Deity Displayed God’s first promise to guilty man was that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). As to the flesh, Jesus is the seed of the woman. But He is infinitely more. Paul says, “ But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5). Necessary it was to our redemption that the Saviour of men should be a man. But had Christ been produced in the ordinary way of human generation, He must have been a partaker of a sinful nature. This was prevented by the miraculous way of His concep tion — by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus the virgin-born Christ was “ holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” — fit to become sin for us because He knew no sin. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. Let us go to Bethlehem and see this great sight. Glorious mystery. We cannot fully comprehend it. Men may speak and write of it, but as they at tempt to describe it, a woeful sense of inadequacy oppresses the mind. We may speak of it, but the most we can say is that it is unspeakable. And the most we know is that it passeth knowledge. Think, too,' of the— Deplorable Darkness When Jesus came it was night in Egypt, night in Rome, night in Athens, night in Syria, night in Palestine — night everywhere. Darkness blacker than “ a murderer’s mark of crepe.” Darkness, as Keats would say, like “the parentage of chaos.” The world was dark “ as if it were dipped in the death shadow.” Poe spoke of the darkness “ as the caves wherein earth’s thunders groan” — and it was groaning “ ever darker and darker like the shadow of advancing death.” Thomas spoke of a condition “ dark as the inside of a whale,” and Whittier of a matter “ dark as the brooding thundercloud.” The world was, as Milton described Samson, “ dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon.” Yes, deplorable darkness had long covered the earth — and the wisest of men bowed down “ to an unknown God.” But, glory to His Name, “ the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). This is He who is “the brightness of . . . [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3) — “the image o f the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). This, too, is unspeakable. But we believe and adore. Let but the light shine into our hearts to give us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” and it is enough. But consider as to Christ the— Design of Death What was the grand design of the Saviour’s birth? The re demption, by His death, of fallen, guilty, helpless man. That was the grand design. “ God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Gal. 4 :4). He was named Jesus — because He came to “ save his people from their sins.” There is something so sublime, so delightful, in the name Saviour. Cicero, the Roman orator, said that when traveling in Greece he saw a pillar inscribed with the word saviour. He admired the fullness in the name, but he was as ignorant of its Christian meaning as an owl is of astronomy. How much more may every redeemed sinner admire that name— Saviour! But, seeing the things come to pass at Bethlehem, let us hate the — Despicable Disgrace What mean I by that? As, at Bethlehem, we see God in all His glorious perfections manifested in the Person of Jesus, we should engage our souls to adore and love and praise Him — magnifying “the Lord God of Israel.” “ The Lord . . . hath visited and redeemed his people.” But we see the disgraceful way in which some celebrate the season called CHRISTmas. Vain, frothy, carnal — these three words — can be written over the celebrative ways of those who “make merry” at the Christmas season. Foolishly, even iniquitously, do they contra dict as much ad possible the design of His coming as the “In fant of Days” to Bethlehem. Jesus came to “ destroy the works of the devil.” So many at Christmas seek to keep up the works of the devil. What have vulgar dances to do with the birth of Jesus? What does participation in the degradation of human Page Six
love What does greed? Or gluttony? Or drunkenness? What do the works of the flesh have to do with the birth of Jesus? Jesus come to save His people from their sins — not to urge them to participation in them. Why should more sins be com mitted at the Christmas season in a few days than in many weeks at other times? Why should sin be aggravated by let ting it pass under the guise of religious joy? Why should many choose to “ steal the livery of Christmas to serve the devil in” ? Such disgraceful observance of the birth of Christ is an affront to a holy God, a reproach to the Christian name, a ruinous matter to the souls of men. Riotous revelry instead of reverence and worship and gratitude is of hell — not Heaven — of man — not God. "UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN” Isaiah 9 :6 and John 3:16 NANCY HEARN GRIFFIN HERBERT G. TOVEY
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i - to us a Child is born, Child is born, Un-t o us a Son is giv- en 5 ” 2. The Lord of d o - ry has come down, Born of vir- gin maid so low - ly$ 3. He came to die up - on the cross, Bringing us His free sal-va-tion; i^ F iy r ffirrrtfp 1. “ For un -to
Come and let us wor-ship Him, God’s be-lov- ed Son from heav-en. Thus an-nouncedby- an-gel voice, Je-sus came,our Sav-iour, ho - ly. Lamb of God for sin-ners slain, Bless-ing ev- ’ry tribe and na-tion.
Copyright 1949 by Herbert O. Tovey The Story of the Hymn
S OMETIME ago I was asked to write a Christmas song for a Christian music magazine. My answer seemed to be ki the negative because of time and other things, but just about that time I walked out into my yard to attend to some of the flowers. Suddenly the words of Isaiah 9:6— “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given—” came into my mind with rhythmic melody. I was thrilled in soul as I thought of the blessing of Christ to the world. There flowed into my heart the words of a new song, which evidently was the answer to the request of the person ask ing for a Christmas song. When I came to writing a re frain, I thought no better refrain could be written than John 3:16, because after all that is why Christ came into the world—to save the lost. So the completed song has its Christmas message and its evangelical message, which can sing its story into the hearts of people everywhere, in this and other lands. The song is published for the first time in this issue of The Kms ’s Business. By Mrg_ N_ H Griffin
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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