Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-01-06

able TO learn that Cod loves uS even
with greater love than any human
parent bears his own child? Thank
God today for the message OF his love
A short time after Jesus was born. i'm
order TO satisfy jealous fear. Herod
ordered all the little boys IN the region
Of bethlehem TO lie slain by his sol
diers. Think OF 4 ruler having such
power as that and being able TO use IL
as lie would Bat the slaughter of
those baby boys was only Il small part
OF lIeroUs inf2mie5. Herod's whole
reign can lie tracked with bloodshcd
Herod brutality stew his wife's brother
Joseph and kor mother and his wife
He slew cvery che Who dared TO lift 4
voice against han - bis kingdom. Then
in order that his death might lie time
Of national mourning we learn from Jo-
sephus that &c gaze orders for the chief
men of tho Hebrew nation to be gath
cred in the h:ppoiTo:ac and to be there
slain on thc night OF his own death. If
| the people. rs lie knew. would not be-
wall his death lie took measures to in
SIRE their sorrow for another cause. lie
would not Lave the night of his death
a period OF joy and rejoicing. Such a
man was tie ruler OF Judaea in that
day. All, yes. there never was a dark
er or more hopeless time in Jewish
history than when Jesus was born.
Thus we find the Hebrew people long
ingly-oh. 50 longingly-looking for "A
Messiah ut this time.
Chriat Has Not ForsaIsen Us.
My brother. as Christ came TO Jeru-
salem ut the darkest time of Hebrew
history. can he not come to you this
Christmas day. even though il may be
in >the dark days OF your life? Is it
dark FOX some of you? Is your life sad
with sin, sad with sorrow, sad with
bitter disappointment? Do you need
Saviour now? 1.-THE whole thought and
idea OF all that is told about Christmas
day." wrote Dean Stanley, suggests
the consoling. cheering thought that.
however gloomy our lot, however dis
tressed our portion, the Almighty God
has not forsaken u.s. Even in the
darkest hours of our lives Christ will
come to us as he came to Bethlehem
in the darkest hours Of Hebrew his
tory. Are we going to reject Christ as
PLATE and the Jews rejected him?
Having accepted the glad tidings Of
great Joy that Jesus came TO save,
shall not you and 1 on this glorious
Christmas Sabbath day start forth to
announce. as did the angelic messenger,
that Christ has come to save all who
will believe on him and be saved? Can
any man hear this good news and not
want TO spread it abroad? Can we
fully realize that through Christ we
| shall live and yet not want to go forth
to herald the tidings that Christ has
come to save our neighbors as well as
| ourselves?
Shall we not be as anxious to spread
abroad the news that our Saviour is
born as were our ancestors TO scatter
the news, July 4, 1776, that the birth
of a new government had taken place
In old Independence hall of Philadel-
phia? When the Declaration of indie
pendence was about to be signed
couriers were waiting upon the edge
OF the city to carry the news to every
part of the new nation. The signal
was to be given to these messengers
by the ringing of the old Liberty bell.
The aged sexton stood in the belfry.
his trembling hands upon the rope.
When the last member had put his
name to the immortal document the
grandson of the sexton ran ND the
rickety stairs, crying, ring, grand
father, ringr' The old bell, worth to
American sentiment more than its
weight in gold, rang so loud that its
heart broke. The couriers dug their
spurs into the horses TANKS and rode
from town 10 town, from village to
village and from city to city. They
rode as fast as Paul Revere did when
he carried the news of the British
marching into Lexington and Concord.
They rode carrying the news, the glad
news. that new nation was born.
Shall not we do as did the joyful pa
triots? Shall not we carry the news
Of Christ's birth not only to our
friends. but TO the distant islands OF
the seas?
World Has Changed Since Then.
The civilized world has grown larger
than IL was on that first Christmas
morn. The geographical map has I'M
dergone many changes. Great cxplor-
ing parties have discovered new CONT
nents. The farthermost lands have been
found to bc inhabited. During the life
OF the ancient wise men and the shep-
herds there were comparatively few of
the inhabitants of the world who heard
OF Christs name. Millions of the inhab-
itants of the world today have never
heard OF Christs name. \ large part of
the remainder is entirely indifferent to
the teachings OF the gospel Therefore
TO the Christians Christmas day ought
TO be the most opportune OF all days
for proclaiming the Saviour's mission.
Every home. every street corner, every
family gathering. should be place
where the deeper. holier purposes of
Christs life are to be explained by
those who have felt the love and the
mercy and the tenderness and the hone
that have come to the believing hearts
that have gathered about the manager.
So may this Christmas day find the
love which binds mans heart to man
as well as mans heart to God. Nav
God save us all not only on account of
the love Christ bears us, but also on
account OF the saving Christian love
we bear our fellow men. In Brahman
AAs ehoiVby thcIc IL II De0utlIul legend
told that in the beginning God created
man and woman and placed them in
the center of an island. This island
was called Paradise. Every tree
branch OF that island was an aeolian
harp with thousand strings; every
wind was many fingered musician.
thuinbing the sweetest OF music. Ey-
cry day went arm in arm with two
other days, for there was no night
there, not even star. Brahma told
this bride and groom whom he had
created not to leave this island, for IL
they did they would surely perish. But
one morning-ali the days there had
mornings and evenings. but no night
one morning beautiful mirage off in
The distance began to beckon the young
man. The cataraets waved their white
skirts OF foam, crying: "Comei Conner
There the deer, with great eyes of won
oerment, watched as the birds sang: