St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-03-11
HChrist Had
Not Come
By DR.. JOHN A. EARL
Pastor BeIden Avenue Church,
Chicago

among them the works which none other
did.-John 15:22-A.
An innovation in sermons as deliv-
cred by the more modern ministers
was listened to by large congrega-
ton the other evening when Doctor
Earl delivered his sermon In verse.
If Jesus had not come to earth,
II 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 meier been heard
How sad for you and me!
II 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 Christmas morn.
And earth Of good things would b
shorn-
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 WOulu De anxious, CTOuOleus SdUs
No gifts for little lass and lad
To signalize the day.
No Christmas tree. no mistletoe,
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 mipgle with the mass.
No house Of God would grace the street
With open door, where Christians meet,
Whose noble spire the heavens greet,
II 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
6lO6ShOP "OulG llS ldH0S
And leave on men its ugly brand
A drunkard'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.
II 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
II Christ remained above the skies,
From Cheucer to the Brownings wise,
For Christ inspired their pen.
And songs shall lose their noble tone
From Gregory to Mendelssohn.
And in their place hopeless moan
Will fill the world Of men.
The pictures from the wallis now take:
Madonnas are huge mistake.
No Ecce Homos longer make
II Jesus never came.
The letters B. c. now destroy.
And A. D. never more employ,
For they are but false decoy,
II Christ Is but name.
But Christ has come; His day we hail!
III c%o GfhnrG nplns
His song transforms every wall
His manager 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.