The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 46

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46 The Lutheran Pioneer.

loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten | of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life
Son’’ (John 3, 16.). Beholding the unspeak-|in you,’’ John 6. But to eat His flesh and
The sweet Christmas story, which we read | able gift of God in the manger of Bethlehem, | drink His blood, is nothing else than to believe
in Luke 2, 1—14., tells us of the birth of our| we may well cry out, ‘‘Why, why this for me] that Christ took these upon Him, and did also
Saviour. It is a very lowly birth. The Child|a sinner??? And God’s answer is this: ‘‘Be-| yield them up to death for our sake. Hereby
is born in a miserable stable and laid into a} cause I have loved thee with an everlasting | it appears that those prevail nothing who make
hard manger. There seems to be nothing glo-| love.’’ a way unto themselves, to come to God by
rious about that Child. There seems to be} But how can this infinite love and mercy be| their own works and godliness. Christ alone
nothing but poverty and want. But behold!/a glory to God? Is He not just and holy?|is the:mediator by whom you must receive
the same Christmas story tells us that an angel} Must He not punish sin? Yes, God is just and | blessings, otherwise you shall continue forever
came down from heaven to announce the birth] holy, and according to His justice punishment | in damnation.— Luther.
of that Child to the shepherds who were keep-| must follow sin. This justice is as great as eon
ing watch over their flocks on the plains of| His mercy; for in God all is perfect. Still the a
Bethlehem. ‘‘Fear not,’’ was the sweet mes-| angels may sing at the birth of Christ: “Glory Satan Works Silently.
sage of the angel, ‘‘ fear not, for behold, I bring} to God in the highest!’”” For who is that Babe
you good tidings of great joy which shall be to} of Bethlehem? He is the substitute of the
all people. For unto you is born this day in| whole sinful, rebellious world. God’s justice
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ} demanded the punishment of sin, and therefore
the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: | God sent His own Son into this world, and laid
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-|the punishment of our sins upon Him, and
clothes, lying in a manger.’’ And when the| made Him the propitiation for our sins that He
first Christmas sermon was ended, there came} may ‘‘justify the ungodly.”” Thus the infinite ate f
the sweet Christmas song. A- multitude of] mercy and justice are in perfect harmony in | OUS* Gre eines" usually eee he
angels came down in glittering ranks, making} the plan of redemption. And therefore the wie Sectninely, pane besianiges = ee
the night air ring with their celestial song of| angels sing: ‘‘GLory To Gop IN THE HIGHEST!”’ shatite sep ive taon en Pouunene pest
praise: ‘‘Glory to God in the highest, and on} And may we, as we worship at the rough podonem bey cs oe CANES, oy) ees ne
earth peace, good will toward men.”’ couch of the infant Saviour on Christmas day, Ge aby pee end Cae ace send FEA
Ah, there is something glorious about that| join in the angelic chorus by giving all the eadly, How eos SY ar ite ees
Child) born in a stable! And well may the|glory of our salvation to God alone. Blessed |°™4 Unexpected to all’. I replied by relating
angels sing: “Grory 70 Gop rw THE uiGuEsr!”| are they who simply trust in this Saviour! But an incident in my Western experience. J was
At the birth of that Child the glory of God] woe to them who reject Him! Woe to them | P®!28 through a beautiful park, in which a
glory of Go J ,
shines forth in heavenly splendor. For who is| who try to make a saviour out of their own number of fine locust trees had been thrown
that Child? He is Christ, the Messiah, who| good behaviour, or out of anything they find in|4¥" by a recent storm. I asked of my com-
had been promised to men of old for 4,000] their own sinful selves! Above the manger of panion)with Burpee howjbbeppencd eee
years. When sin had come into this world, He Bethlehem we find it written as if with sun- ah eae es con anne OURO a
was promised to our first parents in Paradise as| beams: ‘‘GLory TO Gop IN THE HIGHEST!’ ga. a ie e replied, ‘Oh, the borers prepared the
the ‘‘seed of the woman” which should ‘‘ bruise ae hee
the head of the serpent.” And from this first Silently and unseen the work of hastening
mronlerrionGanesialdcwmitolivellasthorophet overthrow had been done during the months

= r 4 before. The hearts of the green locusts were
we find Him typified and prophesied through- a » by .
out the Old Testament. It was foretold that} ‘‘When the fulness of the time was come, honeycom bedigl byg noses iiulegborerssey iad

He should be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7, 14.),|God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,” . weer been: Sei a, ag a mons pate
that He should be born in Bethlehem (Micah|says the Apostle (Galatians 4, 4.). Let us ox isl eeee 2 as 4 ou ie 33 needa
5, 2.). ‘The time of His birth was also fore-| weigh and consider these things in order: ee onbeetes Samui mreanpcrsen totes, earn
told by Jacob on his dying-bed (Genesis 49, 10.)| First, it is sufficiently taught in the gospel
and by Daniel (Daniel 9, 25.). And God} of John, that Christ is the Son of God, which
proved faithful to all these promises. ‘‘When|he that believeth not is in a most miserable
the fulness of the time was come, God sent| state, as Christ Himself says: ‘‘ Except ye be-
forth His Son, made of a woman, made under] lieve that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.”
the law” (Galatians 4, 4.). He was born of a] It is not the will of God that we should be-
virgin in’ Bethlehem, and at the time when the} lieve or put our trust in any other thing, neither
‘'sceptre had departed from Judah,’ when the| doth this honor belong to any other; we must
Jews were under the rule of the Roman em-} believe that He is the very truth, and that
ror. All the prophecies were gloriously ful-) without Him we can neither live nor obtain s .
filled, and hence we have the assurance that} salvation. The Apostle says, ‘‘God sent forth oor king Bridie diese ee our God eres
every promise given to us in the Bible will also) His Son.” It is hereby manifest that He ex-|of God and heirs of the heavenly kingdom, as
be fulfilled; for our God is a faithful God. | isted before He was made man. If He be the|St. Paul says: ‘‘Ye are the children of God by
Therefore the angels sing: ‘‘G@lory to God in the| Son, He is more than a man or an angel; and faith in Christ Jesus,’’ Galatians 3, 26. Here
highest !”’ as they are the highest among God’s creatures, ae hearts of Pageaners Wee dcaP dor 18Yah eee
At the birth of Christ we behold the glory| surely He must be the true God. _ Taner: COREE OSL OF ELEN & i
of God also in the plan of redemption in which} The second thing which ought here to be ;
* His mercy and justice are seen in perfect har-| considered, is, that Christ is very man and the
“mony. We behold the glory of His infinite}Son of man. Thus Paul teaches when he says,
mercy and love. We are rebels and sinners | ‘‘made of a woman;”’ for surely that which is 1 hat H, ePatrircin
by nature. We have deserved nothing but} made or born of a woman, is man. ‘Thus it is neh eS eG aay 45 at
eternal punishment. The glory is not ours.| necessary that we believe as the Lord Himself} not for Himself, but for us, that is for our sal-
«Glory to God in the highest!’’ ‘God so| declares: ‘‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son vation.—Laiher. :

Glory to God!

Little by little Satan leads souls away from
Christ. In ways unseen by others. they are led.
Around their hearts gather feelings and desires
which seem trifling. It is like the first small
leaks in the banks of the Mississippi, through
which ere long the mighty resistless torrent will
break a wide channel, and spread ruin in its

—_——s +a o-oo

“God sent forth His Son.”

destroyers, the secret sins, which prepared the
way for the pressure of great temptation, whose
ruin startled millions. And all surprise over
human depravity suddenly revealed in gigantic
evil will vanish forever in ‘‘the day when God
shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.”’
— Guardian.
—s~+ oo >
Curist requires us to believe that He came

_ oo oe
Ir is not sufficient to believe that Christ has

come, but we must believe also that He was
sent from God, that He is the Son of God, and

to themselves. They nourished the vhidden |

ae