The National tribune., 1894-06-21


lone reading these no.es should FIRST carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
| indicated above.l
INTRODUCTION
The Sunday School is specially for the
study of the Holy Scriptures.
Behold the Book, whose leaves display
| Jesus, the life, the truth, the way
Read with diligence, with prayer,
With faith. and thou shalt find him there"
DR.. Bell relates that blind girl, residing
in France, had for many years perused an en-
bossed Bible with her fingers, but becoming
partially paralyzed, the sense of touch in
her fingers was lost. Her agony of mind at
the deprivation was great, and in moment
of despair she took up her Bible bent down
her head and kissed the open leaf by way,
as she supposed, of q last farewell. In the
act of doing so, to her great surprise and
sudden joy, she felt the letters distinctly
with her lips, and from that day this poor
child has thus been reading the book which
is her one great comfort.
Children who can see and hear ought to
be very thankful. Imagine what q loss either
sense would be, and you must be grateful
for sight and sound. Study The Book. Hear
it explained Thus one stores up comfort
and strength.
| - Let all who seek Tor lasting happiness
| This volume read,
It's lessons ponder we'll In earnestness.
| Then each one heed"
The Data.
The account of Christ's birth is given by
| ST. Luke. 1t is one of the most delightful
pieces of literature. Canon Farrar, in his
| Life of Christ, calls special attention to the
peculiar loveliness of the style, writing
The singular sweetness of Luke's narrative
of the nativity, its almost idyllic grace, its
| sweet calm tone Of noble reticence, seem
clearly to indicate that he derived it, though
| but in fragmentary notices, from the lips of
| Mary herself. 1t is indeed difficult to inn
! agine from whom else 1t could have come,
for mothers are the natural historians of
infant years; but it is interesting to find, in
the actual style, that coioring OF a woman's
memory and woman's view which we
| should naturally have expected in confrma-
ton of conjecture so obvious and so inter-
esting"
ST. LUKE, III.
Studying about the birth of Christ we get
at tie very foundation OF Christianity-the
Incarnation. 1t is interesting to feel we are
coming into contact with the pulsations set
throbbipg 10 centuries ago. We take our
place at the natal city of Christianity. The
study of the natal hour of the greatest re-
lig:on of our world is full of interest and
reflection. The initial period of anything
grand has not only the exhilaration of new
ness, but the profit of increased knowledge.
We find ourselves enveloped in antithises.
On the one hand is Augustus; on the other,
the Divine Child.
augustus.
He was born p. c. 60. First, he was one
of the triunvirate. Then Lepidus and he
shared the rule. i The battle of Actium
made him supreme-Imperator-B C. 81.
He lived very affected life. Assuming
much of humility, he was full Of pride.
Though bland of manner, he found it easy
TO murder Not asking for preferment, he
accepted every advance. He was false, sly,
cold. selfish. He was lavish in adjoining
Rome, bat he took care Augustus should not
be overlooked. He Dragged that he had
found Rome of brick and left it of marble.
He found it not in;pious nor even iReon-
venient to be deified. Apparently for the
purpose of pleasing the people he encouraged
many games and amusements, but at heart
be was simply seeking popularity. Though
ruler of the vastest and strongest kingdom
of earth, he did net dare to be alone in the
dark. When lightnings cleaned and thun
der rolled he sought protection in the cellars
and vaults of the Palatine. He was in power
for AZ years Palestine was part Of his
realm, Herod the Great ruling subject TO
Rome. Augustus died A. d. Ii.
The Enrichment
There has been an apparent discrepancy
as to date of V. 2. Strauss declared this
statement contradicts history, from the fact
Cyrenius did not govern Syria till several
years after the birth of Christ, but DIR.
Zumpt, of Berlin, has shown conclusively
that Cyrenius was twice Governor, the first
time B. G. to /. Quirinus is another form
of Cyrenias.
The Contrasts.
Emperor Babe-throne, manger-Rome,
Bethlehem-power, weakness-Ioyal purple,
swaddling Enthusiastically grandeur, OBJ
scurity-POntifex Maximus, chiid-a whole
Kingdom, no room in inn--the mighty con-
founding the weak-royal lust, the Holy Fam
liberalization, humiliation-the naughty
demand for taxes, the manger cry of in
fancy-Josephus's history, st. Luke's Cos
pel-two Kings, the one seemingly greatest
though far inferior-full command of re-
sources, poyerty-the Magnificent fOreseen,
"He God hath put down the mighty from
their seat and hath exalted the humble and
meek" Which character shall win the day
Seemingly Augustus and not Jesus. Yet
We may say of the latter, Here is the hope
of the world, the shrine of the worlds devo-
ton, the scene to which all generations shall
turn with adoring gratitude. Poets shall
dwell upon it with rapture; artists shall
take from it their lOftiest inspiration; in
music, sculpture, painting, architecture, it
shall be imperishably enshrined, and its
record shall glorify the brightest page of the
evangel which in every age and cline shall
speak of Gods goodwill to men,"
ST. LUKE, ASIA.
The birth of Christ was unique in method
and consequences. That is surely rare
nativity which can with any truth be said
to be God manifest in the flesh" (St Mt,
1:23(
There's n song In the air!
There's q star in the skyl
There's mothers deep prayer.
Aud baby's low cry!
And the star rains It's fire
While tho beautiful sing,
For the Manager OF Beihlshem cradles Kingi"
Every child must remind us of the Child
Jesus. If each child's smile be as light
from heaven what shall we say of the in
fancy of Christ, which was the radiance of
glory?
Place.
In the same country. 8. In the neigh
borhood of Bethlehem. The country was
Palestine, or, more narrowly, Judea. The
expression in the field does not differ