The Penn's Grove record., 1911-02-24
IfChrist Had
Not Come
By DR.. JOHN A. EARL
Pastor BeIdsn Avenue Church.
Chicago

TEXT-If I had not come and spoker
unto them F. If l q not oons
among them the works which none otnel
did.-John 15:22-A
An innovation in sermons as deilV
cred by the more modern ministers
was listened to by a large congrega
ton the other evening when Doctor
Earl delivered his sermon in verse.
II Jesus had not come to earth.
If angels had not sung his BIRTH,
If wise men lac not seen his WORTH
How poor the world would be.
If Jesus a not said the word,
Thu like of which had ne'er been hearo
How sad for you and me!
If Jesus had not come from heaven.
Our sins could not have been forgiven,
And broken hearts with sorrows rlven
Would hopeless beat and bleed.
If Jesus never had been born
There would not be a Christmas morn,
And earth of good things would be
Things that we sorely need.
No Christmas cheer would tighten hearts
Nor closing of our busy marts,
No Santa Claus whose reindeer starts
With jingling bells and sleigh.
No Merry Christmas" greeting glad,
All would be anxious, troubled, sad,
No gifts for little lass and lad
To signalize the day.
No Christmas tree, no mistletoe.
No stockings hanging In e row,
No good will reaching friend and foe,
No Christmas cards and sweets.
NJ Ro~a{1., -ofharfno wound the hoard
No presents brought from places stored
No glad surprise for those adored,
No Christmas season treats.
No hampers for the poor who need.
No kindly word, no generous deed,
Nothing to save the world from greed
A Christless world, alas!
The poor would eat their scanty fare,
Their faces pinched, their cupboards bare
And men with plenty would not care
To mipgle with the mass.
No house of God would grace the street
With open door, where Christians meet,
Whose noble spire the heavens greet,
If Jesus had not come.
Cathedrals never would have sprung
With valued roof and frescoes hung,
Where praises of the Christ are sung,
Where nothing can be dumb.
But in the place where church woule
stand
A grogshop would pre-empt the land.
And leave on men its ugly brand
A d~runkard's bloated face.
And where the hospital should be
A prison we should likely see
Guarding the men who might be free
If Christ had not sought the race.
If Christ in Paradise had stayed,
II sins on him had not been laid,
If ransom price he had not paid.
Distress would be our lot.
No hope, no pardon, nc release.
No JOY, no cleansing and no peace,
Dur growing troubles never cease
We lose the battles fought.
# Christ had kept himself away,
How empty would our bookshelves stay
And poor indeed would be our day
OF letters golden store.
The gospels four would not appear,
New Testaments would not be here.
For Lives of Christ we'd drop a tear,
And many, nan more.
All literature we must revise
If Christ remained above the skies,
From Chaucer to the Brownings wise.
For Christ inspired their pen.
n songs shall lose their noble tone
From Gregory TO Mendelssohn.
And in their place a hopeless moan
Will fill the world Of men.
The pictures from the walls now take;
Madonnas are a huge mistake.
No Ecce Homos longer max
If Jesus never came.
The letters B.. c.. now destroy,
And A. D. never more employ,
For they are but a false decoy,
If Christ is but a name.
But Christ has come; His day we hail!
Before his star all others pale;
His song transforms every wall
His hanger is a throne.
And since He came the burdens light;
Death has no sting, the futures bright;
We walk by faith and not by sight,
And trust in Him alone.