The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-26
The Reverend Minot J. Savage
Says Theory of Incarnation
Is Taken From Pacanism.
EVERY MOTHER a MADONNA"
New York Pastor Says Every
Man Contains as Much OF God
as 1t Is Possible for Him
to Hold.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York. Dec g5.-The Reverend
Minot j Savage in his Christmas sermon
to-day. in the Church of the Messiah.
astonished the congregation b. announ-
cling views that upheld in many particu-
lars the presentment made by the Rev
erend Doctor Lyman Abbott in his address
to the students OF Harvard University a
few days ago.
Put Mr.. Savage went a step further
than Doctor Abbott. He declared that the
idea Of the virgin birth and the incarna-
ton were taken from paganism. He said.
too. that every mother was a Madonna
ard every man pozseded divine clements
In brief, he coutended that God put himself
into every living creature and that each
one contained as much OF God as was
possible for each TO hold He added:
CHRISTMAS
For good many hundred years this
tv'enty-fffth day OF December has been set
apart to celebrate the supposed fact that
the virgin birth of the child and the
fhrther supposed fact that through that
birth God himself came into HUMANITY
came into the world THIS was not the
original idea OF this celebration. This is
out OF interest and emotions that are
human.
1T was mary years after the birth Of
Jesus before anybody thought OF his being
d!nary way-the whole idea OF the virgin
birth and the .ncarT alton is pagan In II.
origin. and il was centuries before the
church united upon any special day. even
tha world.
propose this morning to turn away
from the ordinary conception OF Christ
mas mas and speak Of something. which l be-
dsEs d.,.i 70 De deeper, higher. wider and more
divine Every birth Is a divine birth:
every mother is a Madonna II YOU think
OF II a moment you will notice that the
deepest highest. most universal fact in
evolves and grows to its higher forms
and expressions this fact is ernpha sized
more and more.
VIRGIN BIRTH
III, then, there is ANYTHING in life that
We have j right TO suppose expressed tn.
thought. the life. the feeling OF God if
must be this 1t seems 70 M. therefore-
nave said 1t before. and l have been crit
iciseG in certain quarters for SAYING it.
Dut wisn TO say il again. and to ask
you to think OF It most Seriously-to sav
mat virgin birth is holier than that
which God has universally ordained seems
10 me to be a reflection on every mother
not only. but a reflection on God himself
For certainly that which he has made
central and universal in all of us. from
the lowest TO the highest cannot be i'm
pure, cannot be unhOly. cannot be less
: acrsd than some supposed unnatural
method by which his own ordained laws
are c0ntravensd and set aside.
And to suppose God should take some
other than his own way Of coming into tr..
world. if anybody did wish to come after
this fashion. IS aSafn TO suppose that he
would not come in the way which he has
himself ordained as universal And this
thought iS further emphasized that he did
not need TO come into the world 1890 wears
ago for he was here before then-has al
ways been here. This is his world II IS
the expression OF his thoughts his life,
feelings. X is saturated with the divine
In him we I've and move and have our
being. and all life so far as IL goes is
the incarnation OF the divine"