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A Christmas
Sermon
By REV. JAMES M. GRAY. D. D„
Dean of tlx Moody Biblo In.titute,
CMcaco
TEXT—When the fulness of tho tlmo
was come, God sent forth his son, mado
of a woman, roado under tho law, to re
deem them that wore under the law, that
wo might receive the adoption of Bone.—
Galatians 4:4, 6.
Christianity was
not precipitated
upon tho world,
but came in ns
the result ot a
long and patient
preparation. The
seed which blos
somed In Bethle
hem, was planted
In tho garden ot
Eden. In other
words, It was not
until “the fulness
of time” that
"Cod sent forth
His Son ... to
redeem thorn
that were under the law.”
Why tills delay? Why did not the
birth of the second Adam follow Im
mediately upon the fall of the first?
Why was a diseased race allowed to
suffer In the absence of the only, phy
sician who could give relief?
Some of the most Interesting and
thoughtful answers to this question
are in a great sermon on this text
by tho eloquent Robert Hall, an Eng
lish Baptist clergyman of an earlier
generation, from whom I quote In
part.
In the first place, It may have been
God’s purpose to Impress the race
with the great lessons of Its apostasy,
and the fearful consequences of re
bellion. Thus to restrain our haughty
spirits from acting In the future life
as we have acted here.
In the Becond place. If It was nec-
es<*ry in any sense that salvation
should be prepared for man. It may
have been equally so that man should
have been prepared for salvation.
• Man needed to have a true knowledge
of his sinfulness and tho misery It
produces, as well as his moral Inabil
ity to overcome It In his own wisdom
and strength. It needed time for man
to find this out, for he must exhaust
everything that nature could do be
fore he would be prepared to receive
the grace of God In the present work
of his son. .
Another reason for the delay Is
found In the necessity for the accumu
lation of prophetic evidence concern
ing the Savior, that when he came
he might be 'Identified beyond a doubt.
When Jesus came It was at the mo
ment when all the prophecies concern
ing his advent had reached a focus.
And ns another says, “He brought
with him the key which fitted every
ward of the prophetic ’lock.” v '
The MostfFaVorabte Time In History.
Finally, in th.ls .connection ■ it may
he added that of all v the periods in
the world’s history that which was
selected for the advent of the son ot
God was the most favorable in at
least three particulars:
(1) It was a time of great Intel
lectual refinement, when the human
mind had been cultivated to the last
tiegree, and was therefore able to de
tect and prevent imposture as at no
previous time. Tom Paine or Robert
Ingersoll did not live then, but such
rush lights as they could not have
been seen among the luminaries ot
the Augustan age. In other, words, if
Christianity stood the test of the first
century, it has nothing to fear from
the present one.
(2) It was the time of a central
ized human government, and Rome
was in the heyday of Its power. This
IDEAL OF HUMAN CHARACTER
Development and Perfection of Man
kind Dependent Upon Ourjtel-
lowshtp With Christ. •'
In our struggles with temptation, In
our consciousness of our worthiness,
In the contrast of our imperfections
with our ideal of personal character,
we should be inspired and encouraged
by the truth that the divine interest
in our development and perfection Is
greater than. our own. We are his
workmanship. He Is constantly en
deavoring to bring out In us his own
ideal of . what we should be. For this
he has spared no expense. He has
laid the foundations of our eternal life
in the sacrifice of his only and belov
ed son. Christ Is the ideal of human
character. He is not only example
but power of inward transformation.
It costs God Immeasurably more to
save and build up a man than to fash
ion a mountain or a star. Nature as
we behold It Is the result of vast pe
riods of development. It illustrates the
patience as well as the power of God.
The beauty of the flowers and the
made the whole of the civilized world
easily accessible, furnishing an oppor
tunity for the propagation of tho gos
pel message to mankind everywhere.
(3) It was the age ot the perfec
tion of the Greek language, which for
mapy years had been under procoss
of cultivation. This was a tongue pre
eminently ndapted to Illustrate spir
itual truth, and to assist later ages In
discovering tho meaning of Its words.
Whatever was written in Greek was
accessible to all, and at any earlier
period the want of such a vehicle of
thought would havo mado the general
teaching of the biblo almost prohi
bited. Tbe gospel intended to become
universal would have been unfit for
its work, unless continual miracles
had been wrought to further Its propa
gation. Thus, to quote Robert Hall,
the earth was prepared to receive the
precious .seed,; “He who appoints the
seasons, saw that this was the tlmo
to plant that Tree of Righteousness
which ultimately was to shadow the
whole earth, and whoso leaves were
to bo for the healing of tho nations.”
The Lessons for Us.
And, finally, whatever may be said
as to the delay ot the father in send
ing the son into the wrold, the two
points to be considered now are
these:
In the first place, the delay caused
no Injustice to the preceding ages,
for the mediation of the son of God
looked backward as well as forward,
and his sacrifice on Calvary atoned
for the faithful who bad died before
that event as well as for those who
follow after. The Jesus of the New
Testament Is the Jehovah of the old,
and the Savior who appeared to Adam
In the garden of Eden Is the same
who Intercedes for his people today.
And In the second place, "Now” that
"once In the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sac
rifice of himself,” It behooves us to
inquire whether he has yet been re
ceived into our hearts. This should
bo our chief concern on this anni
versary occasion. This ip the “fulness
of the time” for us, and God forbid
that the opportunity should come and
go and leave us where we were be
fore. The way to make the Christmas
in the earth a Christmas In the soul
Is to receive Jesus Christ by faith
as a personal Savior. He Is God’s-
unspeakable gift to us. Will you now
say to him, I accept this gift, I take
thy son? It Is so simple, and yet so
vital. Do it now.
BY CANDLE LIGHT
^Intricacies of the Law Do Not
Interfere With Judge in Own
Heart Problem.
Honesty With God.
Only entire honesty with God en
ables God to give his best to us. If
we know that we are not in that re
lationship with God In Christ which
means Christ's triumphant, joyous,
and frult-bearlng life working In us
and through us, yet we do not admit
this in confession to God, it is not
strange if life continues on a low
plane, and we are robbed of the joys
and fruits of the life more abundant
than Is ours by right. So In any line
one of the most destructive sins we
can cotpmlt Is to decline to admit that
we have sinned. It may be hard to
come in complete confession to God;
but not to do so binds us to greater
hardship. For it blocks God’s forgiv
ing, cleansing, restoring work in us.
A first step In getting rid of disease is
to recognize the disease; then it can
be treated. It does not make sin worse
to see it clearly and call it by its true
name; it does make It far worse to
decline to do this. Let us not evade
our sins.- Let us not deny or mini
mize their confession. By seeing them
at their worst and bringing them in
that light to God, we can then, in sur
render and faith, instantly and com
pletely receive of God’s best; Christ
our while life.
Walk Trustingly.
When shall we learn the sweet trust
In God that our little children teach
us every day by their confiding faith
in us? Why cannot we, slipping our
hand in his each day, walk trustingly
over that, day’s appointed path, thorny
or flowery, knowing that evening will
bring us peace and home?—The Rev.
Phillips Brooks.
sublimity of the Alps are thoughts of
God wrought out through Immeasur
able eons of development. What we
call .matter was plastic to his will,
yet his creation has been a gradual
evolution of his design, and in the ne
bulae astronomers find prophesies of
systems of starry worlds that are yet
to be. In his Infinite love he that
thus patiently develops worlds will
surely be patient In molding human
character—If we will allow him to
have his way with us—till we shall be
“to the praise of his glory.” Our
trials, our sorrows, our burdens, our
perplexities, our humiliations, our ex
ultations, our nights of darkness and
mornings of vision, are all instrument
al In the working out of his design.
On us Individually rest3 the responsi
bility of co-operating with him. “Let
each man take heed how he bulldeth.”
“For we are God’s fellow workers.”
“Work out your own salvation. . . .;
for It Is God which worketh In you
both to will and to work.”
It goes far toward making a man
faithful to let him understand that
you think him so.—Seneca.
By GRACE KERRIGAN.
“Judge London Carter Is In love
with you, Anne. Are you going to let
the memory of Phil Gaines spoil your
whole life?”
'Judge Carter In love with me? 6h,
no, mother! Ho Is too wrapped up In
the Intricacies of tho law to bother
with a heart problem."
“You’ll find out for yourself soon.
Don’t blind your eyes to a catch like
that because of a school boy.”
“I wlBh that you would let me love
Phil without worrying over it”
“You are twenty-five, Anne, and you
have discarded enough men because
of your foollBh infatuation of Phil
Gaines. He Is married now and out of
the question.”
“I grant you that,” laughed the girl,
“but his marriage hasn’t killed my
love for him. Why, he Is as much a
part of my life now as he was a year
ago when the postman brought his
daily thought of me.’’
"You are too clever and wholesome
to cling to the memory of a man who
was not true."
“Remember, dear, that he asked me
to marry him and I refused.”
"Of course you refused when the
night before he had been notoriously
drunk at the Peyton’s dinner dance.”
"Not notoriously, mother, for I took
him away before any one knew, and If
I had loved him, as you think, well
enough to spoil my life because of his
memory, I would have married him
even If he had been a confirmed
drunkard. That Is a woman’s way.”
“Not a woman with your pride,
Anne I What do you mean by not lov
ing him as I think you do? Are there
more ways than one?"
“Yes, there are more ways than
one.”
Anne picked up a little silver frame
on her desk. It held the picture of a
big, stalwart fellow with eyes that
laughed and mocked and yet were
tender.
“If you would put that picture away
and pack all his gifts, you would be
much more likely to forget. You cod
dle l\ls memory. He Isn’t the boy you
remember. He Is a man now. I have
heard that he is coming' here on his
honeymoon. I hope he does, to disil
lusion you."
"Why do you Insist upon marriage
for me?”
“Because I want you to be happy.
Marry Judge Carter! He Is the young
est man on the bench, good looking
and comes of a fine family. You will
never do better."
'He isn’t in love with me and I don’t
intend to go campaigning for a hus
band.” Anne looked at her mother and
smiled. “Every family needs one old
maid to help mother the nephews and
nieces and pay the wild boys out of
debt. So since I am the only hope of
our relatives, let me be a dedr old
spinster. In my rare laces and pearls,
I will be a romantic figure as I sit by
the fire, seeing in the rosy flames ’the
bridge of dreams, spanning the river
of youth, that leads into my garden
of remembered things.’ ’’
♦‘Don’t talk like that, Anne. It
makes my heart ache. Be happy! You
are beautiful and gifted. Anticipate
happiness and make the harp of life
respond to your wooing touch. For
get Phil!”
“If I only could forget!”
When her mother left her, Anne
held the picture in her two hands,
staring down in the eyes that laughed
and- mocked and yet were tender. “I
wonder how well you love her, this
woman who has taken my place,” she
mused. “I wonder what she does to
comfort you when the blue devils get
you, Phil. You know when they came
you always wired' me to write quick
ly. Now you don’t need me any more.
I think that Is what hurts most of all.
You don’t need me any more. For
ten years, we have told each other all
our little hopes and plans. You were
just my other self. Giving you up
was like kissing the cross of my life’s
rosary. You meant youth to* me. I
am glad that I could help you over the
hard years when you first went to that
little western town, dear, foolish, lov
able Phil!”
She set the silver frame back in a
recess of her deBk and rang for her
maid. /
“My new blue charmeuse and -the
turquoise, please, Elsie.”
“Is it another party?” asked Elsie,
who adored her pretty mistress and
took a personal pride in her popu
larity.
"A quiet little dinner with Judge
Carter and the opera afterward. A bit
of rouge for my cheeks, Elsie, for II
Trovatore always takes my own
color.”
“You are not sad?” questioned the
little maid. “Surely, with such beauty
and the love of many—it is enough to
make you very happy.”
“Yes,” said Anne, “it is enough.”
A little later as they made their way
through tho crowded dining room to
the table that had been reserved for
them, Anne was' unconscious of the
looks of admirations from every side,
but Judge Carter saw and thrilled
with pride of her.
“Every man envied me when we
came In,” he declared when they wore
seated. "I am glad to Bee color In
your face again. I have worried about
you lately.”
"Emergency color," laughed Anne.
"Why havo you worried about mo?”
“I—I rather fancied you were not
happy and I want you to be."
As he made his order, Anne became
conscious of voices at a nearby table.
A young girl sat facing a man whose
back was to Anne, but it required no
second glance for her to recognize
PhU Gaines.
“Don’t stare so even If the woman
who Just, came in Is pretty- You will
see thousands like her here. If you
want that fish, eat it. I have to see a
man at eight o'clock.”
"I don’t want it," answered the girl
In a soft southern voice.
Anne felt her color rising swiftly
under the rouge. The man who had
grown out of the boy she had idealized
for years talking like that to his wife!
A wave of pity for the tender little
bride passed over her heart % and
cleared it of all memory of Phil.
Anne leaned over to whisper some
thing to the Judge, then looked up to
face PhU as he rose from the table.
“Anne,” he cried eagerly, “how good
It Is to see you again!”
“Bring your wife over here and let
her finish dinner with us,” urged Anne
when she had greeted him. Phil miss
ed the welcome that had always been
in her eyes for him. "It will be lonely
In this big city for your bride while
you are busy with your friends so I
want the privilege of taking care ot
her.”
A sudden challege flashed In Phil’s
eyes and Anne met it unflinchingly.
“She Is such a child, Phil! You must
be very good to her."
“Yes,” said Phil, looking down, “I
really want to make her happy. I’ve
made a bad beginning, Anne," he said,
confessing his fault like a penitent
boy.
Bring her right over here. I think
she is lovely. Then hurry, see your
man and get back In time to join us
for the opera.” Anne felt as if she
had roused from an unpleasant dream
and was glad to be awake once mote.
Anne,” said Judge Carter as his
big limousine whirled them swiftly
through the snowy streets from the
hotel where they had left Phil and his
bride, “I love you so and I need you.
I want you to make a home—with
me.”
“You need me?" questioned Anne.
"Yes, dear. Every man dreams all
his life of one woman. You are that
woman to me. Fear that you were
unhappy kept me from speaking, but
tonight you were so radiant, so hap
py in your kindness to the little bride,
I dare to dream, to hope of winning
you. Could you learn to care? What
kind of a man could you love?"
"You,” said Anne softly, a sudden
illuminating happiness flooding her
heart, “because you are you, because
you will always rise to the level of
my need of you.”
“And will you love me "always?"
“Always,” came the quiet answer,
“ ‘by sun and candle light.’"
(Copyright, 1912, by the McClure News
paper Syndicate.)
ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL
Story of a Toll Bridge That Was
Later Put Out of BusInesD
by Railroad.
The first bridge In western Kansas
was on the old Santa Fe trail, in Ford
county, across the Pawnee creek,
about forty miles north of Dodge City.
John O’Loughlin, who now llvos at
Lakin, built the old bridge, and made
a small fortune from It charging toll
for the use of it. It was In the early
’70s, before the railroad had pushed
its way up the valley and when all
traffic had to be carried by teams on
the trail.
O’Loughlin, while prospecting
through the country, noticed that the
crossing at Pawnee creek was a bad
place, the banks being steep on both
sides.
He builUthe bridge, erected a little
store and began collecting toll from
teamsters and others UBlng the bridge.
If they didn’t want to pay, they didn’t
have to. They could ford across the
old way. But as a rule they were
glad to pay.
When a government train came
along O’Loughlin took receipts or or
ders, the government teamsters hav
ing no authority to pay money. He
accumulated these orders or receipts
and collected them from the govern
ment later at one time receiving
a draft for $1,200 for his toll charges.
The bridge cost him, he figured,
something like $100, and he estimated
that in the year or two he operated
it he cleaned up $6,000 or more.- •
But the building of the Santa Fe
railway up the valley in 1872-73 put
O’Loughlln'8 toll bridge out of busi
ness. Teamsters no longer had to use
the Santa Fe trail. The railway
killed teaming and toll .collecting
alike.
So O’Loughlin abandoned his bridge,
closed his store and moved to Lakin,
where he still resides.—Kansas City
Journal.
Hopeless.
"Who wrote that story about Roose
velt’s return to the Outlook office?”
aBked the managing editor.
“Billy Pennington,” replied the city
editor. “I thought It was a pretty
good story.”
“It was more than that. It was a
remarkable story. I think wo ought
to raise Pennington’s salary. He
didn’t wind up by saying: The
colonel then plunged into a mass of
correspondence.' ”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that
he did I blue-penciled that part ot
It”
“Oh, pshaw! We’ll never be able
to make anything of that fellow” .
To prevent Malaria .Is far better than
to cure it'. In mnlarinl countries take a
dose of OXIDINE regularly one each week
and save yourself from Chills and Fever
and other malnrial troubles. Adv.
Misty Part.
“I am afraid,” said Senator Sorg
hum, “that the altercation in which I
have become Involved must be more
or less obscure to the casual listener.”
“About all you have both said lately
is ’You’re another.’ ’’
"Yes. And we have said It so often
that I am afraid nobody remembers ex
actly what either of us was accused
of being, in the first place."
DOES voun HEAD ACHE?
Try Hicks' OAPUDINE. It's liquid—pleas-
ant to take—effects immediate—good to prevent
Slek Headaches and Nervous Headaches also.
Your money back if not satisfh *
BOc. at medicine stores. Adv.
Epigram.
"That wasn’t a bad epigram on the
magistrate's part," said the somewhat
educated tramp, who had been con
victed for vagrancy.
“What did he say?” asked the
tramp's pal.
“Seven days,” came the reply.
“That ain't no epigram, is it?”
“I'm sure It is. I asked a parson
once what an epigram was, and he
says, ‘It’s a short sentence that
sounds light, but gives you plenty to
think about.”
Sure Sign.
“So Green has been promoted
again.”
“Yes, but how did you know?”
“I just overheard you knocking
him.”
A great majority of summer ills are
due to Malaria in suppressed form. Las
situde and headnehes are but two symp
toms. OXIDINE eradicates tho Malaria
germ and tones up the entire system. Adv.
Unworthy Competition.
American-made shoes compete in
parts of Russia with “American”
shoes made in Germany.
Not Always.
“It is money makes the mare go."
"If she turns out a loser, it is the
mare that makes the money go." *
Grind Your Own Grain
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your com to the mill. Buy a MONARCL.
I MILLandgrindthemeaiforyourowntable. I
You are sure to have cleaner, fresher and
[more meal. Send today for a Monarch Mill. 1
For grinding Com Meal, all kinds of
fcM.or Cracking Com, etc., MON-
Alton MILLS aro tho best, Our
Jlj-day froo trial will provo It. Stato
Kina ana amount of power you
— have and ask for catalog
| and further Information.
Sprout, Waldron & Go.,
. BOX 463, MUNCY, PA.
FOR SALE—10 A., KNOWN An r ns
Gomez Grant, Palm Beaoh Co FIa°
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out afterward. R. Dllworth. Dubuque, la
F,GR SALE—ALL, OR PART 'OF 80 J
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