The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-03-03
TfChriSt Had
Not Come
By DR.. JOHN A. EARL
Pastor Belden Avenue Church.
Chicago

TEXT-If I had not come and spoken
u8to them . If I had not dono
among them the works which none other
d l.-John 15:2224.
An innovation in sermons as deltv-
e1ed by the more modern ministers
was listened to by a large congrega-
ton the other evening when Doctor
Earl delivered his sermon in verse;
If Jesus had not come to earth,
If angels had not sung his birth,
If wise men had not seen his worth
How poor the world would be.
If Jesus had not said the word.
The like of which had ne'er been heard,
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 riven
Would hopeless beat and bleed
If Jesus never had been born
There would not be a Christmas morn.
And earth of good things would Dc
shorn-
Things that we sorely need.
No Christmas cheer would tighten hearta,
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 mfstletoe.
No stockings hanging In a row,
No good will reaching friend and foe,
No Christmas cards and sweets.
No family gathering round the board
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 mingle 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 would
stand
A grogshop would empt the land
And leave on men its ugly brand
A drunkards 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.
If sins on him had not been laid,
If ransom price he had not paid,
Distress would be our lot.
No hope, no pardon, no release.
No Joy, no cleansing and no peace
Our growing troubles never cease
We lose the battles fought.
If 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 tear,
And many. many more.
All literature we must revise
If Christ remained above the skies,
From Chaucer to the Brownings wise,
For Christ inspired their pen.
And 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 huge mistake.
No Ecce Homos longer make
If Jesus never came.
The letters B. G. now destroy,
And A. D. never more employ.
For they are but false decoy.
If Christ Is but name.
But Christ has come; His day we hail!
Before his star all others pale:
His song transforms every wall
His manger 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.