The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-21
IMMANUEL APPROPRIATE
NAME FOR THE CHRIST.
The Reverend jeremiah Cromer Says
the Ages Have Added to the
Value of Jesus's Teachings.

The Reverend jeremiah Cromer preached
yesterday morning at the Fountain Park
Congregational Church on the text: 'They
shall call his name Emmanuel, which IS,
being Interpreted. God with US" Mr..
Cromer said, in part:
I'VE have come to the time when all
the world celebrates the birth of Christ.
Men will cease for one day, at least,
home. church and social life in the max
ing and receiving Of gifts. they will un-
consciously, If not of set purpose. do
honor to the author OF all the worlds
I'VE have in our city peculiar advan-
tages over men of other ages IN that We
can clearly know Jesuss kingly nature.
Christ was born. We should have failed
to recognize him The meanness of the
surroundings of his birth in a stab
would ,ia have prevented us from thinking
Jewish baby. We should have mingled
among the more fortunate occupants OF
the inn. the wealthy farmers and shep-
naughty Pharisee, with his elegant robes
and assumption Of superiority over other
men. or the sneering and skeptical Sad
ducec denying all things supernatural. 30
the day would have slipped by and the
King would have been unnonored by US:
"or Il we happened to be among the
would have been very incomplete. IT.,
among the shepherds of the field, we
heard the chorus Of angels telling of the
his saviorhooo must have been Very in
adequate and unspiritual
and worshiped the baby King, yet we
the higher reaches Of his kingliness.
But to-day we have the vantage
ground given us by the centuries Of
our v Worship Matthew @ "a announces nc IN f the fact
about Jesus stupendous and almost stag
gering to faith at first. that. he is to be
called Emmanuel, which is. being inter-
preted. God with us.
I'VE see how Jesus was. God In man,
extent extent Jssus's iuihllmsnt Of prophecy; eI;
% Testament s Gs'p to the % Smallest o' possible pos @
amount. yet the fact remains that Christ
was born into an age excited to a high
state Of expectation Of coming Messiah
Scriptures to see that they bore testi-
mony to him. He said. The prophets
wrote Of me- Jesus threw himself back
anticipation of the Jews and claimed that
It looked to him-a bold thing to do if he
were untrue.
the name Emmanuel helps us to see how
his miraculous birth can be accepted. If
this babe ut Bethlehem is really God come
down to dwell in human flesh. who shall
dare say Just how such a birth shall be
realized? Is not the virgin story most
beautiful and highly probable when given
as the beginning of the earthly career of
God himself in the habitude of man?
With the fact that God really came to
earth as man given to faith. the birth of
the virgin becomes but a corollary Of our
faith.
ITO us all there should come at Christ
mas time a sense of dignity put upon hu-
manity. We should feel how great thing
1t Is to be man. since God became man.
Let US sing with Mary our magnificat.
She felt says Philips Brooks. that
because he has deigned to be born Of her
she is forever blessed. Because OF this
close union between his life and hers she
- lifted out of her insignificance: Be
cause he has shared her lot, her lot has
ceased to be mean and wretched. She is
sacred because of the God who has come
and lived in her life. The poor Jewish girl
is not despicable: no one shall despise
her: she never will dispise herself again,
now that her life has been capable OF con-
tanning the life Of Cod
ut is this high sense Of God with us
that will recover all life from its small
ness: it's wretched sinfulness. 1t will re-
cover the life hid away in the slums Of
our cities; it will give power to the idle
rich; It win bring the peace Of soul to all
mankind, which passeth human under