The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-08

IIldll, duQ Trey Qleu LOT Tie SANE VI tHO
Savior of Bethlehem. After the fierce
battlings of four centuries. there ap-
peared in the imperial city a Constantine
claimed Christ the iiberator and pro
tector of the empire and decreed that the
symbol of honor. the symbol of power, OF
henceforth be that which heretofore had
been the symbol of servitude and of
shame. the cross. because upon a cross
Christ had died for. the salvation Of man.
it with the coming of new centuries wild
ening out it's sphere. giving further evil
wide. regions its power and it's gracesf
1t is sometimes said why have. waited
the PASSING, Of centuries that the light of
ents until recently hidden from the eyes
of the civilized world. Men are impa-
tent. because they have but little time /
one of US few years mark the begin
ming and the end of our career. But to
God a thousand years. says the psalmist
are but as a day. God in His wisdom
willed that the spread of the gospel should
be gradual. following, as it appears to US.
the lines OF human action and Of human
of the gospel, God has willed that man
shall be free. Man is free and God re-
spects his freedom. Man takes the re-
sponsibility of his actions. and God allows
this. Thus, as nineteen centuries pass
by some, through their own fault. and
some without fault of theirs. are not
and His graces. Gods JUSTICE; Gods
true before Christ is true since Christ.
They who through their own fault.
neglect, do not see Christ. are before
God guilty of sin. Those who are depriy-
not be condemned, because they We're not
Chrlst's. All must answer for the light
which was given to them. Meanwhile
Christ reigns. True. again. Herods lived
.gra was in, Tay-
usalem. there were Herods in the pal
aces OF the Caesars. In every land and in
every, age. in some form, there were
Herods who fam would destroy the king
dom of Christ, who would declare that
Chrlst shail not reign over earth. But
the God of heaven laughed at their eff
why this opposition to Cod? 1t is the
mystery that mems minds, mems hearts
should protest against-the only light that
has shone in the armament of intelligence,
the only power that has come upon
earth capable of taking hold of man, lift
ing MIN above his weak passions and
dlVlne life God permits this opposition
to show His own. power. If the reign of
Christ has been fastened by the armies
Of Rome, by the applause of human phil
osopmes, 1t might have been recorded
that the reign Of Christ was the fruit of
human M! effort But when human effort
reign still endures, there is manifestly a
power more than human. power divine
Outside the kingdom of Christ where is
there voice that tells man Of his begin
nlng and of his end? Where a voice
speaking words to man, that give
nope nope to man and elevation to his affec-
tlons and mans thoughts? Science has
been quoted as such voice. But science
tells what we see marks out the phe-
ilomena OF nature: what man Graves to
Know is what is back of this phenomena,
what Is the cause of the world and the
cause of himself? Science leads men 10
the grave and there says farewell. What
ma Graves Graves to know is; what is beyond
the grave? Science tells US to observe
the earth upon which we walk, or the
masses of matter floating through space.
What man wants is something to lift
him above most distant worlds and TO
tell MIN what there is there capable of
ennobling him, capable of giving full play
to the spirit within him, fretting beneath
the material barriers of the body firing
OF surrounding matter, seeking atmos-
phere akin to it's own nature Science
gives no answer. The other day, French
science, of its powerlessness to give reply
to the questionings that torment the hui
man soul Christ reigns by His truth.
there is naug'ht but darkness and super
Stition in matters regarding the spiritual
HE OF man, or the supernatural world
naught even of what the world calls civ
ilization, which is nothing else but the
reflection of the ,-spiritua! light coming
lions of paganism wish today to be civ
iltzed they strive to copy the outward
life Of Christian nations. They will soon
veneer without taking the spirit which
gives to it the power of adhesiveness they
will have taken but the shadow which
does not endure; they will retain but the
defects and not the virtues Of the ma
lions they sought to initiate
Christ regns by His love. A thousand
conquercrs have passed over the face of
the earth. Their names are occasionally
mentioned on the rostrum or in the school
room: What heart throbs today at the
mention of the name Of an Alexander or
living power is love. 1t is 1900 years
since Christ came to earth, and today His
name Is love The mention of His name
brings exultation to the soul, throbbing
to the heart, tears to the eye. All. more
yet, the name Of Jesus commands the
passions of men; at the mention of His
the soul The miracles of today are the
miracles of conquest in the souls of men
and women of fierce passion through the
love of Christ The miracles today are
name of Christ the sacrifice that gives
ones whole self for another, the sacrifice
dom in the name Of faith, that fills hospi-
tails and asylums with apostles Of charity.
Such power is the power OF the living
Christ. Brethren. If Christ were to with
draw from the world what a sad, misera-
BILE world it were, and we were back again
to the fetichsm of black Africa; to the
barbarous passions of pagan Rome. Oh,
Christ, stay with us, we. need Thee the
world needs Thee! Christ will stay
Christ yesterday and today, and the
same forever" His words We're: $50
you all days even unto the contamination
of the world" His words will prevail to
attest His power, and to attest His love
for mankind
Another century is preparing to depart;
as we are made to count the milestones
along the road back to the stable of Beth
lehem, let us swear anew allegiance to
Christ. There are the Herods who fain
would lead us into postivism into agnos-
ticism, into materialism and false science.
There are the voices of passion crying
why. declare death TO your passions! Oh,
Christ. to whom shall we go, if not to
Thee? Thou alone hast the words of
eternal life. To Christ the nations will go.
to live. Alas, even despite the reign of
Christ, society today is sick and sore at
heart; it listens only partially to Christ;
charity of Christ, at the close of this |
century the world is in anguish men bait
ting one with another for greed and vain
more still from the nations! But Christ
reigns and a thousand years to him are
but as day. and evil times are only a
passing phase in the life of weak hui
move onward and upward. Christ will
triumph, and the world will progress
through Christ Let us work that Christ |
may reign over our own individual souls.
Each of US should be more concerned
with himself than lie is with nations at
large. We busy ourselves too much with |
with our own selves Christ reigns over
humanity by reigning over individual
souls: Oh, Jesus! may Thy faith ever
illuminate our minds. And Jesus, we pray
When the wise men knelt before Him
they offered Him material gifts Material