Evening journal., 1907-01-28
CHRIST AS A
NATURAL BOY
The Saviour Played, Studied
and Worked Just as Boys
Of To-day Do
SET A BLESSED EXAMPLE

DR. w. L. S. Murray in washington
Heights NJ. f. Church last evening
preached on the subject, "The Boy
Jesus" the sermon being the first Of
q series on the subject of Christ"
1--WE have heard much about Christ
the child, but little about Christ the
boy" said DR.. Murray. III the childs
life is the preface OF the volume. the
boys life is the first chapter; if the
former is the bud of the flower, the
latter is the opening Of it; If the one
is the prelude of the song. the Other
is the first bar Of the music. We ell
know that a real. natural boy is noisy.
if he is not musical. Christ was a
natural boy. 1t has been a great sur
prise 70 me to find how little has been
said or written about Christ the boy.
A few strokes of the inspired penman;
few pages Of apocryphal sayings
end doings a few chapters by Christs
biographers and here and there a refer
ence and no more. The time has come
when for the sake of the boys,
emphasis ought to be put on Christ, the
boy.
NtAiAol HAu Il AilItt-lNl4 QtNtloplllt4ttl tl
as every boy must have to be and dc
what is required of him. Luke says
the boy grew and waXed strong in
spirit. filled with wisdom and the
grace OF God was upon him. And
when he was twelve years old they
went to Jerusalem to the Passover
Luke, the physician. said Christ grew
His body developed. What is more
interesting than growing boy? What
more sac when 1t is said of q boy he
/ has ceased to grow.
Nothing demonstrates the humanity
cf Christ more than his growth in
stature from boyhoOd to manhood
Christ. the boy grew up I'm the country
/ His Nazareth home was amid the hills
of Galilee, eighty miles from Jeru-
salem. Here were garland hills and
snow-capped mountains, flowing
streams, feeding locks, passing cara
vans and just the kind of a country
home to expand a boys lungs and de.
velop boys muscles. Here
the boy Christ grew up. Here he
played with his brothers and the boys
Of the neighborhood. Here he received
4 instruction from the lips Of one Of the
4 best OF mothers. Here he was obedi-
ent to his father, Joseph. Here j,
/ spent his innocent, sinless boyhood, the
rosy dawn Of q wonderful day. Here
/ too, he attended the synagogue school
entering at six years of age. Here hC
/ learned with other boys to read and
write to cipher and learned by hear
the Bible history and the Psalms that
were used in public worship. 1t Is
probable that he never attended tn,
great schools of Hinen and Gamaiiol
the great colleges and seminaries OF
the day. For when it was said o
him as a man, Never man spake like
this man. the question was asked how
hath this man these things havin'
never learned, or in other words neve
having gone to the great schools. 81
there is a chance for the boy who can
not reach the college or seminary
Christ. the boy learned at home and a
the synagogue school the foundation
principles for the greatest life eve
lived. We know he memorized tn
scriptures, for he quoted them whel
tried and tempted, when praying an'
teaching IT is believed he knew thre'
languages, Hebrew, Greek and Ara
maic. 1t has been said every langu
age a boy learns doubles his intellect
ual powers. SO in Christ boys hay'
an example to be followed in school
He studied. He was filled will
wisdom.
We have also Christ, the boy, a
work. Every Jewish boy was com
PEELED to learn a trade. His fathe
II rarafrro1 n eHf
ton in manual training in his father
shop. What a wise parent to give tn
boy a trade 1t is better to teach
boy to help himself than to make ant
leave a fortune to him. Christ kney
the mechanics art He learned hos
to hallow every line Of industry. 1t
an honor to work Labor is noble. J
is the salt Of life, the girdle Of boy
hood. the support manhood.
1--WE are also shown Christ, the boy
at church He had been taught =
the svnagogue Now at twelve year
Of age he goes with his parents eight
mics to Jerusalem. What a journey
What a boyl They go to attend wi.
thousands, the Passover. 1t was n
idle iaunt. 1t was a religious pilgrim
age. They worshopped in the temp
They called it Solomon's temple. TIL
boy said It is my Fathers House. Ho'
blessed to have a boy thus early t
know God as his Father, the churc
his Fathers House. When found alto
the anxious search he was sitting d
the midst Of the doctors, both hearin
them and asking them questions, an
an that heard him were astonished a
his understanding and answers. Learn
ing and teaching, receiving and givine
How much a boy gets in church to hel
him i'm life can never be told. Tn
Z grace Of God was upon him.
80 every boy may claim and re
I ceive Gods grace 10 strengthen an
help him. The boy has the exampl
I'm Christ to come into the church early
Yea to spend the whole life in Wits
connection with the church. Samuf
heard the voice Of God when twelvs
solomon gave mis- judgment at twelve
Josiah dreamed Of great reforms at tn
! same age. John was filled with IN
, Shirt from his birth. and Christ, tn
b boy. was taking a prominent part {
the fennle when he was twelve year