THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS a palace, or amid the lowing cattle of a Bethlehem stable or the clatter and shavings of the carpenter’s shop. The birth of Christ into a royal family ap peals to the nobility of earth, and the birth of Christ into a carpenter’s family appeals to the millions of earth’s toil ers. This two-fold fact brings Him in to touch with mankind, and would merge all classes into one brotherhood of hope and holiness. In His social standing Christ classes among kings; in His employment He classes among toil ers. In His nature as Son of man He classes with the whole race, without re gard to national or social distinctions. In His love and sympathy He classes with all the sons and daughters of man kind. The birth of Christ has, too, a religi ons setting. The wise men of the Bast came to worship Him. Man has the in stinct of worship. He is a religious animal. He looks up and longs for the Divine. There is a hunger in his soul for God; and this hunger, if not satis fied with the true God, will seek satis faction in the worship of idols. These men from the East were wise enough to leave their homes and go a long jour ney in search of the Christ. It is the part of true wisdom to neglect and for sake everything else till we find Christ. They followed the star till it led them to Jesus. They took sides with the an gel against Herod. They accepted His revelation from heaven. They wor shipped God in the infant Jesus, and opened to Him their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh, expressing their worship in an appropriate posture of body, and in gifts of the best they had. These wise men represent the men of brains and wealth who are led to Christ by direct providential guidance. When they find Him they give themselves and their wealth in joyful worship. The wisest of earth’s statesmen have bowed before Him. The greatest of earth’s
1121
poets have worshipped Him. The brav est soldiers have knelt before Him. The mightiest monarchs have felt honored in kneeling before His throne. “Let every kindred, every tribe On this terrestrial ball To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all.” Shall He who comes unto His own today Find still no welcome—none to bid Him stay? Is there no home prepared for such a : Guest— No place on earth wherein the Christ may rest? Despised—forsaken—must He longer stand Outside the door, with His dear, wounded hand Still knocking? Nay! O Christ, the Crucified, Come, and for ever in our hearts abide. And, for bur Christmas gift, we pray Thee, bring Life’s truest happiness to us, O King!— The love that far exceeds our highest thought— The riches whi 9 h Thy blood for us has bought. —Edith Divall. A DELUDED ROMANIST A Romanist epitaph in Cork contains the following: “Edward Molloy, the friend of humanity, the father of the poor. He employed the wealth of this world only to procure, the riches of the next; and leaving a balance of credit on the .book of life, he made heaven debtor to mercy.” This is a Romanist idea, but according to the Word, poor Edward will miss the riches of the next world since he thought to enter on his own merits. CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS . U e cam e u n to H is own, and H is own re ceived H im not.”
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs