The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-12-26
THOUGHTS OF THE NATIVITY
CHRISTMAS SERMON BY REV. MIR.
LINES, RECTOR OF ST. PAUL'S.

Preached Yesterday Morning-Use of
poses obscures That for Which the Day
Stands-Light and Hope Brought to the
| World-what the Day Means.
| At st. Paul's church yesterday fore
noon the rector, Rev. Mr.. Lines,
preached from the text, Matthew, IL,
"And they will call His name EN-
manuel, which being interpreted, is
God with US" Mr.. Lines said in SUBJ
stance as follows: 1--WE have lived to
see the time when all people keep the
| Christmas time Christmas dominates
| the end of the year in trade and So
becial life. There are few houses to-
day where the story of the nativity
will not be proclaimed and few homes
where the day will not be recognized.
1t must be acknowledged that the use
of Christmas for social and business
purposes obscures that for which the
day stands.
| 1t is a time to be glad and make 9th
God brought light and hope to the
world. To-day we rejoice and call all
others to rejoice and regret that the
origin of the day has been forgotten.
We would keep Christmas as a rel1g-
| ious day But we can't change the
course of the world, and SO won't be-
grudge it the pleasure of the time and
, and fthe hearts of men are gladdened
by feasting and joy then we will be
| pleased. 1t is but an example of what
is seen in our home life every day.
But one out of ten shows his graft
| tude for his healing and so it has
always been.
IF the stream of kindness, which
pours forth on Christmas day is traced
| back, it will bring us to Bethlehem and
| the manger where the Holy Child is
| lying, and if men search this origin
| they will go back to Jesus Christ and
| be ready to worship Him.
christmas charity this year has not
been confined to our own country.
| Ships laden with remembrances and
greetings have gone to Norway, Swe
den, Great Britain, France and other
| European countries, and this sends
ones thoughts a gentle way. The
| Christ Child binds the continents to-
| gether in good will
There is yet another side of the
| day to be emphasized, AS gentle
memories of the story of Bethlehem
come to us this morning we must think
about the nativity and the place it has
| in our life to-day. The first design
| is often forgotten, but this must not
be the fate of Christmas We must
| keep the day for its holy uses.
| THE word Emmanuel is found in
| Isaiah but its meaning is not COM
| pletely filled out there nor until Christ
mas came The time to which Isaiah
looked forward is come and will last
| as long as the remembrance of Christ
| Jesus is in the world. The hopes of
| Israel were grouped about a wonderful
person who should be called Emmanu-
| ell, but there was nothing in the later
history of the old covenant to fulfill
these prophesies."
I Mr. Lines then spoke of the course
of the Hebrew nation during the Bah
ylonian captivity and the time of the
| Roman empire and said: Then the
| time prophesied by Isaiah came and
| the Prince of Peace appeared. In the
| first volume of the New Testament
| Matthew has told us of the Lord Jesus,
the fulfillment of the prophesy of God.
| His birth and life as a child were nat
ural but not the beginning of His life
| as the Son of God. He was called
Jesus but He should be called Emman-
uel as well. The apostle has written
| that this name belongs to Christ and
to no one else. God was with men be-
fore Abraham and Isaac. A multi
tude of prophets is back of the~nativ-
ity, who knew the presence of God,
but there was nothing before to COM
pare with the coming of the Son of
| God. The truth for which Christmas
day stands is what lays back of all
our faith, Christ uniting in his per-
son two natures, the human and the
divine.
I'VE have now learned of the good
ness, the nature and the character of
| God, not as one ruling from far away
his empire, but as a personal God with
us daily, and one who sent His son
| to live with us and make us by adop-
| ton also sons of the king. He has made
the world a new place and the men
| also something new. We have a
sense of the nearness of God, which the
men of the old time had not.
1--WE call His holy birth to mind and
recall how much it means. He sought
to lead mems thoughts to higher things
IF / could | would bring all men to
kneel at the manager in Bethlehem and
worship their Saviour With glad
hearts we take our way with the Holy
Shepherd"