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December 1928
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
doom in the blackness of darkness forever, that awaits every sinner who trifles with His priceless,, sacrificial blood. Faithfully, in His infinite, eternal being, He suf fered the wrath and indignation and judgment of God against sin, in order that “God might be just, and the jus tifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). “What a faithful, merciful, loving God is the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ !” What a wonderful Saviour is our Lord Jesus Christ! Indeed, what a faithful witness ! How worthy the appellation, “The faithful witness” ! Isaiah said of Him,- “ Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people” (Is. 55:4). JesuS sajd to Pilate, “To this énd was I born, and for this 'cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (Jno. 18:37). “Thy Word is'»truth” (Jno. 17 : 17). “I am the truth” (Jno. 14:6). Paul said, “Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con fession” (1 Tim. 6:13). The Apostle John said, “If we receive the witness of men,, the witness of God is greater : for this is the witness of God which He hath wit nessed of His Son. He that believeth on the Son of. God hath the witness in himself ; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar ; because he believeth not the witness that God gave of His Son.' And this is the witness, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life ; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son'of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 Jno. 5 :9-13, Greek). and in them solemnly sing the Angels’ Hymn, because also the same night he was declared unto.the shepherds by an angel, as the truth itself doth witness.” Here is a definite statement that “Glory to God in the Highest”,was the first carol of the church. Cyprian in the third century greets the approach of Christmas in a way to show that it was a definitely established festival—“The niuch wished for, long expected Nativity of Christ is come: the famous solemnity is come.” With the conversion of;the Emperor Constantine in the early part of the fourth century, the church at once assumed a new position,of prominence and power. From being a despised !sect, the Christians now came under state protection. The services quickly took on a -more elaborate ritualistic form ; great churches and cathedrals were built ; large properties and great wealth, came into the possession of the organized church, and it became a new power in both spiritual and temporal affairs. At this time, under the leadership of. Bishop Ambrose of Milan and Pope Sylvester, there was a great development of church music, in all of which Christmas music had a prominent place. ■ In 597 Augustine, the Missionary, and representative of Pope Gregory, went to England, and it was not long before King Ethelbert embraced the Cross, The historian Green says: “The band of monks entered Canterbury bearing before them a silver cross with a picture of- Christ, and singing in concert the strains of the litany of their church.” Both Augustine and Chrysostom bear witness that within ten years after the Anglo-Saxons embraced Christianity, Christmas became a solemn festival. And
Word,” “The Word of God,” “The Word of Life,” “The Word made Flesh,” “The Shepherd,” “The Shepherd of the Sheep/’ “The Good Shepherd,’»!'“The Great Shep herd,” “The Chief Shepherd,” “The Holy One,” “The Just One,” “The Redeemer,” “The Saviour,” “The High Priest,” “The Prophet,” “The King,” “Shiloh,” “The Blessed,” “The Rose of Sharon,” “The Lily of the Val ley,” “The Alpha,” “The Omega,” “The Amen,” . “The Bright and Morning Star.” He is “the faithful witness” ; the first witness,; the last witness; the closing witness of the Word of God; the only reliable, trustworthy, dependable witness, Jesus Christ, “THE FA ITHFUL WITNESS.’’ The witness who never swerved; who never faltered; who never failed; who never compromised; who always was faithful even unto loving us, and washing us from pur sins in His own blood. This witness is more than worthy t<>. be re ceived. His testimony is more than worthy to be trusted. His Gospel of His death and His resurrection can make us more than happy in time, and more than safe in eter nity, if we simply trust it personally. A W itn ess in T h is W orld As a faithful witness He came down into this world and told us of our lost condition as fallen sinners. He faithfully told us of God’s holy, and righteous, and just indignation and wrath and judgment against sin. He faithfully told us.of heaven’s glory-clothed splendor, that awaits every blood-washed sinner; and of hell’s eternal , “What sweeter music can we bring Than a carol for to sing The birth of this pur Heavenly King?” f HRISTMAS comes but once a year” and when The first carol ever heard by mortal ears was that sung by the Heavenly host over the fields of Bethlehem when “shepherds watched their flocks by night” more than nineteen hundred years ago. Out on the quiet air rang this startling message to a needy and sin-weary world: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” This great event was consummated amid rural scenes and the circumstances surrounding it were of a humble nature. - The Son of God, in human flesh, was born in a manger! This simple setting of the Nativity gave it the greater sublimity, and at the same time has thrown around it a romantic atmosphere together with its sacredness. The annual celebration of the birth of Jesus began with the early church. A writer of the first century says, “Brethren, keep diligently Feast days, and truly in the first place the day of Christ’s birth” ; and Telesphorus, who became Bishop of Rome in the year of our Lord 129, decreed “that in the holy night of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour, they do celebrate public church services,
Christmas Carols and Their Use B y P rof . J o h n B issell T rowbridge
it comes it should not only bring “good cheer,” but there should come with it fresh and deepen- * ed realization of- the profound significance of the day. To this end a great body of hymns and carols has grown up around this greatest event of all human history—-our Lord’s first Advent.
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