Norwich bulletin., 1909-12-27
CHRISTMAS AND SUNDAY SERVICES
Special Sermons Preached by the Pastors Upon the Sig nificance of the Eay-Storm Kept Down the Attend and Upset Musical Programmes.

Why did he come? To save. For | the tremendous task and programme of meeting humanity with the promise of redemption. Sin Is the biggest | thing in life. It is human to sin. Little trifles in thought, word or act are done daily that would cast an archangel out of heaven
 Who promises relief from sin? No | mere human power, but one with au- l thority and personality-as the an- | gels sang above the manager and as his disciples defined him-the Son of God! He alone can save and he alone is what the world needs.
 First Baptist Church. At the First Baptist church Sunday morning, despite the storm, there was | an attendance of forty-nine at the morning service, with eighty-one at ] the Sunday school session. The church was attractively decorated with green and red. The special Christmas exer- else was omitted, to be given next Sum 1 day.
 The pastor, Rev. William T. Thayer, preached sermon appropriate to the thought of the day His theme was | The Gospel of Christmas and was based upon Luke 2:10, T bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people" He spoke in part:
 Only one thought would find well come in our hearts today, for surely we feel the Christmas spirit. The 1 Christmas spirit is based upon the | Christmas truth and do we as readily and fully come under the sway of that Christmas gospel? In other words, what say we to the story we read this morning and part of which forms the | basis of our meditation? To reject that story is to eliminate the Christ mas gospel which in turn will dispel l the Christmas spirit. To accept this story Is to find an eternal significance 1 in every gift, every Merry Christmas. | for 1t is God manifest in the flesh, God with us. Truly the angel was a herald of the true Christmas gospel when he said bring you good tidings of great joy.
 The Christmas gospel heralds the entering of God into human life. Apart from Christ men must speak of energy. force, cause and the darkness brings l uncertainty and fear. Only the Christ mas gospel brings the light with its | assurances and faith. For to us God is not only force but personality not only energy but love. and it is well for the Christian to stop amid the joys of the Christmas season and think how much We owe to Christ, for Christmas means the unveillng of God. To know God transforms life T have come that they might have life" Christmas is essentially 6 Christians ! day. To reject the foundations for feits our right to the superstructure For one to appropriate the spirit with ! out accepting the gospel is an intrusion or silent confession of inconsistency Cherish nothing but sympathy for the unbeliever but mediate, Christian mediate on what you owe to Christ, Nhric k-4 faith.
 Ultimate triumph rests not with greed and selfishness, but, with right eousness and love, and we are in league with the Infinite. The coming of the Son of Man means that we may be come the sons of God. God forbid any feeling of superiority over the rejector Of our Lord. but it is well to consider our indebtedness to Christ. for Christ mas means the emancipation of hu- i manity.
 Universalist Church. At Buckingham Memorial Sunday | morning Rev. Joseph F. Cobb preached | on "The Realization. or the Witness Unto the Truth" his text ebing John | IS: 37.
 The people for ages had looked for Messiah. This Christmas season as- sures us that the Messiah has come. He came not as an earthly temporal being. He says himself that he came , as a revealer of and witness unto the truth. At the time of his advent there was much need of such a witness The world of humanity had long struggled beneath the heavy burden of falsehood and serror. There was falsehood in re- ligion, in the different forms of belief and worship, in the numerous forms of philosophy which man had invented to satisfy his spiritual wants and desires False ideas concerning God. man, the future life and the ultimate issues of the divine providence had darkened the human understanding and corrupted the human affections. The soul long, ing and thirsting for divine truth and spiritual life, sought rest and satisfac- ton in the cold speculations and vis- ionary distractions of philosophy. or in the gross and degrading forms of idolatry. Everything which human wisdom could devise failed to answer the inmost cravings and far reaching aspirations of the immortal nature.
 It was left for Jesus. the Christ, the divinely appointed teacher and re- deemer. to reveal those truths and un- fold those ideas which should satisfy the spiritual wants and meet the moral necessities which the condition of hu- manity so clearly exhibited.
 He did not come to create any new
 
 truth or to make anything true which was prevnously false. He came to de- clare by his life and teachings those things which were and had been eter- nally true. He came to bear witness unto the truth. Truth is original with God. so that man does not create new truth.
 In the pursuit of his mission as the Saviour of the world Jesus revealed many truths
 1. One af the greatest and most im- portant in a practical and doctrinal point of view is the fatherhood of God
 2. In intimate connection with this truth, and necessarily growing out of 1t. is another interesting and valuable Christian doctrine. the common broth erhood of man. Christ saw in every man the fact of g. brother. a child of God, an object of infinite mercy and redeeming love.
 3. Another important fact or truth to which Christ came to bear witness was a future life. He revealed the truth that instead of death being the end of man, the final goal of all human hopes, joys. knowledge and life itself. it is but the mysterious avenue that leads us to a celestial and endless day.
 {. In very close connection with this truth of immortality for man. Christ revealed another truth of the most joy ful and inspiring character, which is. that this immortal state is to be free from the evils. sins, separations of the present and also to be the final home of all. Rejoicel Rejoice in Christ the Lord.
 St. Patrick's Church.
 With all the lights defining the sanctuary arches agiow. the high all