Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-12-29
A CHRISTMAS SERMON

rev. LIE. ouytu ADlo CuIlStiueS seIu1oit.
The text was taken from Hebrews, viii, 1.
Extracts from the sermon are as follows:
So the writer of the Epistle to the He
brews, after summary of their history,
delared that the chief point in all that he
had been saying was the fact that they had
such high priest as the Christ. Still
from all our modern histories, we shall
come to this as the central and chief point
that we have such Christ. We shall en-
ter this week on the first year of the last
decade3of the nineteenth Christian century.
Think of that, almost nineteen centuries
since Christ was born at Bethlehem. Human
history, since that first Christmas morn,
has moved off on broader lines, passed
through more stupendous conflicts, adj
vanced to vaster issues than the Hebrews
ever had recorded in their sacred books or
Jesus first disciples could conceive. In
all departments of human achievement, in
victories over natures powers, in triumphs
of science, in exaltations of reason to
knowledge of the stars, these nineteen
ages since Jesus was born in a manger
have reached more marvellous attainments
than all the generations known to history
from Abraham to David, from David to
Babylon, from Babylon unto Christ. But
still in the many and wonderful things
which these last nineteen centuries have
been saying, the chief point is this: Jesus
the Christ, born of the holy ghost, living
on earth as one in heaven, dying the just
for the unjust, risen, reigning, the new
worlds light.
To-day, we who are having our brief
time upon this little earth which has
sheltered for moment unnumbered
generations of the dead, must confess that
in all the things we are saying to one
another this is the chief-we have the
Christians faith; we have such Christ.
His coming, indeed, almost nineteen CEN
turies ago, has been the chief cause of
mems business the civilized world over
during the past week.
Let me proceed to indicate rapidly some
of the illustrations Of this fact that the
Christianity Of Christ is the chief point of
all that we are saying.
A modern painter has left on the walls
of the new museum in Berlin famous
fresco of the destruction of Jerusalem. In
that historical painting the burning city is
not the most significant thing. The Ro-
man 1egions pressing in through the
breeches in the wall are not the objects of
most historic interest. The chief thing,
the prophetic thing, the point in which
the whole power of the painting culmi-
mates, is single Christian family-father,
mother and children-heeing from the
doomed city, led by an angel of the Lord.
The Christian family has come forth
from the whole past history of the world
saved, as by the angel of the Lord.
The spirit of the Christ has been the
salvation of the family. I am not saying
that Christianity first made the institu-
Christ, as it's guardian angel, led it forth
purified and redeemed from the sins and
the flames of the ancient world, and has
set the home in the midst of the modern
city as it's JOY and crown.
And if it be asked what to-day in all
that the family life and the stories Of
family fortunes are saying of their OWL
preservation, purity and blessing, the
chief point will be the grace of him who
also was hidden at Cana of Galilee. Fol
not by the laws of our statute books, mol
by the economies of our science and still
less by the dreams of socialists, is the
institution of the family to be preserved
on this earth; but our Christianity makes
the Christ mentioned in prayer or praise
at the hearth, sanctifes, sweetens and keeps
fresh and pure the affections of the Chris
tian home; so that with all our increas.
of wisdom and abundance of the thing
possessed for the enrichment of human
homes, the chief point in the whole mod
ern history of the family is Christ, an6
its abiding peace is the spirit of thu
Christ.
Another of the powers of modern society
of which the chief point is the Christian
faitn, is that institution concerning who's,
beginning the children are now studying
in our Sunday school.
Speak about it or against it, as men may
still in this last decade of the nineteenth
century the principal social institution
among all the civilized nations is the Chris
tan church. The world has the church il
it; that is the distinguishing fact O.
modern history. The worlds politics ant
wars for all these generations since Chris
have circled around and beaten upon thil
one established and immovable fact, tn,
church of Christ which stands in tn
midst of the kingdoms of this world.
But whatever our thought may be O
that one transcendent life whose brigh
arch, never broken, nor its pure colo
dimmed by a moments cloud-breath upo1
it, spans our earth with its sign of God
promise; whatever our thought about tn
Christ, the child's or the masters thought
still this is the chief point in all that W
are saying, that the Christ was and is, tina
his influence abides, that there are thos
who have his spirit. We speak as W
meet one another of the many thing
which fill up our ives;-these many daily
things which we hold for their moment il
our lives, and they are gone, as thougl
our little personalities were but as so man,
frail cups held by the hand of some highe
power in times everhowing stream which
fills our cups, yet never with the SAM
drops of its always changing waters;-
perhaps seme happy hour that hand wh:cl
stream up into his eternal light, and W
made pure of soul we shall be filed will
abiding life.
But in the midst of all these passinj
things which now take up our thoughts
always the chief point is this: we hav
this hope of life; we are not ChristlesI
souls; we are born in the hour Of
the Christ on earth, and all the genera
tions of us walk under his influence and il
his light. Beside what have been saying
there is one general characteristic of Chris
tian history never, think, more profound
ly characteristic of it than in these CLOSING
years of this nineteenth century from
Bethlehem, which seems to me to be SO re
markedly significant that it must not nov
be left without special mention.
What this marvellous characteristic O.
all these days since Christ is may per
haps lead you most directly to perceive b.
reminding you of the fact that the re
ligion of Jesus almost at once became tn
most intensely and confidently prophets
religion ever known in this world. TIL
last book of the New Testament is al
apocalypse, "Yea, come quickly. Amen
Come, Lord Jesus" Thus, and with
salutation, the New Testament closes
Saul of Tarsus was converted, not by tn,
memory of the cross, but by a vision O
the living Lord in heaven. The frs
Christian churches seem to have becom.
even too excitedly expectant of the Lord
second coming. Now this, I would hav,
you reflect, is the striking thing about tn,
whole influence of Jesus these long cen
turtles through, that his spirit seems to pu
all the generations into the prophetic
mood; that he sets every age to
ward the future, and looking will
eager eyes beyond itself; that all the gen
erations since Christ was born have dice
that the Christ still has in this nineteenth
century not only church which keep
the festivals of his birth and resur
rection, but also church which pray
without eeasing 'sThy kingdom come"
We speak about the olden prophetic
times, the ages long ago of Hosea, Amo.
and Isaiah. But there were never before
Christ such prophetic ages as there have
been since Christ's first coming, and never
an age in all its instincts, strivings anG
CONSIDERATIONS more earnestly and ire
mendously prophetic than our own. In
dec 1, this prophetic influence among mer
of the Christ has become SO universal and
so common that we hardly think what
christian thing, what characteristically
christian thing, this whole prophetic cast
and spirit of our civilization is. In thess
days the spirit is SO poured on all flesh, al
said the prophet Joel, that old men and
young men are all looking forward at
dreamers and seers of visions to the better
aoe to coma The christian rnaruel of fIis