The herald., 1898-12-26

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"Birth Stories of Deities" was the subject
OF Rev. G. j. X. Jones Christmas sermon at
the Church OF the
Birth Stories Unity. The lesson was
of Deities read from the Apoc-
rypha New Testa-
ment, the Gospel oil the Infancy
"The time-honored story of the origin, OF
the festival of Christmas is that it was hon.
ored by the early Christians as the day
whereon Almighty God in the person OF
Jesus of Nazareth, having previously come
to earth, was born in a cave in Bethlehem
of Judea. The main scriptural account is
found in Luke. Mathew also has some ref
erenee to the event, but Mark and John
do not give the miracle story of Jesus birth.
The more probable facts of the case are that
he was born in the little one-story, one
room house where he was reared, the first
born of a goodly family of eight childNn.
We don't know in what month he was born,
nor in what year. We are morally certain
that he was not born in Bethlehem, but was
born in Nazareth.
The early Christians, who were Jews, un-
derstood that according to the prophets and
the expectations oil the people, the Messiah
would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. They
said Jesus was the Messiah, therefore he
was born in Bethlehem. The journeying
Of the magi, or wise men from the east, out
of the desert of Arabia, led by a wandering
star, and other incidents narrated in his
| life, find their counterparts in the religious
annals of many other nations. Before Je-
sus was born such stories as the one in
Luke's gospel were already bruited among
our Aryan ancestors on the plains and along
the hill-slopes of the Ganges valley.
These stories of legend and myth were
mans attempts to account to himself for
the exceptional men who ruled over him.
! These stories, which men Of latter days have
| bulded into their systems of theological
| dogma, were as serious as our own attempts
| to do homage to, and keep alive, the men,
ores of great men, whose lives we feel were
| beneficial to their fellow men. Consider
| how Jesus, Gautama, Confucius, Mahomet
and other moral heroes lowered above the
lcommonplace men of their day, it would seem
natural that they should receive special
honors, and the utter absence of definite
scientific knowledge in their day, it is readily
understood how such myths and legends
should arise and develop.
In effect and purpose these stories are all
one. whether told in Palestine, India,
Egypt, Mexico. Peru or elsewhere. They
are persistent tribute to the divinity that
is in man. They tell story that honors
moral and intellectual heroism. They en-
press faith in ideals of manly character.
| such as courage, strength. endurance, ability
and will to overcome difficulties. They
also stand for mans belief in moral ideal:
the expression of his first literary attempts
to impress this belief on other men: the
simpler wonder form of mans faith in God
and in man.
David Walk, in the Church of Christ. on
Eighth street, near Central avenue, read
Luke ii:7, and an
Inc Chrlst nounced as the sub
Child ject OF his sermon,
The Christ Child.
And she brought forth her tirstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and
laid him in a manger, because there was no
room for them In the inn
And this was his reception on the part
OF those whom he came TO save, This was
the reception of him concerning whom ,,
rapt Isaiah sang: For unto us a child Is
born, unto us son is given He was to
be everybodys child, everybody's son, and
vet there was nc room for him in the miser
able inn by the roadside.
The leader of the angelic choir began with
solo: BE not afraid; for behold / bring
you good tidings OF great joy, which shall
be to all the people; for there is born to
YOU this day in the city OF David a Savior.
who is Christ the Lord And he was an
swered by multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying: GLORY TO God IN
the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill
toward men,. And this was the first Christ
mas anthem. The angels knew. if men
didn't, and they stood by him to the last.
There would appear to have been some
thing prophetic and significant in the cir
cumstances attending his advent. As mat
ter of preference, do not think that the
Christ child would have chosen a stable
as the place of his birth; but really, there
was no choice in the matter 1t was
stable or nothing-that is. it was a stable
or the open common for bed, and the dark
wintry sky for a covering
The inn keeper in Bethlehem did not,
presume. know the character of the guest
whom he sent out among the oxen and
donkeys; but we do. We are therefore
more guilty than he; for we deliberately and
understandings refuse him room. We
sometimes do things thoughtlessy. and with.
out properly considering the influence of
what we do or fail to do; and | feel sure
that, whatever w3 may have done in the
past. We will all open our hearts and take
the Christ child in this happy anniversary
of his birth
At the Universalist church Rev. A. A.
Rlce spoke on Luke lilo, Good Tidinps
Of Great Joy to All
Good Tidings People" He said, in
of Great joy brief: Were | at this
Christmastide toI
preach such doctrine as has been taught
in some OF our city churches the past
month, should make distressing traves- |
ty of the words of this text and say, ''1rem-
BILE with fear, for 10! | bring you evil It'd
ings of great sorrow, which slfall be to all
the people" But l thank God we celebrate
today the angels ''glad news of great JOY
for the whole people in the advent Of !
Saviour who shall save, and we shout with !
the heavenly hosts, GLORY to God in the |
highest heavens"
Jesus was born that he might save the /
people from their sins, not from a far-off |
other world consequence of sin, but from a
present sinful, miserable condition of sor-
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