a new soul drawn from out of the Eternal
Kingdom of Souls, who can tell how! This
soul has never been before; and now, it is
forever.
The parents bend over the sleeping baby and
marvel at its purity. He smiles, and they know
final 11 is ine angels wiio are talking to him;
he wakes and looks up and the color and light
of heaven are in his eyes. Surely God has again
had pity upon men, because they were so worldly
and has sent down from heaven a little child
to lead them.
But wonderful as has been the birth of every
other child, still more wonderful has been the
birth of that one Child who was born in the
manger of Bethlehem more than nineteen centuries
ago. "She shall bear a Son, and thou
shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save
his people from their sins." The King towards
whom all the preceding prophets and priests
and kings pointed, the King for whom the Jewish
people were waiting?this King had come;
and he was more than the Jewish King, he was
the Saviour of the world. He is our Saviour.
Me is the glorified Son of God. And yet he
was born as a babe and laid among the lowing
cattle in a manger.
Can this babe be indeed the Son of God?
Where are his divine wisdom and power? How
can he be localized? For the heaven of heavens
could not contain him. The mystery of God's
self-limitation we can never understand; we
can but accept the fact which is manifest upon
every page of the life of Jesus, and confess,
with St. Paul, "Who being originally in the
form of God, thought it not a thing to be
snatched at to be equal with God, but emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant, being
made in the likeness of men; and being found
in fashion as man, he humbled himself, becoming
obedient unto death, yea, the death of the
cross.'*
Here he lies like to every little child in all
things?except that he is sinless. For he is
born of a virgin. And he is unlike some other
babes, because he has been born among the
lowly, and has been laid in a manger for a
crib. But except that he was purer than us
and lowlier than us, he was like us in all things.
He came into the world helpless, dependent
upon the care of his parents. He fed from his
mother's breast. He slept and walked and
smiled. Sometimes he cried in pain, as other
babies do. And thus he lived and thus he grew;
until now he is the risen Son of God, exalted
to the right hand of the Majesty in the highest,
worshipped by angels, and believed on in the
1J T>?i V 1. .1 ?
wunu. nui ne is xne same jesus who was born
in Bethlehem, the same Saviour.
O Saviour, how unspeakably close to us thou
art.
REJOICE.
Mr*. Annie L. Jncfc.
The Babe within the manger lies.
Come Christmas to each heart.
As everywhere hosannas rise
Let joy bid grief depart.
Rejoice ye people, near and far.
Let ransomed voices sing.
Again we see the guiding star.
And frankincense will bring.
Shine on and light life's darkened way
Till all our strife shall cease,
Until we reach the perfect day
or everiast'ng peace.
Hasten His glory and His power
When all with one accord,
Shall enter at this holy honr
The Kingdom of the Lord.
?Selected.
r & E ft ? 1 X ? K 1 A M Of THE A u
HOW TO KEEP CHRISTMAS.
HEN it Y VAN DYKE.
There is a better thing than the observance
of Christmas Day?and that is, keeping Christmas.
Are vou wiilinsr to forcet what, vnn hnvo
done for other people, and to remember what
other people have done for you ? Are you willing
to stoop down and consider the needs and
the desires of little children; to remember the
weakness and loneliness of people who are
growing old; to stop asking how much your
friends love you, and to ask yourself whether
you love them enough; to try to understand
what those who live in the same house with you
really want, without waiting for them to tell
you; to trim your lamp so that it will give
more light and less smoke, and to carry it in
front so that your shadow will fall behind you;
to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and
a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate
open?are you willing to do these things even
for a day ? Then you can keep Christmas. Are
you willing to believe that love is the strongest
thing in the world?stronger than hate, stronir
er than evil, stronger than death?and that the
blessed Life which began at Bethlehem nineteen
hundred years ago is the image and brightness
of the Eternal Love ? Then you can keep Christmas.
And if you can keep it for a day, why
not always? But you can never keep it alone.
?Ex.
THE OLD HYMNS.
The "hymns and spiritual songs" of the
Church need not displace the "psalms," while
they enrich us with their wealth of truth. On
the wings of "Coronation" we are carried forward
to the crowning day of our King. Toplady's
"Rock of Ages" is still the Rock that
follows God's people, and refreshes them with
waters of life. "Jesus, Lover of My Soul,"
keeps the door of refuge open for every stormtossed
sinner on life's sea. "Safe in the Arms
of Jesus"?why, you can hear in that the tenderness
of a.mother's lullaby, and can feel in it
the strength of the Omnipotent arm. "How
Finn a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord."
The soul gets its feet upon the rock while you
sing that. "Just As I Am, "Without One Plea,"
tells us that saints and sinners have free access
to Jesus just as they are. These hymns and
spiritual songs are the bodyguard of God's people
; they are the choir which in every age sends
the shepherds in search of Jesus. They unveil his
face and give us a view of his beautiful countenance
; they take us into the holy of holies, where
we see the Shekinah glory which crowns the
mercy seat. They make ladders of light upon
which we climb to heaven. Some of them have
not much poetry because the poetry is pushed
out by superabundance of religion. It is not an
appeal to the imagination so much as to ohe
heart; and though you feel like criticising the
poetry, yet from the heart there comes a re
sponse to the religion in them, and you receive
comfort and strength and joy.?Western Recorder.
The Rector?"Well, Chorbacon, I hope you
liked the broth I sent you on Saturday and the
sermon I preached on Sabbath."
Chorbacon?"Thank you kindly zur. Boot
oi'd loike the braath better if it were more loike
the sarmon, and the sarmon if it were more loike
the braath. You see, zur the sarmon might 'a
been a bit clearer, an' oi could doon wi' less on
it; and the braath were a bit too clear, and oi
could a' doon wi' more on it."?London Fun.
If thnn wnnldof ? 4-'?
?. WM.V40W i/o ? gvv/u uuiguuur, IttKQ
heed of thy tongue.?John Bunyan.
Old " "" (1306) 5
'I* H Fi BIBLE.
The Bible is a wonderful Book. In a sacred
sense, we may speak of it as "a wonderful
Book," for it is full of wonders, and so is its
history. It is as wonderful to-dav as ev?r it
was. It is by far the oldest Book in general
circulation to-day. This is especially true of
its most ancient portions. Yet it is the most
living book we have. No other book has such
a hold on human affections, or so largely directs
human thinking. It is talked about privately
and discussed publicly. It is taught in
more than a quarter of a million Sabbath
schools in many parts of the world. It is
preached every Sabbath from many myriads of
Christian pulpits*. Without it the equipment of
no missionary is complete. It is a constant
theme in secular periodicals of all kinds. It is
such a unique book, that those who do not believe
it and love it, hate it and feel that they
must fight it. It is almost impossible for a
thinking person to remain indifferent to it. It
is printed and circulated in greater numbers
than any other book. It is by far "the best
seller." It is, year after year, "the book of the
week" for every week in the year. More books
are written about it than about anvthirtr
? ? O
the world. There are three or four millions of
volumes in the library of the British Museum,
and I once read the statement that the greater
part of them were written about the Bible.
Why is this T How can this old Book not only
hold its own with all other books, but outstrip
them all, and remain, from age to age, the
greatest and freshest of them all? There is, of
course, a reason for this, and the reason is that
this Book is from God and has life from him:
"The Word of God is living and powerful."
(Heb. 4:12). It is a revelation of divine wis
dom and love. It is full of truths that can be
learned from no other source, truths so important
that, without them, men must eternally
perish. It contains the whole Counsel of God
for our salvation. It is our standard of truth,
of right, of morals. All must be tested by it,
and everything that falls below it must be condemned
as inferior, or rejected as worthless or
hurtful. It is to man as a pillar of cloud by day
and of fire by night. "It teaches, living, how
to die, and, dying, how to live." Of this wonderful
Book some one, I know not who, has
written thus:
"This Book contains?The mind of God, the
state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of
sinners, and happiness of believers. Its doctrines
are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories
are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and
practise it to be holy. It contains light to
direct you, food to support you, and comfort to
cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's
staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's
sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise
is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates
of Hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject,
our good its design, and the glory of God its
end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart,
and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently,
prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise ,
of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given
you in life, will be open at the Judgment, and
be remembered forever. It involves the highest
responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and
condemns all who trifle with its holy contents."
"I have always thought of Christmas time
as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous,
pleasant time; a time when men and women
and little children seem by one consent to open
their hearts freely; and so I say, 'God bless
Christmas'."?Charles Dickens.
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