The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-23
HGH ' ENLI YUIUEO
Secretary Stokes Breaches at St. Paurs Appropriately to
 Christmas Time.
JAPAn's DEBT TO CHRIST
Her Close Touch With Christianity the True Cause of Her Re-
 cent Advances.

Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes, secretary of Yale university, preached a pre- Christmas sermon at St. PauPs church yesterday morning. Mir. Stokes took for his text, Heavenly Voices and, having quoted the Heavenly Voice on the Mount of Transhguration saying This is my Son; hear ye, Him." MT Stokes made a stirring appeal to his hearers to listen to the inner meaning in the greetings and good cheer of the Christmas-tide and to De reminded, when the remembrances of the. season are given and received, of the presents of the three wise men nineteen hundred years ago and of the greatest of gifts of all, that of the Son of God, to the world both of which are commemorate eL.
 During the course of his sermon Mir. Stokes referred to the Christian na- tions of tho world as the ones that were accomplishing. He sail they, | (and among them he numbered Eng ' land, Germany and the United States) were doing so because of the Chris tiani'y. On the other hand, it is the foreign nations which coming into closest touch with the Christian In, fluences that are advancing most al the present time. Among the latter ht I mentioned Japan, China and India.
 Mr. Stokes said therU were two p,ac. .es in the gospel where d heavenly voice was spoken of One was at the hap tism of Jesus by John the Baptist which was in the scripture lesson q the morning, and tho oth2r was on the Mount of Transfiguration, already mentioned These heavenly voices h, meant to take for his text.
 It was immaterial whether to Peter and James and John, who constltu,ei the inner circle Of the group of disci pies, the voice on the mount was ar audible on or not. The point in ques. tion was that it made its appeal to ahd had its impression on the hearts anG minds of those men. They, fer the first time, became imbued with that great world-thought that the man they were following was the Christ, the Messiah the man not only inspiied but the very Son of God
 1 There have been many men who have l claimed, and with reason, to be insplr. ed. Such have been Mohomct and Bud. 1 aha and others. But none of then could claim the power of authority that came with sonship with the divinity
 That Christ has this sonship witt the Highest. said MT Stokes, ''i' \ proven by what l may call the heaven ly voices" These, he explained, ht took to be tho voice of history thu voice of nature, and the voice of man
 The voice of history has proved 1t! authenticity. The successful nations have been Christian ones; the mos i pfosp ring of the pagan nations to day, Japan China and India, arr these that come in nearest contrac I with Christianity.
 I MT. Stokes said there were only tw' religions to-day that are growing T ] numbers to a remarks ble degree, Thes' two are Christianity and Mohometan \ ism. And with the latter, lie eaddcd, th' Increase Is mostly confined to the nortl coast of Africa where thu natives ar being turned from a religion or a lacl of religion that is infinitely worse s that the tendency may not be charac terized as hy ono not to be comment ed. on the whole.
 The gospel Of Christ was one O Gods love. The voice of nature says q can confirm Gods love, Thougl nature cannot speak to us in words can point to the bird that goes by in stinct, it's fur coat, longer and heaVie when the snow begins to fly; the moth CT that finds that the nourishment he bade needs comes with the babe; and Il the universal love of all animals to their young It Is but natures voic siving it's testimony of the love of Goo ing it's testimony of the love Of Goo which is the teaching of the Son O God.
 The beauties of nature speak of tn truth of Chyist's assertions MT. Stoke spoke of st. Paul, who went all throug Palestine without leaving a record I the Bible of any impression that tn beauties of nature made on him. CT the other hand, Christ lived out 0 doors, He loved nature and His ser mons are full of references to nature
 The third voice that MT, Stokes men --------------------------