The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-09

lions Of Jehovah, they have often.
times misinterpreted the messages
that God has delivered to 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 hnality. of the divine
self-revelation. The work OF the
Spirit before the days of Christ was
preparative, in order to 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, to understand
and to accept the truth which, SO
richly, Christ communicates from
God. Jesus is the consummation 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 it is in its effect on humanity
that the birth of Christ Is most sig
| nihcant and Of widest and most TO
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 transcendant inspiration of the
human soul. Mary's child is the hope
of all the children of men.
The birth of Christ is efectual 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 a civilization that
too strongly emphasized the social
aspect Of human society Jesus de-
clared the dignity, the integrity, the
tincalculable 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 dignifed the
i lQQlVlQudl duu plOCldlh1Co
worth of the human unit apart from
the mass, He in no wise lowered the
high position Of the social system In
the scheme of God for the ordering
Of this worlds affairs. Rather did He
ennoble society as a whole. Emphasize
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-
NAMED 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 pfeciousness
Of the separate personality, with the
one desire to indicate to the 1ndl-
vidual man his personal responsibility
to God and society in the face OF the
limitless and u~nnumbered opportunt-
ties that a loving Father placed with
in his reach. Profound philosopher
as He was, Jesus perceived with I'M
erring vision, that the secret Of a re-
deemed society lay in redeemed indi-
viduals. And, although He had a
lively interest In the single man, He
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 a
peculiar and novel dignity in order
that with the realization Of its sur
passing consequence individuality
should strive hardest to be counted
worthy of q place in a social order
regenerated and redeemed Of God.
The birth Of Jesus was effective to
the betterment of the ethics-that is
to say-the laws of conduct-of hui
manity. Preaching no Gospel OF pre-
else and detailed rules and regula-
lions, 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 Wher
eterhally 1t had belonged in the mind
of God and from which 1t had, by
casuistry and the insincerity of moral
jugglers, been displaced. Jesus re-
juvenated 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 a new and surprising era in the
religious career of humanity. Jesus
released religion from the bondage OF
sheer legalisn and infused it with a
new purpose. He found religion,
very largely, a matter of ecclesias-
ticism and of legal regulation and of
formality and cant. He left 1t with
the inspiration Of an enlarged mission
and Of an increased opportunity. He
found q system. He left a life. Be-
fore His coming religion was largely
mint, cummin, anise, tithes, phylac-
teries, burnt offerings, prayer in the
market place. After Jesus religion
was humility, righteousness, purity
sacrifce-it was a life; a life in
dwelt, inspired. sanctiaed of God.