The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-28
CHRIST IN THOUGHT.
Christmas Sermon on the Char
acter of the Savior.
LESSONS FOR THE NEW YEAR.
Rev. w. q. Eliot, Jr., at the Unitaria,
Church, and Rev. .. v. w. Chand
Ter at the Second 81. Z. Church.

Rev. o. V. w. Chandler at the Second
Methodist Protestant church Yesterday
morning preached an eloquent discourse
upon the subject, Christ in Thought.
He took for his text:
Whose son is Hes'
He said:
IN this question our Savior does not intend 10
ask their views concerning Himself personally
or al His mission or WORK. But II was ssWhat
DO you think OF the Christ or the Messiah of the
Old Testament scriptures?" "what are your
views especially OF His genealogy; His an.
eestryT' Through what lineage have you ex.
reeted Him. From what family is He to
spdngT' They answered him, 'sThe son of
David" The Jews were a uni. as to the
genealogy OF the Messiah. That he was to come
OF the tribe OF judah and to be the sou or de-
scendsnt OF David.
This idea of ancestry as relating to Christ was
and is one OF the important considerations in
the acceptance or rejection OF Christ No
people had ever been so careful and par
ticuar as the Jews in keeping a correct
record of the different tribes and families.
Especially were they anxious to have no mis-
takes because of the promise to Abraham.
"seed should all the nations OF the earth be
blest.'
They expected from what had been told them
that Deliyerer and Savior would come. and
that He would appear through certain line or
family. Tie promise had been made. moreover.
TO David that through his family this Deliyerer
should come
The eyes of the nation would therefore be ex-
pectins the promise to be fulfilled as God had
her uviff. - i,,x
accurately kept. Not only SO, but they were
public property. When Christ came these rec
crds were open for inspection. They could be
consulted.
Matthew, in the beginning OF his gospel.
strikes this subject of Christ's genealogy The
very first Verse opens up the subject: "The
book OF the generation OF Jesus Christ, the son
OF David, the son of Abraham" Then he be-
gins with Abraham, and follows the line clear
down through David to Joseph Luke, in his
gospel, after speaking of the birth OF Christ and
after some mention OF events up TO tho time of
the beginning OF His ministry, takes hold of the
subject of His genealogy. And more infinitely
than Matthew, he runs the line back. beginning
with Joseph. Because of this we conclude that
TO their minds this subject of ancestry was 10
be OF no little weight to both Jew and GENTLE
In fixing their conviction respecting Christ.
The correctness of the geneaolgy as stated by
Matthew and Luxe is argued from the fact that
no rab / or sanhedrim ever disputed their state
menl. The claim so far as the promise being
fulfilled in the genealogy is not called in Ques-
ton This proof of His Messiahship is too i'm
portent TO be overlooked.
Adam Clark says, in speaking on the subject,
their families are now perfectly confounded
that they cannot trace back any of these gene
aiogies with any degree of certainty, nor have
they been capable of ascertaining the different
han VT
hundred years. Never was any people so driven
from light into darkness and left without chs art
or compass as the Jews: all because OF their OBJ
stnancy and hardness of heart
When the question was propounded, "whs,
think ye Of Christ? Whose Son is Hep" And
they answered, "The son of David" Then
Christ said, allow then doth David in spirit
call him Lord, saying: The Lord said unto my
Lord, sit Thou on my right hand till l make
Thine enemies Thy footstool.' If David then
call Him Lord, how is He his son?" The scrip
fure In question is taken from the one hundred
and tenth Psalm. The point which Christ
made was that the Messiah according to their
own writings, was more than man, more than a
temporal prince or deiverer from the Roman
yoke. That He was superior to David himself
and was even his Lord well as his son.
No man was able to answer Him a word,
nor 10 there any way of answering
the question but by the admission that
Christ was divine well human
We find, therefore, that this thought OF God
man or Mediator was no new thought to the
world when our Christ came to Bethlehems
The idea OF Deliverer or Saviour by no means
originated with the church fathers or in church
councils. as some would have you believe.
The birth of such Being has been the expec-
tation of all history.
"Eyery night since man left the Garden of
Eden has he been looking up to the shrobbing
heavens for the star of the EARTH
great chasm has been felt TO exist between
man and his God-not unlike that between
Dives and Lazarus This feeling would very
naturally cause the race TO search for something
to Gil up the space or to bridge it over.
Every nation, SAYS Mckay, that has advanced
beyond this most elementary conception has
felt the necessity of an attempt TO I'LL up the
chasm, real or imaginary, separating man from
his God
This thought OF Mediator or Messiah was In
Abel's mind when he brought up the firstling of
his flock to offer as sacrifice upon the altar.
The same thought occupied the mind of Noah
when he came out OF the ark with his family,
and FIRST of all built an altar Of sacrifice Aud
30 might we speak of Abraham and of his pos
terty aud of al the patriarchs and prophets.
Not only do we lnd this thought in the minds
of Bible characters, but all nations
OF the earth have had their ideal
Chris,s OF Godmen. Men have looked
about in nature for the brightest, purest and
most incorruptiole thing to symbolic Deity.
Some thought they found ii in fire, some in the
sun and others in something else.
Persons and images have been deifed and
there has been looking hilher aud thither Tor
the coming one"
There are many illustrations OF the eagerness
OF The human heart for redeemer.
Tohe was the first God- man among the Chinese,
Confucius the second.
When one of the early missionaries preached
Christ to "A Western tribe of Indians, and had
explained by experience the Christian faith. he
was confronted by an aged slave who had never
heard OF Christ nor of any divine being save the
Great spirit and said. "rhe Saving One is mine,
and these have been my experiences Tor many
years" THIS thought, then, OF a Christ was n
her mind. although not intelligent to her own
heart until explained by the missionary.
Thus do we see that there has been an ideal
Chris, in the thoughts of mankind the world
over. The idea of a Christ has teen embodied
In images, in fancies, in individuals ana IN
sacrifices One has said: "All these faiths IN
pagan and civilized lands have been better for
the believers than no faith These expecting
AMI MISUNDERSTANDING attitudes have saved the
worlds heart from utter despair. They have
been one of Gods educators ana prophets
and great agencies In the Development oil hu-
mainly Taey have been KIND OF God son on
earth.
Il is scarcely too much TO say that the
thoughts Of the coming Christ though bearing
ciieTeut names, have presided over and FEIea
The thoughts Of the ages.
Nearly nineteen hundred years ago prophecy
vas expected 10 be fulfilled. The Chrlst 81
Abraham, OF David aud OF Isaiah-in wora' the
Christ OF the Bible. was expected to appear
Al this time there appeared in Jerusalem
three strangers from the lar East
Tee g-a Paffaa wis mon ar 1aagt. TheN,baNe