Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-26
Al 81. Marks.

The services at st. Marks are always of
special interest on Christmas and those of
Yesterday were unusually so. The music
at the celebration of the holy communion
was sung TO setting in Il fat by DIR. L.
Armes and this part of the musical service
was especially beautiful. Rev. MIR.
Gwynne's text was "He knows this man
whence he is"---St. John vii. 81
II was in these words that some meu "of
Jerusalem one DAY excused themselves
from accepting the Lord Jesus as the true
Chris, or Messiah, and they did 80 on the
ground that He did not correspond to what
had been fore,old concerning Him in the
OH Testament Scriptures. Instead of
taking the whole picture OF the coming
Christ as painted for them in prophecy
they had left out all those details which
ciashed with their earthly prepossessions;
all that told of the lowly
birth. the poverty. the shame.
The prophets had told of the reality of
the Messiahs manhood. Many had de
clared His tribe and family. Some had
even told of the village and the time where
aud when He should be born. But all this
was too commonplace, too shocking to the
pride of these cultivated men of Jerusalem.
They wanted some one who would not Ne
quite so close 10 them, one who would I'M
press them from above with his vagueness
As well as his vastness, one who would be
only superhuman and my stsrious. AMI who
would not NEEDLE too much with their own
earthly everyday lives. 1--WE know this
man" they said, whence he is. hu; when
Christ coueth no man knoweth whence lie
Is"
And there is much in the temper of these
meu tina, Is common to the spirit of this age
There Is about ourselves today false
spirituality that hates everything concrete
in religion and would fsin turn Christianity
into vapor. In its effort 10 get rid OF
definite duty il insists on making religion
haxy and obscure. And the strange thing
about all this is that in every other fieid OF
knowledge men want deiinitcness. This
age, il has been well said. atmires precision
in science. exact thought in philosophy,
minute accuracy in scholarship. a jealous
care for the details of historical fact. plain,
straightforward truthfulness in the law
courts. Blu, in religion i, wants absolute
Indebtedness, All a theology of platitudes,
something be %een poem and picture
gallery II may indeed well be asked con-
tNtNue SAitu u tHf< Is sntu u
luminous haze worth having II al our other
know ledge is definite knowledge what can
be the value TO reasonable man of faith
which refuses to be deiiaesisH
The objection Of the men Of Jerusalem
ma, then suggest TO Us on this Christmss
morning liae of thoaght which i: is most
necessary 10 bear in mind. il we wouli pos
sess a faith that is to afford us any real moral
power in the conduct OF our lives Stand
ing beside the cradle of our infant Saviour,
Ne can turn the objection of these men into
boast and say, 1--WE Christians know this
raan, whence He is For il there is one
thlnI above all others TO which Christmas
teseiies it is not merely the sweetness and
sentiment ofthe story OF Bethlehem. bu,
she reality and the actiality of that story as
Tue breaking forth of God from sevoni the
shadows and the clouds, and His entrance
IN time and place into the material world of
nesa an. blood. The Word was God
ve heard St. John say in tie GOSPEL today
and he adds, s.ihe Word WIS made hesb
and dwelt among as
Inc preacher then referred to the ten
aeaey anong the hereticai seets in the
earliest days TO deny, not the supernatural
character Of our Lord but His true humru.