St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-01-23

VI AldtcIldf pIOSTcbS anu QTOSpcIlIy lS
the result5o of Christ's advent into the
world. do not wonder that the world
rejoices at Christmas time, even though
1t does not realize the true message
of Christmas and know its true and
deepest joy. 1t has received untold
material blessings from the Christ,
even though it has refused to receive
the spiritual, and it is truly signifi-
cant, we say, that Christmas is so uni
versally observed. The world uncon-
sciously pays tribute to the One Who
has given it such great material bless
ing, and Who waits to become its
Saviour and King.
4 ND If the world has missed the
~ true Joy of Christmas as pro-
claimed by the angels, what is that
joy? How may the world come to
know that joy? What will be the
expression of that JOY? And first of
all, what is that joy? The angel said:
"Behold. I bring you good tidings Of
great joy" And all Heaven was filled
with the song of that joy on that
first Christmas morning Never before
was such song heard. Never before
did Heaven pour forth her bright hosts
upon earth as it did upon the night
when Jesus was born. And what was
that joy which filled all the heavens
and was to become known unto men
and in time fill all the earth? It was
not that superficial joy which is de-
pendent upon the material senses for
realization. 1t was not that joy which
echoes and reechoes around the world
at Christmas time. What was that
Joy, then? And to tell what that joy
was, we must search out the source OF
that joy. Joy does not exist solely
of itself. 1t is the manifestation of
something which lies behind it and
which gave it birth. To appreciate the
quality and degree of your joy one
must know the causes from which that
joy arose. To understand the true joy
of Christmas one must trace back to
its source that joy and know the thing
upon which it depends. "A Saviour
born" was the burden of the angels
message. Here was the reason for
the joy of Heaven. Here was why the
earth should. rejoice. The joy Of
Heaven was great because the Christ
which it gave to earth was q it's
best gift to man The joy of the
earth was to be great in proportion as
il. received and appropriated the gift.
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spiration of true Christmas joy. First,
because ,of the supreme need of man
which brought Him to earth, and sec
ond, because Of His power to supply
and satisfy that need-the disease and
the remedy. man lost in sin, Jesus
mighty to save. A disease without a
remedy is pitiable and distressing and
ends in death. A remedy unbestowed
is powerless for good; it abideth alone.
But disease, be it ever so desperate,
to which is applied remedy which
is able to cure, issues in health and
brings unspeakable Joy. Men Of sci
erce search for lifetime for the rem
edy for some distressing and fatal dis
ease and count it time well spent when
they have succeeded, and joyfully give
their discovery to suffering humanity.
Here is joy profound and deep, but
who can measure the joy which
Heaven felt when it bestowed its rem
edy for sin. There was rejoicing
among the angels, and man was called
to join in that song of joy and praise.
CHRISTMAS, then, reminds us OF
~ world lost In sin. and of a Saviour
come to save, and the joy of Christ
mas is known when the Saviour's DOW
er is tested and the sinners need sup
Piled Think of the world to which
Jesus came-a world lost in the depths
of sin. No home ready to receive
Him; forced to lie in a manager Few
hearts ready to welcome Him; shut
out with His handful of followers
from the nation whose King He had
come to be. Alone in the wilderness
to fight His battle with the devil;
alone at His trial when He is COR
demned; alone on the cross as He
cries in agony of spirit as He bears
the sin of the world: MY God! My
God. Why hast Thou forsaken Me-"
This is the world to which He came.
This is what He received from the
world. And yet angels could siEk,
with joy that filled the heavens, be-
cause His coming and His sacrifice
meant the salvation of the world.
Only few ready to share in the joy
of that first Christmas, because only
few were ready and willing to receive
Him. The world did not hear the
music OF that first Christmas morn
ing. To-day it does hear the music
of Christmas. To-day the world joins
in gay spirit in celebrating the day,
but the world does not know the JOY
of Christmas. 1t cannot know until
it feels Its utter need. and accepts the
Christ as the One Who can cleanse
from all sin. It may share in the
Christmas song and good cheer, but
of the true joy of the day it is as I'M
conscious as was the world when
Jesus came as a babe to Bethlehem.
what is this Christmas to you?"
asks the devout Ruskin. What Light
is there, for your eyes, also, pausing
yet over the place where the Child
lay? l will tell you, briefly, what
Light there should be-what lessons
and promise are in this story, at the
least. There may be infinitely more
than know, but there is certainly
this: The Child is born to bring you
the promise of new life. Heaven
grant to you the vision Of that sacred
Light, and ordain that more and more
in each coming Christmas it may be
said If Won. When they saw the star