The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-06-28

GOLDEN TExT.-Unto you Is born this day,
In the city Of David Saviour, which IL Christ
the Lord Luke 2:1L
TINE The last Of December, b G g. -Four
years before the commencement Of our common
era. A. D. l (Anno Domini. year OF our Lord,
go that he was born 1893 not l,soa years ago
1t was the year Of the world 1000.
DATE OF THE BIRrH OF CHRIST. 1T is very
perplexing to many TO find that Jesus was
actually born four years before the time from
which we count his birth The simple reason
is that no one calculated dates from the birth
Of Christ till centuries after He was born, and
then Dionysius Exiguus, the monk who Pub
nshed the calculations in A. d. 52s made mis-.
take Of four years He placed the birth Of
Christ A D. in the year OF Rome (U. C.) 754
But Herod the Great, who slew the innocents
of Bethlehem, died in April of the year of Rome
$50: so that Christ must have been born several
months before or not later than the last Of 749
Jesus was probably born at the very close Of
b. G. 3. which would be only four years before
our era, for in a week after the 25th Of Decem-
Der, B G. 5, it was January. B. C
Since it is impossible to rectify the dates in
all books and records over the world, we sim
ply apply the true dates to the life Of Christ
He was five years old at the close Of A. D. I.
PLACE-Bethlehem Of Judea a village five
or six miles south OF Jerusalem Its name,
Bethlehem c'house OF bread'o, was due to
the fertility of the adjacent cornfelds 1t was
city of David because it was his birthplace and
contained the records Of his family Here Je-
rome made the Latin translation of the Bible
called the Vulgate A. d. 370-400 1t now con-
tains about five thousand Inhabitants. The
field Of the shepherds was about mile from
the village
RULERs.-Augustus Caesar was emperor Of
Rome. Herod the Great the FIRST of the seven
Herods mentioned in the New TestamenD,
king of Judea; but Palestine and most of the
known world were subject to Augustus
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.-Inorder to understand
the material on which Christianity had to
work, we give the best statistics available.
Lyman's tables give tae population of the
Roman empire at the time OF Christ as 100 000,-
900 OF which 80, 100000 were slaves, 40o00,00
were tributaries and freedmen, and only 20, 0o0,-
900 we're full citizens, or one-sixth of the popu-
lation. The army numbered 400 900 and the
navy $1,000 men, Milman gives the population
OF Rome, by the census of A. d. 4s at $685., 600
| PALEsrINE-Hon. Selah Merrill, in his Gal
lice in the Time of Christ" thinks that the pop
ulation of Palestine was about 100000, and Of
| Galiiee 100000.
JERUSALEM M-According to Milman, Jerusa-
lem had at this time population Of 25o6,0oo
| 1t was a city of great magnficence and was
| the me tropolis of the Jewish world
| THE COMING OF THE DIVINE SAVIOUR.
Who Jesus Was Before He Came
John 1:1-4; Heb. 1:2, 8. The Word,
| who became Jesus on earth was the
| eternal Son of God. BY Him the
worlds were created. He was with
God, and was God. From His glorious
home He came to this world, as the
highest expression of Gods love, to
take upon Himself our human nature
| for the salvation of the world from sin
| to holiness and Heaven.
Prophecies of His Coming. of the
| strongest assurances that Jesus is the
true Saviour from Heaven is the fact
| that He comes as part of a great Divine
| plan. He was foretold, promised,
typified from the very beginning.
| There was a promise to Adam (Gen.
3:15); to Abraham (Gen. 22:1S): to
Jacob (Gen. 1910; to David e Sam.
| 7:12-16); by Isaiah (9:6, z; 11:1-9); by
Daniel (9:24). The sacrifices typifed
| Him. More frequently still were fore
told the blessed times He would bring.
| The Announcement of His Coming
To Zacharias, the sanity father of
John the forerunner, to the Virgin
Mary, to Joseph, the coming was
announced in words full of promise
| that inspired them to songs which
have been sung with joy and gratitude
all through the ages Uuke y.
The Preparation of the World for
His Coming.-There has been no other
time in the history of the world so per-
| fectly adapted for the beginning of the
kingdom, and the spreading of the
news of salvation throughout the
earth, as that in which Christ was born.
1t was after the Jews had received all
that they would about Gods kingdom,
but before the breaking up and scat
tering of the nation by the fall of their
capital and the temple. There were
many lands, but nearly all the world
was subject to the one government at
Rome, so that the preachers of the
Gospel could travel in safety, and be
protected in their work. Roman roads
made for their legions were highway
for the Gospel, and the Roman soldiers
were a guard for it's preachers. The
world was at peace, for almost the only
time, so that the gospel could have
free course. The Greek language, the
most perfect medium of human speech
was spoken everywhere with the ma.
tive languages, so that the Gospel
could be heard and read by all. The
conquests OF Alexander which diffused
the Greek language, the Greek civiliza
tion and Greek learning throughout
the east, were a marvellous providen
tial preparation for the Gospel. The
Bible of the Jews had been translated
into the Greek language in the third
century before Christ. This version Il
called the Septuagint. Thus for some
centuries the Greek language was be
ing prepared to express the Divine mes
sage to man. The Jews had been dis
persed through all lands carrying tn,
Old Testament, which bore witness t.
one God, and held the prophecies o
the Messiah.
! The Divine and Human Parentag,
of Jesus.--Vs. Is. The mother O
Jesus was the Virgin Mary, but His ia
ther was God himself, through tn,
Holy Ghost. His reputed father wa
! Joseph, who became the husband o
Mary. Both Joseph and Mary wer