The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-22
TO CHRISTIANS.
BISHOP CHESHIRE SPEAKS TRUE
WORDS TOUCHING CHRIS MAS
Pleads, in Christian Love, FOR the
Coming Together of All IN
Holy Worship.
Dear Bretihren:

Dear Brethren
At this happy Christmas season, may
| not put aside the things which un-
hapuily divide as, and with all respect,
love and christian humanity, speak from
my heart to yours?
Next Friday is christmas Day. In times
past some good people have scrupled
to recognize this day as our Lords birth
day. But, leaving out all questions with
reference to the particular day Of Chrlsts
birth and Bethlehem, all our people do
recognize Christmas as bringing to mind
that blessed and fundamental fact of
christianity the coming to us of Him who
is our Lord and our Saviour. | have just
been reading, with great interest,". the
christmas number OF the Biblical Re
cerder / have not seen this weeks
issues OF the Presbyterian and Metho-
dist papers, but | doubt not that they,
too, contain appropriate references TO the
season. Christmas, as popular holl-
day and festival, is one OF the best es-
tablished of our social institutions, and
to the popular mind and heart it does re-
call the birth of Jesus Christ our Master
of the blessed Virgin.
The word which | would speak to all
my christian brethren, first, to those
who recognize me as over them IN the
Lord, and then, with equal earnestness,
but with greater respect and humility, to
those who do not, if they will allow me
the privilege of thus addressing them,
is this:
Shall Christmas Day be sanctified by
the word of God, and by prayer and
praise, addressed to Him in His house,
by His people of all names and of every
kind, or shall it be wholly given up to
merely secular and social festivity?
Our people will all keep Christmas in
some fashion. Ought not christian peo-
pie to keep it as christians? Shall we
not, first of all, keep the feast to Him
whose love provides the means of joy?
And should not all forms Of organized
christianity seek for Gods blessing upon
the day. by endeavoring to teach all
people to make the day holy by public
worship? Do we not all feel the need
OF this sanctifying and restraining and
elevating influence upon the popular
mind and conscience, as well as for the
proper expression of our own JOY in the
Lord?
Christmas is q fact in our social life:
do we not need TO make it fact i'll our
religious life?e
/ do not thus address you, my dear
brethren, with any other feelings than
Of sincere respect and affection in our
common Lord, to whom / trust we are
all seeking to draw nearer at this season.
do feel that / am in special sense the
representative in this community of that
branch of Christ's church here on earth,
which especially values these holy sea-
sons land part of whose good work has
been to perpetuate and to popularize them
In the life Of the American people. AS
such | would fain do what can to COM
mend them to all my fellow-countryme
and brethren in Christ. We value these
holy festivals, and we feel that they be-,
long to all christian people. We should
thank God if we could see all enjoying
benefits of the happy Christmas season.
In our churches and congregations we
gladly welcome all who will come and
worship with us; but we should still more
rejoice, if, from every pulpit where Christ
is preached, there could be proclaimed on
Christmas day the blessed news of His
birth and Of the good gifts He brings for
us, and if from every spire and tower
the Christmas bells should declare to the
thoughtless world that we are thus re-
joicing in Him who brings us peace from
heaven.
We all long and pray for christian
unity; may we not take a step towards
it by uniting in such an effort to sanctify
Christmas day in the life of our people?
Praying Gods blessing upon you, my
dear brethren, and upon all our people,
and asking your christian charity for
what have thus presumed to say, / am,
your servant in Christ Jesus our common
Lord and Saviour
JOS. BLOUNT CHESHIRE, JR.
Raleigh, N. c., Dec. 10, 1896.
Bishop Cheshire would be gratifed if
any of the religious or secular papers of
North Carolina should feel enough in
terest in the foregoing letter to give it
a place in their columns