The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-24
TIE CHRIST CHILD.

born Son. and wrapped Him in swad-
ding clothes and laid Him in q
| manger."-LulSe H., Z.
| The greatest painters who have ever
| lived have tried to paint tho beauty
Of the Virgin Mother and her Babe.
One of them, RaHaelle by name, to
whom God gave n wonderful gift for
painting, tried over and over again,
for years. 10 paint the Mother and
Babe, and could not satisfy himself
Each OF his pictures is very beautiful,
yet none of them IS perfect. There is
more beauty In the simple, everyday
sight OF mother and hor babe than
any man can express by his brushes
and his colors. And yet this is sight
which we see almost daily, and this
shows us that the most common, every
day things are the most wonderful.
1t shows us that we should not de-
spise anything which belongs to hu-
man nature, which is tho likeness and
image of God.
On this Christmas Day God appeared
in human nature, and IN the first shape
OF IT, In the form of a newborn babe
that by beginning at tho beginning
He might end at the end. and being
made in all things like as His brcth-
rem, might perfectly and utterly take
the manhood into God. This We must
think OF on Christmas Day---God re-
veeled and shown TO men as u Babe
upon His mothers bosom Men had
pictured God in many shapes, some
foolish and some noble and majestic.
Sometimes they thought of Him as Il
mighty lewgiver, sitting upon His
throne i'll the heavens. with solemn
face, looking down upon all the earth.
Again men thought OF God us the ter
r!blo warrior, going forth to conquer
and destroy all that opposed Him; TO
XIII wicked tyrants und devils and
all who rebclled against Him, and all
who hurt human beings.
But all these were funcies, as it
were about one side of Gods char
acter. 1t was only in the Babe OF
Bethlehem that the whole OF Gods
character shonc forth. that men
might not merely fear Him and bow
before Him, but trust in Him and love
Him. as ono who could be touched
with the feeling OF their innrmities.
1t was on Christmas Day that God
appeared among men as a child upon
a mothers bosom. a God IN need! a
God weak: y God fed by mortal wo-
man! ~ God laid in 4 manager! If
that sight will rot touch our hearts,
what viii?
BY this sight God has taught us that
lie feels with US and for us-Hc has
been through our human trials and
taken our human nature upon Him.
lie did not take just the nature oc
some great, rich man, but as a little
humble babe lie came and grew to the
fun-souled man. lighting with all Ills
powers against The evil of the world.
He was all and knew all that we can
be know. and from the eldest to
the youngest we may say, What
ain, Christ was" Let us on this
Christmas Day draw the children
around us and teach then: that God
was once made like them go that they
they might be made like Him. On
this day lie became little child SO
that we might all know Children and
grown peoplc) that lie understands
and sympathizes with every age. His
life Is eternal i'll the heavens above
ali changes of space and time; for
time and space are but his tools.
Wherever there Is Il true heart Of u
true human being, there. beating in
perfect answer to it Is the heart of
an understanding Christ. To the
strong lie can be the strongest; 10 the
kings. and yet with the poor He can
wander, not having where to lay
His head. For the pcnitont lie hangs
forever on the Cross. With the aged
ana the dyinl lie goes down Into the
grave: and with the children Christ
lies forever ON His mothers breast,
the everlasting Christ-chil in whom
they must believe and whom they
must love and to whom they must Of
fer their childish prayers, feeling IIo
understands. for He WAS the Babe OF
I;cthlchcm.
20, holy Child Of Bethlehem:
Descend to us, VIC pray:
cast on, our sin, aud enter in;
i:c born ~ us to-day"
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