Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-26
Celebrating The Greatest of All Events.
A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION.
RY BISHOP WARREN A. GAMBLER.

subtraction is made for all possible
hypocrisies and infldelities, is result
of such stupendous power and worth
that nothing but an incarnation OF God
is adequate cause by which to account
for II. The Son of God became tho
Son of Man that every son OF man
might be empowered to become a son
of God. Otherwise all the stock OF
goodness in Christian lands is an IN
applicable mystery. Here as nowhere
else are seen the visible effects OF
vivid sense of the divine impressed
upon manners, literatures, codes OF
laws. national institutions and nation
al characters. The contrast between
Christian and pagan lands in this par
ticular is as marked as the difference
between the palm groves of the tropics
and the dwarfed shrubbery of the
frigid zones.
Uninspired human intellects could
never have conceived the idea OF the
incarnation any more than unaided
human powers could have executed
the plan Of salvation or unassisted hu-
man agents could have achieved the
results of Christian history. The high
est thought of kindred nature OF
which ancient or modern paganism
has been capable has been a deified
man losing his humanity by his
apotheosis or a humanized god trans
cendently appearing as a man, beset
with human infirmities and bereft OF
heavenly character. It's Jupiter misbe-
having in the heavens or its Hercules
disappearing in the clouds is the best
god It can manufacture. But in Jesus
we have neither god become a man
nor a man become a god, but the God
Man. He IS Immanuel-"God be with
u.s. He bridges the tremendous chasm
between God and man. revealing to us
the depths to which divine love can
descend and the heights to which hu-
man nature may rise. 1t is no wonder
that the angels saw disclosed at His
birth the highest glory Of God and the
noblest hope Of man. Even the mani
mate forces of nature themselves
might well have responded to the APP
pearance on earth of Him who In the
beginning was God, and was with God
and without whom was not anything
made that was made.
Stars might well come bending in
stately obeisance before Him who set
them in their places at the first and
who laid before them their pathways
in the trackless spaces Of the firma-
ment. One radiant wanderer may well
have been started from the outset or
the morning of creation to meet Him
at Bethlehem with TRANSPORTING light
to glorify with celestial honors his
earthly restitution. Such an arrange
ment would have involved no excess OF
homage to the combination Of wisdom.
love and power which in redemption
shine.
With no extravaganza Of irreverent
fancy sings the great Milton in his.
flynn on the Nativity"
But peaceful was the night
Wherein the Prince Of Light
His reign of peace upon the earth
began.
The winds. with wonder whist
Smoothly the waters kissed,
whispering new joys to the mild
ocean,
who now hath quite forgot to rave,
While birds of calm sit brooding on
the charmed wave.
1.-THE stars with deep amaze,
Stand fixed in steadfast gaze,
Bending one way their precious In
fiuence, ,r
And will not take their flight,
For all the morning light,
Or Lucifer than often warned them
, thence;
But in their gllmmering orbs did glow,
Until their Lord himself bespake and
bade them go.b
The season which recalls the sacred
scene of. the stall and the manager
should wake within us all every wor-
shipful sentiment and benevolent i'm
pulse. Heaven and earth call us to
give glory to God in the highest and
to promote piety and peace among
men. ><