The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-12-21

CHOSEN people OF GOu DlNlnily s''o'0
in diverse and incessant fashion 10
impart TO the consciousness or man
kind a true understanding OF Him.
self. And as man, from time 10 time,
has understood the truth that God
has deliver! IS Aim by His Spirit
and th.~ssa the prophets, we have
had vars--i Interpretations Of the
character anu of the personality or
God. The changeless God has con-
stantIy revealed the truth concern.
ing llius self. His plans, His purposes,
&C uen. Ne. have OttentimeS been
needless 0f the divine instruction,
they have oftentimes been ignorant
of the full impow-~ of the self-reYela-
tiOns OF Jehovah, they nave otten-
times misiuterpreted the messages
that God hPS delivered 10 their lives.
But whether or no men have been
needless. ignorant or dull, God has
always revealed the truth concerning
Himself. His has been a constant
and cumulative effort TO lead men TO
a satisfying and correct vision OF
Himself.
Jesus IS the fnality Of the divine
self-reyelation. The work of the
Spirit before the days of Christ was
preparative, in order 10 human COM
prehension of the Christ And the
struggle Of the Spirit since the as
cension of our Lord has been TO lead
men to hear, TO heed, 10 understand
and TO accept the truth which. 80
richly, Christ communicates from
God. Jesus is the contamination OF
the effort of the Spirit of the old dis
pensation: He is the inspiration of
the labors of the Holy Spirit of the
later covenant between God and men.
The photograph OF God that Jesus
livingly imparts TO men is the ripest
product of divine self-impartation.
He is the elimination OF divine self
revelation.
But il is in its effect on humanity
that the birth of Christ is most sig
nificant and Of widest and most ro-
bust influence. The birthday of Jesus
is the birthday of the larger liberty
of man. The coming Of Jesus is the
! beginning of mans nobler age. The
nativity OF Jesus is the nativity of
! the transcepdant inspiration Of the
! human soul. Mary's child is the hope
| of all the children of men.
The birth of Christ is effectual for
! humanity individually, socially, eth
ically, religiously.
The birth Of Christ marks the dawn
Of the most glorious epoch in the his
tory of the human unit In the face
! OF a faith and Of civilization that
/ too strongly emphasized the social
/ aspect of human society Jesus de-
/ clared the dignity, the integrity, the
! incalCulable importance of the indi-
! vidual. He placed the common man
! on the plane upon which God in His
! providence intended him TO move.
But while the Lord digniiied the
! individual and proclaimed the eternal
worth of the human unit apart from
! the mass, He in no wise lowered tho
! high position Of the social system in
! the scheme Of God for the ordering
| of this world S affairs. Rather did He
! ennoble society as whole. EmphasZ-
! ing the Importance Of the individual,
! He insisted on the value of that indi-
vidual only as, representing an integer
| in the sum of the social life, he re.
! mained true to the finest principles
| of the kingdom of God and labored
| unremittingly for the advancement
and purifying of society as a whole.
Jesus taught the eternal preciousness
! of the separate personality, with tha
! one desire to indicate 10 the indi-
vidual man his personal responsibility
! to God and society in the face OF the
| limitless and unnumbered opportuni-
! ties that a loving Father placed with
! in his reach. Profound philosopher
| as He was, Jesus perceived with un-
! erring vision, that the secret Of re-
! deemed society lay in redeemed indi-
viduals. And. although He had a
! lively interest in the single man, lie
was concerned with him in greatest
! measure because OF his fundamental
! necessity to and central importance
! in a redeemed and sanctified society.
! Jesus crowned individuality as none
other before Him had dared TO do;
! but He invested individuality with q
! peculiar and novel dignity in order
! that with the realization Of its sur
! passing consequence individuality
| should strive hardest TO be counted
worthy OF place in a social order
regenerated and redeemed OF God.
The birth OF Jesus was effective 10
| the betternent Of the ethics-that is
| to say-the laws OF cOnduct--of hu-
manity. Preaching no Gospel OF pre-
! else and detailed rules and regula-
! tons, our LORD yet, with Such INSIST
ency. taught the larger principles
! upon which all sound morals and So
! cial conduct are based that with two
sentences He laid the emphasis where
| eternally It had belonged in the mind
! of God and from which It had, by
casuistry and the insincerity of moral
! iugglers, been displaced. Jesus re-
! iuvenated and invigorated the ethical
! judgments of His day and age. And
He not only bettered the moral
standards of His own time but He
augmented the appeal and the scope
of moral law for all time
The birth OF Jesus marks the dawn
OF new and surprising era in the
religious career of humanity. Jesus
released religion from the bondage OF
sheer legalism and infused it with a
new purpose. He found religion,
very largely. matter of ecclesias-
ticism and OF legal regulation and OF
formality and cant. He left IL with
the inspiration of an enlarged mission
and of an increased opportunity. He
found a cyctorn Iro 1aFr "a lffa Do-