The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-01


 Christ came as a Savior to a sin cursed race and a condemned world. He came as an earthly ruler might come to a con demned murderer about to expiate hls crimes with his lie, bearing news or par don and liberty. He came as a loving mother or father might come to a son who had been bitten by a poisonous ser pent, with an antidote for the deadly virus. Thus Christ came. By his vica- rious sufferings he took upon himself the condemnation which was due us for our sins. He came as a Savior, that the human race might in him might live with him forever.
 Shall we ever cease to look upon the message of the Nativity as glad tid- ings?" The world honors the memories of many of its heroes and heroines who have been saviors to their fellow men in a physical sense. Too much praise can not be given to the memory of the late Lieutenant Mclaughlin, who was the savior of thousands upon thousands of lives during the late Spanish war in Porto Rico. Major General Brooks had made the final arrangements of his troops before the Spanish intrenchments. The battle was about to open Suddenly at the signal station some miles to the rear of the American lines the telegraphic machine began to tick. Lieutenant Me- IduSnllnS $ lace tOOk OH HI dIlAlOtS lOOh. The news was being telegraphed that the protocol had been signed between the Spanish and the American authorities for the cessation of international strife.
 Hardly had the import of the message come when Lieutenant Mclaughlin ran from the signal station and flung himself upon a horse. He rode on and on at a mad galop. Though he rode fast as his horses limbs could go. he only reached General Brooks side as the first cannon was about to be touched off, and the bloody battle was to begin But. though we may honor Lieutenant Mclaughlin. who by heroic effort saved thousands of l lives by preventing bloody carnage, how much more should we today honor Christ I for what he has done for the world in a l spiritual sense by the atonement of the crossl Christ, being born In Bethlehem of l Judaea, meant more than mere physical salvation. It meant the atonement of the cross. whereby Christ took upon him 1 self the condemnation for our sins. Ought not the redemption of the world, fore ] shadowed in the birth of a Saviour, nave been good tidings of great joy to a sim struck and condemned world?
 A Joyful Word.
 1 Some people seem to think that the birth of a Savior Is not the time for outward manifestations of joy, but of sorrow. Savior Is a pathetic name.' wrote Joseph Parker "1t is not an l official title; 1t is not an image you can robe in scarlet and bow down before, on account of its majesty and haughti- ness. Savior Is an angel with tears 1 in his eyes, with arms mighty as the l lghtnings of God, but heart all ten derness. Savior is a complex word. I It has In it all human nature, all di- i vine nature, all the past of history, all mystery of apocalypse, tenderness out ranging the love of woman, a majesty humbling the haughtiness of king
 But though the word Savior may be pathetic word when we think of all the sufferings Christ had to endure on account of our sins, yet 1t is Joyful word when we think how we are to be redeemed on account of those divine suf- ferings. And, furthermore, when we know that Christ today in heaven Is glad that he was able to suffer for us in or der to save us, what a happy day Christ mas ought to be for all Salvation for all life for all eternal emancipation for all who will today kneel by the side of the manger Am I right when declare that the angelic messenger of the first Christ mas morn should be the most honored of all messengers when he announced the re- demption of the world through the birth of Gods Sen in the manager?
 The Nativity, in the next place. meant joyful tdings, because by the incarna- tion of the Son of God in the body of 8 little babe the human race was able to grasp the great doctrine that God was a God of love and not God of hate or God of indifference. It is one fact to | preach truth; it is another to preach truth so that it is understood by the common people, It is one fact to talk | about God as a spirit; 1t is another to | talk about God as a spirit; it is another | to talk about God as Christ, who was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and who was tempted as we are tempted. | God was the same God before the first Christmas morn as he is today. But since Jesus Christ came to earth we, the com mon people, have been able to understand him in a way we would never have been able to do without the incarnation,
 Let me illustrate how the beauty of Gods love is simplided in Christ's life. Charles Lamb and some of his bosom | friends were met together one evening in a London house to talk on literary topics. During the conversation some one said: Think if Dante was to come to life again and enter this room How we would welcome the man whose feet had trod the fiery pavements O. the in 1 ferno whose eyes had pierced the twi- 1 light whose lungs had breathed the still, clear air of the Mount of Purgatorio, whose mind had contemplated the mys- teries of glory in the highest heayensi' Suppose" said another, Shakespeare was to come to us tonight, or Milton, or Homer or Virgll?" "Ah,' said Lamb, his whole face frightening. "how l should fling my arms up! How we would vel come those kings of thoughtful menr' Suppose" said another, Christ was to come, what would we do?' With that Charles Lambs face changed instantly as he said, "Of course we would fall upon our knees and worship him"
 God a God of Love.
 Ah, yes, Charles Lamb was right No man can look upon or study the face of Christ without clearly and simply grasp | ing the great truth that God is God of love and not God of hate. As a famous unbeliever wrote in reference to Christ: Where is the man, where is the sage. who knows how to act to suf- | fer, to die without weakness and with out display? My friends, men do not in- vent like this, and the facts representing Socrates, which no one doubts, are not so well attested as those about Jesus Christ. If the death of Socrates be that of a Sage, the life and deat.l of Jesus are those of God" Jean Paul Richter wrote these words about Christ: "The holiest among the mighty, the mightiest among the holy, lifted with his pierced hands empires off their hinges and turned the stream of centuries out of its chan nel and still governs the ages" Oh, my friends cannot, will no yol see the truth that the birth of Christ has sim nlthpd tho divine tr1Ifh- T. af fo a