Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1897-12-17

God with us"-St. Matthew,
1928.
EMMANUEL.

| % hoS oiiy ood dOOSS I'D
or God near to us, or God help
ing us, but God with us. There
lies the true cause for our Christ
mas joy, it is the fact of the In
carnation, that Jesus, the Son of
God, took our flesh, and that the
man has become one of us.
which makes the message Of to-
day "glad tidings of great joy"
The tidings brought joy to the
angels of Heaven, since now a
door was opened in Heaven,
through which penitent sinners
might enter i'll ; and there is Joy
before the angels of God over
every sinner that repenteth.
The tidings brought JOY to the
spirits of those who had departed
hence in the Lord, telling them,
that as in Adam they and all
men died, SO in the Christ should
all be made alive. Then the
saints who had waited patiently
for the Lord. could look forward
to their perfect consumlnation
and bliss. Noah knew that his
faith should be warded ; Joseph
knew that his purity should
have its crown. And the tidings
were of great JOY to all people
on earth the sinful, the temp
ted, the weak, the sorrowful,
the doubling AS the first
Christmas day brought glad ii,
dings to such people long ago,
SO each Christmas Day brings
the same blessed news to us.
Let the sinful tempted one take
courage. You are not alone in
the battle with your sin, Jesus
Carlied your flesh and knows
your trials. do your part and al
will lie we'll: Comfort your
heart with the words. God with
us. Let the sorroWful mourner
take comfort. YOU are not alone
wher you lie sick upon your
bed, Jesus knows the meaning
Of that throbbing brow, that
piercing agony. When the long
dark night of painful s'eepless
watching seems as though it
would never erd, cheer your
heart with. these words mot
alone, not alone in the dark val
ley, God with us And let
those who are in doubt about
the future, troubled about many
things not able "to see their
way" as the phrase goes let
these find comfort in the tidings
Of Christ mas, that God is with
us. God is leading lis by the
right way though it may NOT be
the way which we in our blind
ness would choose. We know
not indeed, what is before us,
what trials, what pleasures, but
it matters not if we can say with
truth -"If God be for us; who
can be against MS? | know that
neither death nor life, nor any
other creature, shall be able to
separate me from the loye of
God in Christ Jesus my Lord"
But the tidings of Christmas
not only speak of joy but of
warning. If God be with us,
what ought we to be ? If God
is with us in Our worship, how
reverent, how humble should
that worship be The Church
should indeed be to us as the
gate of Heaven. Yet how often
we are forced to cry with Jacob,
"Su1ely, the Lord is i'll this
place, and | knew it not" 1t is
because people have not realized
the great meaning of Emnan-
uel. God with us-that we have
so many cold and heartless ser
vices, so many weary eyes Ill
Church. AS says an old writer
-"God is ever ready, but we are
very unready God is nigh unto
us, but we arc far from Him !;
God is with us, but we are with
out God is at home, we are
strangers Too many of us
look for God aEar off and send
our prayers like messengers to
a distant land, whereas God is
not far from every one of us.
Let this great fact help you to
make your prayers more earnest,