Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-12-26
WORLD WAS PREPARED
FOR COMING OF CHRIST
God Did Not Send Son at III
opporunc Time, Min
lister Says.
REFERS no HoME's HIGHWAYS
Rev. }. u. IiunIry, In sermon Mt HIM
over Avenue Christian Church, De-
clarcs Providence Of Almighty
Never Seen To ncttcr Advantage.

ciarcs Providence Of Almighty
Never Seen to Hcttcr Advantage.
The world was prepared In every
way to receive Christ. Rev. J. y.
liunlcy, pastor OF Hanover Avenue
Christian Church. said yesterday, In
his Christmas sermon. His sermon
follows:
''If students OF nature observe
that order is heavens first Law. II
should not be surprising that in the
spiritual realm each season has it's
own design God did not send His
Son at an inopportunc time. All
things had worked together for his
coming. In no event Of history is
the providence OF God seen to better
advantage than in the birth OF
Christ. When the angels sang their
oratorio over tho Judean Hills. tho
world was prepared for the glad an
nounccmcnt. When the fullncss of
time came. God sent forth Ills Son
Politically. the world was pre-
pared for the coming Of Christ. Rome
was the mistress Of the world. The
great city on the Tiber had extended
her conquests to the farthest limits
Of that ancient world. From the
orkney Islands on tho north, to
Thcbcs on the Nile. and from the
Caucasus on the east, to the pillars
of Hercules on the west. she held
und!sputed sway with, perhaps, the
most perfect system of government
the world has yet known. II she
ruled with rod OF iron and If she
was cruel and relentless to the in
subordinate. she was also the pro-
tcctrcsS % the weaker nations
Among certain great privileges of
the citizens OF Rome was religious
freedom. Thus Christianity In it's in
fancy, was given the protection IL
needed.
Virginia Lays in Road building.
Throughout this vast territory cx-
tended the most complete system of
highways ever known virginia is
just 1000 years behind in road con
struct!on). the ruins Of which to this
very day, show how superior was
their construction. These all tcrmi-
mated at the Forum In the heart OF
Rome. All roads led to Rome. Along
these great highways the apostles and
early messengers of Christianity
made their way until that religion
was firmly established in the great
est metropolis OF the world
The world i'm its language was
prepared for the coming of Christ
Jerusalem stood ut the confluence of
three great nations, and over the
cross OF Christ was an inscription
written In Latin, the, language OF
law. In Greek, the language OF
science. and in Hebrew, tho language
Of religion. Alexander the Great
through his conduests had carried the
Greek tongue everywhere. The
beauty Of its style had So attracted
the leaders OF thought that 1t re-
NAMED long after the empire of
Alexander had passed away. 1t had
met with such acceptance that in go
u. c.. the Jewish authorities at Jcru-
salem granted Ptolcmy's request to
send seventy OF their most learned
scrtbcs 10 Alexandria to translate the
Old Testament into the Greek lam
Gragc. thus giving to the world tho
ScptuaGint version. the first OF all
the translation OF the Old Testa-
ment. The original New Testament
manuscripts were written in Greek,
the most exact OF all languages.
was Prepared PhfIosophicaIiy.
'Philosophically. the world was
prepared for the coming OF Christ.
The three great fields OF human
knowledge are science, philosophy
and religion. IL has been well said
that science deals with causality,
philosophy with nationality, and re-
ligion with personality. Prior to the
birth of Christ. more than score
OF philosophers, famous through all
succeeding ages. had arisen in that
little country OF Greece. Their abil-
ity has never been surpassed by the
philosophers of any succeeding age.
But they could never answer one Of
the worlds oldest questions rs pro-
Il
thou by searching find out God;
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto
perfection?' II must have been with
this in mind that Paul wrote to the
Greeks in the city ot Corinth. his
message as found in ! Cor. 1:lS-3l.
How significant the words, For see
ing that in the wisdom of God, the
world through its wisdom knew not
God. il was Gods good pleasure
through the foolishncss OF the
preaching To save them that believe
Thc world had failed to find God
through it's philosophy: IL was ready
for the incarnation.
The world was prepared religious
l. Tor the birth OF Christ. Through
the dispersion OF the Jews throughout
the Roman Empire there was n syn
agoEue in every city. To their own
people the early messengers OF
Christianity naturally made thor
way with the story of the glad It'd
inGs. From the platform of these
synaEogucs the first messages were
proclaimed. But more TO the point
was the fact that the law had served
its purpose. Those who had lived
under IL were as children under age
being under tutors until they come
10 the age for receiving thcir\inhcri-
In,
perfect. The law never does 1t re-
strains. but ii cannot save. Only n
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