The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1904-12-28
49,.
CHRISTMAS
AN THEOLOGY.
A Sermon Delivered -bu Rev,
j. R. Hobbs, Pastor Of
the Baptist Church on
Christmas Dau, 1904

saying Is: "I1me and tide wal
. for no man" and never was true
> aphorism spoken. Indeed tim
goes on ceaselessly aud monoto
nously-"The same yesterday, to
day and forever. . Ware i rot &c
the display of wisdom manifest il
changes of seasons and introduc
tions of phenomena in nature, lif'
would be an unbesrable burden
Heaven with one unchanging pan
Drama and one mode of activity fol
brain and limb would be no HEAVIER
at all. variety" Is said to be the
spice of life" and whether so OF
not, life is made brighter and hap.
pier by many recurring chan ges
! which ever keep the new before our
ever unsatisfed eyes. If life be a
vast desert through which we
travel in search of a better couh.
try, then the coming of days like
Thanksgiving and Christmas, to
us, are like the thirsty and worn
travellers approach tothe green oasis
of cool and water set like a gem in
the vast bosom of burning sands.
Especially is Christmas a joyous
occasion to US. Coming as 1t does,
so near the end of the old year and
the beginning of the new it consti-
tutes a delightful stopping plaSe
IL eur weary journey onward, II
is a time when all the world seems
to cease altogether from labor, and
pauses 20 catch breath and ex-
change salntations before UNDER
taking the next period of the jour-
ney. How glorious that oppor-
tunity is vouchasfed to the world,
and we this morning are among the
privileged, who enjoy, once again,
this blessing of halt and rest.
This is Christmas Day and how
it came to be snch doubtless would
prove interesting just now. Christ
mas Day is celebrated as the day
on which Jesus of Nazareth was
born. But-we have no conclusive
evidence that it is really that
specific day. Clement of Alexan-
dria informs US that when the
first efforts were made to fix the
correct date of His birth the goth
or 81 of April and the Doth of May
had various and strenuous advo.
Gates, while there was wide spread.
belief among the oriental peoples'
that the 9th of January was Che
correct date. Augustine consider
ed the fast of Good Friday, the
festivals Easter, Ascension and
Whitsuntide as tie only holy days
of Apostolic origin. Christmas
was deemed by him of later origin
and lesser- authority. 1t was
Julian /. Bishop of Rome 337 352
who first successfully contended
for Dec. 25th as the natal day of
Off Lord and the Eastern Church
slowly swung around to bis view
followed finally by the church of
the West and ultimately the whole
world. For reasons which l will
not pause to give here no one who
gives intelligent study to the ques-
tion will agree that Dec 25th is the
real natal day of Jesus and its
general acceptance in Rome and
elsewhere as such is because it |
affords substitute for the Roman |
Saturnalian festival which could
not be enjoyed by those who had
renowned their heather beliefs, and |
accepted the tenets of the church
The Saturnalian festival was a
festival of revelry and consequent
ly its substitute had much of its
beauty and purity marred by sthe
inordinate revelry that soon came
to be a part of it's observation.
And no doubt the excessive wine
drinking and noise making and
other exaggerated manifestation
that usually attend its present time
observation may trace an unbrokel
line of succession pack to the day,
of Nero and other black-hearteo
Emperors of Rome. AS Roman
revelry, crept in so Druidiccusto
also found place when it cam
to be observed in England. Th'
burning Of the Yule log and fes-