The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-27
COMING OF THE GREAT DAY.
REV. DIR. FAIRS SERMON ON THE
WORLDS PREPARATION.

Interesting Musical Services at the
Independent Presbyterian Church.
The First Coming of Christ a Pre-
dictiOn of His Second COmIng-HIs-
tory of the Times shows 1t.
Exceptionally interesting Christmas SER
vices were held at the Independent Pres
byterian church yesterday. and the morn
ing and evening musical programme. spec
tally prepared for these occasions, formed
attractive features.
Upon and around the pulpit were the US
ual Christmas decorations, of palms, bam-
boo vine and flowers. and with the large
congregation, an interesting scene was
presented DR.. James Y. Fair the pastor,
had an extremely busy day of it. After
the morning service he attended meet
ing of the session; in the afternoon he
talked TO the Chinese Sunday school class,
attended the regular Sunday school SER
vice. made talk at the Young Mems
Christian Association, and finally conduc-
ted the night service
Two distinct musical programmes were
rendered. one at the morning and one at
the evening service, by the choir compos-
ed of Mrs. T. P. Wickenberg, Mrs. Her.
bert U. Dove, Mrs. w. E. Dupont, Mrs.
Herbert Moore, Mr.. Robert Ellington, Mr..
Robert Canon, Mr.. P. NJ. Dougan, Mr.. w.
r. Fearon, and Mrs. w. 5. Harrison, or
ganist. The anthems were specially en-
| joyable, and the musical features We're re
garded among the finest the church has
had.
AT the morning service Rev. DR.. Fair
| preached a Christmas sermon on the
| Worlds Preparation for the Coming of
| Christ" The text was Matthew, 3:S: Pre-
| pare We the way of the Lord
| In ancient times when an oriental mon
arch left the capitol 10 visit a province
| of his kingdom, DR.. Fair said, heralds
went before to announce his coming. A
| highway was prepared for his chariot
! wheels, rough places were smoothed,
| crooked ways made straight, royal pavil-
| ions spread. So at the advent, when Christ
was to leave the capital of the universe, to
visit this small and dis slant province on tine
| frontiers of His vast empire, heralds were
sent before to announce the august event.
/ Prophetic voices foretold His coming, tbs
angels chanted it from the Judeaean hills,
John proclaimed, Prepare the way of the
! Lord"
/ ne uFSI element OF the WOrlQ S prepdfd-
ton is found in the fact there was a gener-
al expectation that some wonderful per-
son was about to appear. Philo and jose
| phus, both Jewish historians and Sutton
| ius and Tacitus, Roman historians, were
/ quoted to show Great DeliYerer was eX-
pected TO arise at that time in the east
| An Illustration of this widespread belief
! is furnished by the visit of the Magi to the
| newborn Christ.
The second element is, it had been
| brought to feel its need of help
from above. The old religion was
dead. Philosophy would not stem
the current of sin or lift the dead race
to life. Socrates said to Alcibiades I'VE
| can do nothing TO reform public morals
until an infallible teacher shall come; VIC
must wait" At that very time when the
world had risen to the highest pinacle of
| Intellectual greatness, it sunk to the low
| est depths of moral degradation. Thought
full men admitted, if anything was done
| to save the world. God must do it. This
explains the delay in Christ's coming; Z.
was to show the need of Him. When the
farmer plants a seed, he breaks up the
| fallow ground with the ploughshare,
| brushes and pulverizes it. 50 with the
ploughshare of despair God prepared the
| world that in its crushed and broken heart
the germ of a new life might take root.
The third element of this preparation
| is that the world is organized under one
| government. AleXander's conquest had
made Greek the one language universally
known and spoken. Caesars conquest had
united all nations into one. There were
great roads radiating to the boundaries of
the known world, affording every facility
for the spread of the gospel.
In conclusion the thought was touched
! upon, that as in ancient history all things
were working for the first coming of
Christ so, in modern history all things
| are working toward His second coming.
As God in the past gathered up the tang
| led threads of history, caused all things
to converge 10 the manger of Bethlehem,
so He is now guiding all developments to
| the crowning of the King. The great mis-
sionary movements of the age are prepar-
ing the way for His chariot wheels Let
us too try to smooth the rough ways of
the world and in its desert-heart plant
SONG flower. 1t may not bloom till we are
gone Men may forget but when He
comes He will see it, know who planted
it, whose tears CLEAN as dew drops on it,
He will stoop from His chariot, pluck it,
and as He ascends in triumph to His
throne, wear IL as jewel in His crown