Morning journal and courier., 1892-12-26

10 cannot put the light Of the spirit OF
his ideal man out of the thought OF
eighteen centuries. This second man came
20 stay with us. The Christ abides with
men. His own word is proving true, aLo,
am with you Away, even to the end OF
;he world"
We draw near at this point to our con-
,lusion for this Christmas day. But let
me first sum up what has thus far been
said. There were in the beginning, |
ages of preparation for the coming |
Of the first man. In time the |
the solid earth was formed, the vapors |
were dispelled, life opened somewhere its |
higher secret and promise amid the dust; |
the more complex organisms took form,
earth became q garden; at last the union
first promised In the holy betrothals of the
thought of tho eternal, the marriage long
expected of the living soul to perfect form
took place; the first man of the earth
earthly, and yet Adam the son of God be-
gan our human history. Again the centu-
ries of preparation, the epochs of disci-
pline, the generations bowed and broken
under the law of sin and death; the first
world-age of the first Adam draws near Its
chaotic close in moral failure, in mans
despair, in Gods opportunity. The second
man appears. None but God above knew,
the mother blessed among women laid up
in her heart the supernal meanings of
his childhood. The Emmanuel child
grew in wisdom and favor; he was
to teach; God who has counted
centuries day in preparing the creation
for man, and mans history for his Christ,
waits until Jesus grows to strong maturity
and then the man manifests his glory to
whom had been given the spirit without
measure. At glance the Baptist diacov-
cred the one who Is greater than he; soon
the common people find prophet in the
man of Nazareth; there comes a decisive
hour when disciples who had known him
as no others confessed, Thou art the Christ,
the son of the living God! The Lords life
rounds out before mems eyes into q mar
vellous consistency of divinity; his charac-
ter begins to shine as a transcendent reve-
mandment over material forces; miracles
incredible of the first mans powers become
natural energies of the second man, and
| his love ia seen to be lord of his awful
power as he gives himself to death. OF
| him alone, the second man who had lived
| from heaven, men are saying, We have
| seen him again; not in midnight apparition
| nor spectral fear, but in the bright morn
| ing, in the sunshine of the garden, where
| is the open tomb, on the clear sea beach.
He appears, still human, bringing most
| friendly greeting, recognizable IS of old,
yet not the same, saying, Touch me not
Already having something of the glory Of
the celestial, the second man of heaven
into whose unseen nearnsss he vanishes and
waits henceforth expectant until after an.
other Of Gods little whiles' he shall b;
manifested again in his glory. What next
| divine preparation? The ideal man rules
our destinies; the second man is eviden
creator Of a second world, his spirit shin
ing full in mans thought the light of an
other day of human history. And tn
second man from heaven is represented il
the same unsurpassed chapter of the resur
rection from which our text ia taken, a.
being also the last man; the last Adam, 1
is said, is become q hfe-giving spirit
Spirit and life, spirit giving life, these TIVE
inexhaustible words indicate the Christian
prophecy of the end of this world-age
The beginning was earthiness and death
eternal purpose of God in Christ Jesus
such is the higher development of history
such the divine evolution of man.
| And in this faith and hope we keep tn
festival. We may indeed pitch our Christ
mas joy to lower key; we may sing viii
merry hearts. thoughtless of the hereafter
if all at home be we'll. The fret man re
ceived a blessing; his was sunshine, hi
was the child's eager awakening, his jo
unexhausted endeavor. And his too tn
} temptation, the fall, the burden bearing
the fear of death. But our Christmas ma
be the first mans delight in existence raj,
ed to the higher power of the joy of th
second man in knowing the father and dc
! ing the fathers will. Our Christmas syn
bolizes the divine beginnings of man
celestial life. Around US still lies til
the world in its wickedness; before OF
, eyes dark, fear-haunted evil; our brothe,
needing our good will; suffering part {
s. each days news; death all too familia
But within our hearts the Christmas pesc'
The eternal fails not of his purpose; tn
earth is elected from among the stars to /
the servant, acquainted with grief, {
. Gods sacriicial love; man Ia created to (
Q made perfect In the image of the Chris
! age no final disappointment and hear
l breaking failure to infinite love; fl
/, the second man is creations crown, and b
9 humanity created anew in Christ jest
is history's consummation; the last me
on the earth shall be no helpless slave
outward forces; no form once beautiful, i
Q light forever gone out in sensuousness; I
: palsied sinner repulsive in utter piteabl
ness; no lost aoul, dead to love, al
emptie,1 OF God, to itself a hell; such Il
last man might have been, if the first ma
weak, tempted, fallen, had been Gods a
but he made the world for the Chris
the last man is a life giving spirit, tt
J. second man is of heaven; the last humani
| shall ha the Christ in the midst of h
= brethren having the glory which he hi
3 with the Father before the world was, ar
}. being glorified in his own; even as hs b
,: said, the glory which thou has given me
d have given unto them, that they May
@ one, even as we are one; in them al
9 thou in me, that they may be made perfs
3 in one.