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m 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 [Save the time and expense of haulin 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° n!f, arand put to cltruB fruits ’ was bi out afterward. R. Dllworth. Dubuque, la F,GR SALE—ALL, OR PART 'OF 80 J Marion Co., Fla., M near R R. stations- AddreM OI C 0 * O r Ch 'ii“ he ?,'l 8t0ck - ma0 >>- jvuareas u & L., Box 430, Ocala, Fla. good location. W. H. Edwards" Trilby e:sgasaal»gE l?®*- 1 " 11 " “"d New Year Novelties for 2fl toS?'^ 8 . co1 ?- Inc ludea postcards, b tags, booklets, fans, etc. LOlIIR .1 livn? *•- O- BOX 638, BALTIMORE, MD S B B«t E ~n~i ii ii 11 i i j imHi Butcoorh Syrup. TuIm Qoo<l. UiTBl lu tlm.. Sold by Drarsltli. El