The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-04


child whose advent the angels her
aided might have a better birth
place than the stable afforded.
In other words,-when we make
wealth or fame, or social distinction
or frivolous amusement, rather than
righteousness, the chief business of
our lives; when we spend freely of
our time, our energy and our money
in the service of other interests,
while grudging the slightest sacrifice
which we are asked to make on be-
half of the church or other institu-
tions through which the Christian
Gospel seeks to promote the worlds
highest welfare,-then we Danish
Christ from our lives, just as long
ago the selfishness of the magistrate,
the merchant and the tax-gatherer'
who monopolized the warmest rooms
and the softest beds, excluded him
from the Bethlehem inn.
And this we do with far less excuse.
AS we have seen, the indifference
which the people of his own time
manifested toward the advent and
ministry of Jesus is explained, and
in part excused, by their ignorance
of what his life and ministry were
destined to achieve. Could they
have foreseen all that to us is accom-
plished history they would have act
ed differently. The utmost sin with
whichwe can justly charge the people
who refused to make room for the
mother and her child is that of with
holding kindness from those whose
only claim was their need of it..
They were ungenerous, but not un-
thankful. Had they anticipated, as
the angels did, the greatness of the
debt which the future would owe to
this child, who as yet had done moth
ing to deserve the worlds gratitude,
it is more than probable that even
the most selfish among them would
have been glad and proud to render
him all needful service. But what
was hidden from them has been re-
vealed to us; what then was potency is
now accomplished fact; and of those
peerless blessings whereof his life
became fruitful we are the richest in
heritors. Our civilization is related
to the life of Jesus Christ as plant to
seed and as stream to fountain. To
us have been bequeathed the choic-
est benefits of an intellectual, a social
and moral progress inspired by
his character and guided by his
thought. To, him and through all
the agencies which derived their in
itial impulse from his ministry, we
owe all that is best in the home, the
school and the State. Since, then,
Christ has done all this for us, how
trivial seems the selfishness that once
denied needed shelter to an unknown
mother and child in comparison with
the ingratitude of a life which con-
fesses, if not by word, at least by
deed, that within the realm of the
many interests to which it is loyal
there is no room for that service
which he requires at our hearts and
hands.
I want to remind you of still an
other truth which is, that the recogni-
ton of the authority of Christ may
take form that is worse than abso-
lutte denial. Imagine that the people
of the inn had heard the angel song
that night; that being thus instructed
as to the meaning of what had hap
pened, they had gone out to the sta
BILE to bow in formal worship at the
manger shrine; and that, finally, hav
ing finished their devotions they had
said to Joseph and Mary: "We should
be glad to take you and the child
back with us to the inn; but there
really isn't any room, so we shall re
turn to our comfortable quarters, and
leave you to the care of the angels"
what a mockery that would have
been And yet, need 1 say that this
which we have just imagined is quite
similar to the fashion in which very
many people treat the Christ of to-
day9 They worship him at Christ
mas time and on Sunday; but ex-
clude his church and cause from the
list of things in which they have
practical interest. They say: 1--WE
will acknowledge him as our Lord
and Master; but his claims must not
be allowed to interfere with our
pleasures, our business, or our poll
tics. We need our dollars for the
political organization, the musical
society, the lodge, and the social club.
To all these we will give generously;
but the church must be satisfied
with our pennies-and our prayers.