The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-12-20

should swell up in every human heart
at tile mention of this now wcll-nigh~
universal holiday! But it is to be feared
that the vast ma jority of those who OBJ
serve it have no true conception of it's
meaning. Even many of those whose
idea sof it is that it is time to bestow
and receive gifts do not fully compre-
bend what is meant by this hallowed
and common custom. -
Christmas not only commentaries
the birth of Christ, who gave His life as
q ransom for sinful world, but typifes
the ineffable gift of God, who 80 loved
the world TINT He gave His only be-
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish but have eveElast-
ing life" Paul tells us that salvation
"is the gift Of Cod" from whom, as
James says, il "every good and perfect
gift" Paul also declares in writing to
the Ephesians that when Christ ascend
ed upon high He lied captivity captive
and gave gifts unto men,
What are some of these gifts which
are thus typified and intended to be
COMMUNICATED by the custom of gift
giving in Christmas-tide? "Peace on
Garth, good will to men, is the boon it
brings to mankind as q whole.
The coming of Christ was the mani
festation of God to men. There is no
full revelation of God anywhere save in
His incarnatetl Son. He is the fullness
of the God-head bodily. Christ was the
ideal man, called by e1ninencc 1.-THE Son
Of Man" In Him we mark the fulfill
ment Of all human capabilities. By Him
is reconciliation of sinful man and an
offended God. Faith in Christ cruci-
ficd-the gift of infinity to man-is the
secret Of salvation from the consc-
squences of sin. The gift of everlasting
| life is to be had for the taking. =
Christmas, Is commemorationo of the
birth of Christ, without reference to His
sacrificial atonement, would be mean
ingless. True, He taught grand lessons
of love and duty, and of self-sacrifice
for the good of others, but the sublime
climax of all these teachings was His
suffcrings and death on the cross on ac-
count of the sins of mankind. This has
been >aptly called the tragedy of the
world-a tragedy in which every human
soul has an interest, because it provides
for human wants-a balm in Gilead, a
fountain for ,ncleanness, redemption
from sin, and q joy forever. III ,...-
These personal and spiritual gifts are
notsthe only advantages that have been:
conferred upon mankind BY the coming
Of Him whose birth is cele brated at
Chris mas The world al 8 whole has
an ,,.,lik direct ratio Us the less
seems Iis life md death hnve been
sealed to II. { Genuine and helpful civ
ailization wits on Christianity. III
The sign OF the triple cross is not, as
Ingersoll in his book makes it, the en-
hlem of superstition, hate and cruelty,
which he transposes to telegraph poles
labeled "for the use of man." but the
cross, typifying Christianity, ever pre-
cedes enlightenment, invention and all
that tends to human progress and hu-
man happiness. The later cartoon, rep
rcsenting the Christian church as =
woman carrying the cross and the
bright light ofChristian truth, and thus
penetrating the dark recesses of igno-
rance. tyranny and superstition, which
are dispelled before her, while the en-
blems Of civilization, the railroad train,
the telegraph, the church, the school,
house and the busy city follow her;
this cartoon. [ say, tells a truthful
story of human progress. The most
progressive, most enlightened, intelli-
gent and strongest nations of to-day,
with the most of happiness among
their people, are the Christian nations.
Mr.. Gladstone, the greatest statesman
of this or any other~age, lately said:
TALK about the questions of the day;
there is but one question, and that is
the gospel. 1t can and will correct
everything needing correction. All
men at the head of great movements
are Christian men. During the many
years l was in the cabinet was brought
into association with 60 master minds,
and all but five of them were Chris
tians. My only hope for the world is
in bringing the human mind into con-
tact with divine revelation" How i'm
portant, then, is it thatin commemorate
ing Christmas we should have true
conception of what it means!
THE aoBBLER's INNING. =
.uxx<&ef !