=^T^ lSequ0ati|?5 bg i|tm to tlyp ICtbrary of JPnnrrton Slirnlo^tral S>rmt«ary BX 8066 .K75 C6 1899 v. 3 Kuegele, F. 1846-1916. Country sermons 'wm\ ^fu- :'^J!^^W * Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2009 witii funding from Princeton Tineoiogicai Seminary Library http://www.arcliive.org/details/countrysermons03kueg GOSPELi SEl^]V[0]MS COUNTf^Y SERMONS VOL. III. BY / Author of Book of Devotion, Your Confirmation Vow, Etc. Motto: " I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Chiist ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Rom. 1, 16. AUGUSTA PUBLISHING COMPANY, Entered according to the Act of Congress hi October of the year !899, by F. KUEGELK, in the Office of tlie LH)7-arian of Congress, at Washinjrton City, 1). ('. BALTIMORE: HAUKy Lang. Print. PREFACE. In compliance with the wish of the author of this volume, the under- signed, akhouffh feeling himself utterly unable to do justice to the subject will attempt to make a few introductory remarks, after having read the ad- vance sheets. Here we have some "Gospel Sermons," sermons on those Gospel Lessons selected by the ancient church from the four Gospels as texts to be expounded to the congregation on the respective Sundays and Festivals of the church year. This present volume comprises the first half of these Gospel Lessons, which however, God willing, will soon be followed by the second part. As Lutheran postils in the English language on these texts are very few, the author certainly is entitled to the gratitude of the English speaking Lutherans simply for having published in book form such an excellent guide for young pastors, sermons eminently qualified to be read during public worship to congregations whose pulpits are vacant at the time and a treasure for instruction and edification in the family circle. These sermons were originally not written for print ; they were preached to a beloved and devoted congregation. Already in 1884 and the following years the greater part of them has been published in the " Lutheran Witness," at the urgent request of many brethren by the Rev. Kuegele, who now for twenty and nine years has been employed in that great and glorious work of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the highest office of mortal man on earth ; but one fourth of these present ser- mons never before have appeared in print and the former have been re- vised and enlarged. Some of the sermons which were published in former years were submitted to the judgment of expert English scholars by whom the language was pronounced plain and lucid. Our verjr modest author having at the earnest request of so many brethren, reluctantly consented to this publication of the Gospel sermons, terms them Country Sermons, Vol. III., "because he delivered them," not in an imposing church edifice of a large city, but in a plain church building in the country and because he arranged them for print in that country parsonage of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, where he com- posed that precious booklet " Your Confirmation Vow," that gem " The Book of Devotion," and the two former volumes of sermons on free texts. The writer of these lines however makes bold to say that such sermons, iii. iv. PREFACE. these very sermons, ought to be spread and read throughout the whole <;ountry, farmhouses, villages, towns, large and largest cities included, aye, throughout the world, and not the least by people listening to flourishing rhetorical efforts of renowned D. D.'s in the metropolies ; for they are genuine Lutheran and Scriptural in mould and cast. These sermons of our Country Parson, whose name is not adorned with a glittering D. D. need no praise or recommendation, because they most vigorously recommend themselves to the reader b}' their contents and form. In full keeping with the motto, (Rom. 1, IG : ''lam not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ ; for it is the power of God unto salvation,") from which the author preached his inaugural sermon to his present congregation, the aim and end of these sermons is to bring the hearer and reader unto salvation through the knowledge of Christ Jesus. They bear the stamp of fervent prayer, of careful study and meditation, and of spiritual experience, those signs and marks of a genuine Theologian and Doctor of Divinity They contain notliing but the Word of God, (not human science and wisdom ; for as the world in its wisdom lapsed from the knowledge of God, it is His pleasure through the foolishness of preacliing, to save them that believe,) "saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say," so that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. And they contain this Word in all its purity, for the author in the school of the Holy Spirit has well learned that sublime art " to rightly divide the word of truth" (3 Tim. 2, 15), to preach the law in all its severity and the Gospel in all its sweetness, to terrify the self-righteous and secure, and to com- fort the despairing souls, to bring to the knowledge of sin, and also to faith in Christ Jesus, and to make them rejoice with divine joy and cer- tainty of their eternal salvation. Here we find the proper application of the Word of God for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and for comfort and consolation. For although these sermons are eminently doctrinal in the best sense of the word, setting forth in plain, simple language the correct meaning of the text and the doctrine contained therein, yet they are not lacking in humble but firm reproof of false doctrine, in modest but keen correction, laying bare and condemning sin and unrighteousness in all forms, in heartfelt beseech- ing and exhortation bj^ the mercies of God, to walk in the path of righteous- ness and to do good works, behooving Christians, in sweet cheering com- fort and consolation for those afflicted by earthly tribulations or spiritual temptations. The heart and soul of these sermons is the doctrine of justi- fication, that a poor sinner is justified before God not by works or merits of his own, but by grace alone throueh faith in Jesus Christ the only re- deemer, but nevertheless «?/the counsel of God for the salvation of sinners is declared in them. Loud and clear do they ring out praise to the un- speakable love of God the Father who gave His highest treasure in order PREFACE. V. to save the world, lost in sin, from wrath and. eternal destruction, praise and thanks to the unfathomable mercy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who shed His blood and laid down His life and rose again from the dead to redeem His enemies, thanlis and glory to the Holy Ghost who by the ■Gospel calls, enlightens, sanctifies, keeps in the true faith, forgives sins .and leads unto eternal life. The author not only emphasizes faith as the only way to apprehend Christ's merits, he also clearly shows how this faith is obtained and kept. He constantly points to the means of grace, the Gospel, holy baptism and the Lord's supper as the hands of God which bring and give to us Jesus' merits, faith within the heart, and which are the firm foundation whereupon to build and rest the certainty of our sal- vation. While reading we can not but observe, that these sermons must answer the special wants of the hearers, and the demands of our time. The several doctrines of our holy religion are set forth in not too lengthy sermons, in plain, simple, concise words, in a very clear and logi- cal style, in strict conformity with the Confessions of the Lutheran church, without an unhealthy effort to rouse the feelings and to stir up the emo- tions, but simply to convince and win the heart and soul for the truth, to give them healthy spiritual food and to ground their faith on the immova- ble Rock of salvation. These sermons are truly Lutheran model sermons. Luther says : " Accursed and execrated be all preachers who in the church strive after high and subtile things, and bring them before the people and preach them, thereby seeking their own honor and glory and trying to please some ambitious persons." And in our Confessions (Apology Art deMissa) we read : " Nothing does more to attach the people to the church than good preaching." And again, Ap. Art de Missa) : " Audiences are held by use- ful and clear sermons. And the true adornment of the churches is godly, useful and clear doctrine, the devout use of the sacraments, ardent prayer and the like." May it please God in His goodness, to let this book find its way to many thousand homes, wherever the English tongue is spoken. May He grant grace to abundantly bless the reading of these Gospel Sermons unto the spiritual welfare and the eternal salvation of all that take them into their hands ; and may the good Lord, who enabled the author to preach these sermons " in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" grant, that he may be able to publish the rest of the Gospel Sermons and sermons on •the Epistles in like manner, for His honor and eternal glory. St. Louis, Oct. 22d, 1899. C. L. JANZOW. CONTENTS. PAGE. I. Sunday in Advent. Thy Kins; cometb unt(> thee Matth. ' 21, 1-9. - ' 1 II. Sunday in Advent. The Coming of Christ unto Judgment. Lulie 31, 25-36. 14 III. Sunday in Advent. Christ the promised Messiah. Matth. 11, 2-10. ....... 21 IV. Sunday in Advent. John the Baptist, a faithful Confessor. John 1, 19-28. -....- 30 s. ;^c^2 '^ >.^>^^'r^S^^^^m edicatory. Jhese Sermons are Pedicated to the Coyners Svang. Autheran Congregation, from whose Pulpits they were delii^ered. Dtlay Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd and 3ishop of Jiis flock, bless their frequent Perusal for the Jfnstruction, Comfort and ^, J'trengthening of the J'ouls committed to the jTuthor's Care. |^^^P-t<^>::^<^ ^^^^>pr^- I. SUNDAV IN ADVENT. Tkxt : And when they drew uigli unto Jerusalem, aud were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say. The Lord hath need of them ; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. Aud the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David : Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the highest. Matt. 21, 1-9. Beloved in Christ, the Lord ! We to day begin a new church year. Wisely did the church arrange so, that she begins her year a month before the beginning of the secular year. The noblest and best first, as also the Lord says : " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." That which the church year brings is more pre- cious, than anything which the secular year can bring ; and to make provision for the soul, is more needful, than to make provision for the body. Properly, therefore, does the church begin her year before the beginning of the secular year. And as we begin the churchy ear first, so all the year round that which it brings should be and remain foremost in our hearts and minds. Without the church year the civil year is only vanity; for "what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul"? Will not every one who eagerly employs the civil year to gather earthly treasures and gives no heed to the church year be obliged to confess at the end of his lifetime : I have 2 / Sunday in Advent. lived a lost life. In the church year I did not lay up for myself treasures in heaven, and now I must lose that also Avhich I gained in the worldly year. But the church year with its Sundays and Festivals makes time the portal of a blessed eternity ; for out of the Grospel, the seed which is scattered in the church year, grows forth that golden fruit which abides forever. With a sacred joy we should annually greet the coming of Advent because our time of grace is not yet ended, and we should gird our loins anew to put in the sickle and to reap another harvest for the soul. But when do we seek the kingdom of Clod ? What must we do to obtain His righteousness ? To seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness is the same as to come to Jesus. Come to Jesus I For if you are with Him, you are in the kingdom of God and have the righteousness of God. Come to Jesus, then you l)egin the w^w church year right. vJome to Jesus, is a subject which is much preached on, and preached on in many different ways. Sometimes it is preached on right, but more frequently wrong. It is preached on right, when the hearers are taught, that in them there is no health, no ability, no strength to come to Jesus, but that He alone is all unto them ; for then they are led away from themselves unta Him alone. But this sal)ject : Come to Jesus, is preached on wrong, when it is so- preached as to cause the hearers to think that of themselves they have the ability to come to Jesus ; for then they are not led unto- Him, but are taught to rely upon themselves. Whenever it is preached that Christ is the world's Savior who has prepared salva- tion for all men, but His salvation is, so to say, hedged in, and it remains for man to clear away the hedge, to penetrate through, and to place himself into possession of this salvation, then He is preached wrong; for then He is made a Savior by whom no man on earth could ever be saved, because man, dead in trespasses and sins, can do nothing of himself to come to Jesus. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus (Jhrist has not only earned salvation for us, but has also made provision for imparting His salvation to sinners. Do you ask : If there is no power and ability in me, how shall I come to possess His salvation 't The prophet answers in these short 1. Sunday in Advent. o words: ''Belwld, thy King cometh unto thee.'" Why sbonldst thou stop long to enquire : How shall I come to Him ? Behoi.d, He comes to Thee. • Let nie set forth: I. To whom He comes ; n. In what sentiment He comes ; III. How we should receive Him. I. Our text dt^scribes how the Lord, when coming to Jerusalem to suffer and to die, entered that city as a King in the midst of a multitude The narrative is plain and well known, and I will not tarry long to repeat it. Riding on a despised animal, the mul- titude spreadihg their garments and olive twigs in the way, and the children crying: •' Hosaniui to the Son of David," so the Lord en- tered Jerusalem. Only this once in all His walk upon earth did the Lord assume the role of a king, and the reason why this was done the Evangelist tells plainly when vvriting: '■■ All this irax done, that it might Ije fulfilled which was spohcn hy the prophet, saying^ Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Beliold, thy King rometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." All this w^as done to fulfill these words of the prophet Zechariah. These words, therefore, are the cejitre of the whole text. Hence, with the prophet I cry out unto you : ^'Behold, thy King cometli unto thee." Unto whom does He come 't '• Tell ye the daughter of Sion," says the prophet. He comes to the daughter of Sion. Sion was the mount on which the temple stood, the mount of God, where He had His dwelling place. The daughter of Sion, in the language of the Scripture, were those who worshiped on mount Sion, pre- eminently those who worshiped there in spirit and in truth. The true daughter of Sion were those hungry and thirsty souls who, like Anna the prophetess, were waiting for the salvati'on of Israel to come out of Sion. To these hungry and thirsty souls the Lord came so that they were filled with rejoicing and began to sing : 4 1. Sunday in Advent. ^•HosaniM in the highest.'''' But He came not aloue to those peni- tent souls who were waiting; for His salvation. He came to the whole city; for at His entrance "all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?" He came even unto those traffickers in the temple ; for He overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove venders. He came also unto the chief priests, and scribes ; for when they censured Him for accepting such praises from the children, He justified His action by the Scriptures. These two latter classes of people, as, indeed, the majority of Jerusalem's inhabitants, did not rejoice over His coming, yet He came unto them, and they have now no cloak for their sin. On the day of judgment the sentence will fall heavily upon their heads: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." Then, He came bodily, visibly ; now. He comes spiritually, in- visibly. There, He came to the nation of the Jews, to whom does He now come? He yet comes to the daughter of Siou. In Mount Sion, where the temple once stood, the Lord is now no more wor- shiped. But there is still a daughter of Sion. Who this daughter of Sion is, the Scriptures tell us distinctly. Thus we read in the second chapter of Isaiah: "Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." The daughter of Sion are those amongst all nations who learn the Law which went forth out of Sion, who cling to the Word coming forth from Jerusalem. Again we read in the 50th Psalm : " The Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Sion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined." The meaning is plain, on Sion the light of the world began to shine; that light is even now carried over the earth from the rising to the setting sun, and those are the daughter of Sion who are enlightened by this light. The daughter of Sion is the community of saints, the goodly company of those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus, who cling to Him as the Beloved of their soul and their most pre- cious treasure. To these He comes, as He promised, saying : " If a /, Sunday in Advent. 5 man love me, he will keep my Avords : and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make onr abode with him." The hearts of those that believe in Him, and therefore, love Him, are His dwelling place to which ?Ie comes ever anew. His habitation, which He adorns with all the everlasting treasures won by His: obedience unto the death of the cross. Indeed, the heart of a believer is His favorite dwelling place, dearer to Him, as it were, than the seat of glory at His Father's right hand; for He departed from that seat of glory in order to gain the heart of man for a dwelling- fJe can not stay away from a believing heart. Behold, ye lovers of the Lord, your' King comes unto your hearts. But does He not come to any others ? As He came to Jerusa- lem, came to many who received Him not, so He yet comes to many who refuse to receive Him. Unto Jerusalem, He came riding on a beast despised by men ; so He yet comes riding on a chariot which is oifensive to men, even the Word of the cross. Coming through His Word, He comes to all those to whom His Word is proclaimed. Among these, however, ithere are many like unto those money- changers and dove-venders in the temple who mind only the things belonging to this life ; many like unto the chief priests ',ra^\ scribes who trust in themselves that they are pious. Yet He comes to them seeking entrance into their hearts, desirous to make His abode with them. Because He comes through His Word I can cheerfully pro- claim to you: Behold your King comes unto you ; if you love His Word He comes to your hearts as His cherished dwelling place ^ if you thus far have despised His Word, He comes to you to con- quer }0ur wayward heart and to prepare it for Himself for an habitation. Behold a Stranger at thj- door ! He gently knocks, has knocked before. Has waited long, is waiting still; Why do you treat a friend so ill ? II. But how does He come ? Does He come so that we may welcome Him with gladness? Or does He come so that we must be terrified at His coming? That He comes through His Word, we have 6 /. Snndai/ in Advent. alre-idy heard, but in what mood does He come i" What does He seek ? What does He bring ? Why does He come at all ? All this the words of the prophet tell lus : " 7'hi/ King cometh, unto thee, meek." The prophet says : He comes. He is not brought, but He comes. He is not led to you bound hand and foot so that perforce He must come, although He would not. He comes to you of His own free will and choice. There is no power in heaven or on earth that could force Hini to come to you, if it were not His own will. Neither does He come, because you argued with Him, urged Him, and per- suaded Him. He is not a hard man with whom it takes mnch pleading to persuade Him. He comes urged, persuaded, hastened on by His own compassion, love, grace and mercy. 80 St. Paul writes to Titus : " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration." And He Himself said : " And other sheep 1 have, which are not of this fold : them also 1 must bring." Before you asked Him, yea, when your tongue could not yet utter a word, He came to you in the washing of regeueratioif. Not because He stood in need of yon, or because you urged Him, but what constrains Him to come to you. He declares in the 43rd chapter of Isaiah saying: " Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, Jieither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices : but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniqui- ties. I, even 1, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." For His own sake He comes to you. His own desire to dwell in you is so strong that thereby He is obliged and compelled to come to you. Here you have the answer to the question : how shall I come to Jesus. He comes to you. You can not come to Him, but He comes to you. Without Him you can do nothing, and begin nothing, and what you begin without Him is all sin. He must first come to you; He must lay the first stone in you. Of yourself you can not even with sinceie longing desire Him to come to you ; for if you desire Him He has already come to you and has created that desire in you, as David says in the 5i 1st Psalm: "Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness." Therefore Taither truly says in a sermon /. Sunday in Advent. 7 on this text : " Learn from this Gospel, how it comes to pass when God begins to make us pious, and what is the beginning to become pjous. There is no other beginning, than that thy King come unto thee and begin in thee.'* So Luther, and what he says here is most assuredly true. There is no other beginning to become pious, than when this King comes to us and begins in us. We do not make the beginning by cutting away the brush and clearing the way for Him, or by casting out the enmity against God, by putting away the heart of stone and overcoming malicious resistence. If we could thus commence conversion, why should we not also con- tinue it? But "it is God," says St. Paul, "which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." And what is His good pleasure? To come to us, to clear the way, to break the will of the devil, the world and the flesh in us, to take away the heart of stone and thus to prepare in us an habitation unto Himself. a glorious truth ! We must not come to Him, He comes to us. Sup- pose it were the contrary; suppose He would not come to you, but you must come to Him, what then ^ Why, all your lifetime you would be obliged to inquire anxiously : AVhat shall I do to come to Jesus, only to find that you can do nothing. But blessed thou; for ^'heJiold. thy King cometh unto thee." Do you ask : What then am I to make of all those Scripture passages which command me to come to Jesus ? Does not He Himself say : " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden?" So He does say, and glorious words they are. But you must not overlook two facts : In the first place. He does not say : you can come, He only says : " Come unto me." The command to do a thing does not necessarily include that we are able to do it. In the second place, you should remember, when He calls, then men come, yet not because they are able to, but because He calls them. He is the almighty God who does impossible things. He called when there was nothing, — and heaven and earth sprang into exist- ence. T'o our understanding an impossible thing. He called the light and it shone forth out of darkness. He calls the dead and they come. He called Lazarus and Ue came out of the sepulchre, not because he was able to, but because the Lord called him. He 8 /. Sunday in Advent. comecvand calls men through His Word and they that sleep awake, rise up, and come to Him. It is all of Him ; the AVord is of Him, the calling of Him, the awakening, the rising, the coming, all of Him. thou, my fellow Christian, who desirest Him needest not harass thy soul how tc' come to Him. " Behold, fliy King cometh unto thee."' And you that have Him not with you, you money-changers who love only the things of this Avorld, j'ou self-righteous who think yourselves good enough without Him, you have no excuse; for He surely comes to you to make His abode with you, hut you bid Him go hence. Surely, you will be left desolate. "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee."" He comes as a King. What kind of a King is He? Pic is King of the universe, but as such he is not spoken of here. He is the King of Sion and as such He comes unto thee, " meeh,'" kind, good. He does not come as a king of wrath and vengeance, He comes as the King of mercy. "God sent i^ot his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through hirn might be saved." Neither does He come like other kings who come to their subjects to exact and to take from them, this King comes to bring and to give. What has He to give? Is He a rich King? Yea, He is rich. He has grace, He has righteousness,. He has the Holy Ghost, He has peace with God, He has light. He has life. He has salyation. He is a rich King. He labored hard. He sweated blood to win treasures and He won great riches. And His delight is not in possessing, but in giving away His riches, and therefore He comes unto you to bring you all these things. I have said that He does not come to you because He is in need of you, and that is true ; for He is rich and stands in need of nothing, I hope you will not regard it a contradiction when I now say. He comes to you because He needs you. Why does He need you ? He needs sinners to make them righteous. He needs the dead to make them alive, He needs the blind to make them seeing. He needs the sick to make them whole. He needs the sad to make them glad, He needs the condemned to save them. Because He de- lights in bestowing His riches on others, therefore He needs you and comes to you to adorn you with His treasures. And with /. Sunday in Advent. 9 what rejoicing does He fill the empty soul with His riches ! He is like unto that father receiving his lost son : shoes must cover the feet, a ring must adorn the hand, a chain must encircle the neck, a fatted calf mnst be brought to the table. If there is rejoicing before the angels of heaven when a sinner repents, much more does this King rejoice in making the poor rich. '^BeJiold, thy King cometh unto thee"; receive thou Him and sing : Welcome, King of glory, now ! Hail ! my Savior, Lord art Thou. Here too, in my lieart I pray, O prepare Thyself a Avay. HI. Plow should we receive Him? Do you say: How shall I worthily prepare the house for the King of Sion ? Are you afraid that He will not find things with you as they ought to be? Did I not tell you a moment ago, that He comes to prepare for Himself a dwelling in you ? Of course 'fe will not find things with you as they ought to be, otherwise you would not need Him at all. Be- cause you are soiled and ragged, He comes to you to cleanse and to clothe you. Do but pronounce Him welcome, then all is Avell. Or if you are still anxious to know how to receive Him, let me tell you. When the prophet here says : "Thy King cometh unto thee," make out of the '"thy"' a "my" and out of the "thee" a "me" and say : "My King cometh unto me." Does it startle you that you should be so bold ? Here you are to be bold. Paul was a great sinner, yet of this King he boldly said : " Who loved me and gave himself for me." He is thy King Avho bought thee and comes to thee in the Gospel : hold thou Him. Do like Jacob did on the banks of Jordan when wrestling with this King ; for when the King said : " Let me go," Jacob answered : " I will not let theg go, except thou bless me." That is the right kind of reception ; grasp Him saying : Here Thou art and here Thou shalt abide ; for Thou art my King and I will not let Thee go, mine Thou shalt remain. If you thus receive Him as your King then you will also be ready to do as the multitude in our text did. You will be ready to take your garments, that is, whatever you possess in this world. 10 T. Sunday in Advent. and laying them under the feet of Jesus you will say : These things I possess as though I possessed them not, but Je&us is mine, mine forever ; He is my wisdom. He is my righteousness, He my salva- tion. And if He is thus become your one and all, your heart will join in with the multitude entering Jerusalem and will sing : '^Hosanna to the son of David : Blessed is he that cometli in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the highest.'' Amen. II. SIJNDAV IN AL.Vl£N'r Text: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea iind the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking jifter those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with jiowerand great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draw- eth nigh. And he spake to them a parable ; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; wlien they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily 1 say unto you. This generation shall not pass away, till all be fultilled. Heaven and eartli shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves lest, at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesSj and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21, 25-30. The advent, or the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the world, is threefold. His first advent was His incar- nation, when He came into the tlesh to redeem the Avorld with suffering and death. In this manner He will come no more, ^fter He was once offered on the cross He will not be sacrificed again, be- cause entering in once into the holy place by His own blood He ob- tained.eternal redemption for us. His second coming is His spiritual coming to the hearts of men through His Word and the holy sacra- ments. Through the Word of the Gospel and the holy sacraments He comes to us knocking at the door of our hearts and offering us grace, pardon, righteousness and eternal life in His blood shed for the remission of sin, as He commanded John to write to the church of the Laodiceans : '' Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any . (11) 12! //. Sundmj in Advent. man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me." His third advent is yet fu- ture; it will take place when He comes to Judge the quick and the dead, and to consummate all things. His first coming was done in poverty and great lowliness; for He was born in a stable and was laid in a manger. His last coming will be done in majesty and great glory. The snows of the north and the burning sands of the south will yield up their dead, and all nations will be gathered before Him. On that day all things will be made right. They that loved and honored Him will receive the kingdom, and the despisers will be banished from' His countenance forever ; for He is just and will judge righteously. When is He coming ? On what day and date will resound the trump that wakes the dead? Time and again presumptuous men have fixed the day and the date of the Lord's coming only to find themselves deluded. It is a vain and idle, yea, even a presumptu- ous and a blasphemous undertaking for men to name the day and the date of the judgment; for what God has kept hidden no man can search out. Of the day appointed for the judgment the Lord said : " Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.'* What the angels of heaven cannot cipher out, what Jesus Christ Himself in the days of His flesh and in the state of His humiliation did not know, no man should attempt to unravel. Christ tells us the object of God in hiaing the date of the judgment when adding to the words already quoted : "Take ye l^eed,. watch and pray : for ye know not when the time is." To inspirit our hearts unto watchfulness and prayer let me speak to you : On the Coming of Christ unto Judgment. 1. He comes without delay surely; IL He comes to the unbelieving terribly ; III. He comes to the believers comfortingly. I. We live in those times of which the apostle Peter prophesied when writing : '' There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking //. Sunday in Advent. 13 after their own lusts, aud saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." These scoffers have now come in multitudes, ridiculing the prophecy of a judg- ment day, and denying the very existence of God. But they are "willingly ignorant,'' as Peter says: for there is a voice in the bosom of man, which convinces him that there is a day coming in the which he will be made responsible for the deeds done in his body, a day when every one shall reap what he has sown. Peter there- fore gives this answer to the mockings of these scoffers : " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slack- ness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not- willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." The fact that the Lord has not yet come to judgment is not a proof that He will not come, but a proof that He is a gracious Lord granting men time for repentance. The certainty of the Lord's coming to judgment is attested by the Scriptures in manifold ways. Plere the Lord mentions a num- ber of signs Avhich precede and presage His coming: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upo7i the earth distress of nations, luith inrplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for loohing after those things which are coming on the earth : for the poioers of heaven shall be slialcen." Aud after mentioning these signs He dis- tinctly says : "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud tvith poiver and great glory J' What the signs in sun, moon and stars are the Lord tells us in Matthew 24, saying : " The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Have these signs been fulfilled already, or is their fulfillment yet to come? This question is of paramount importance, because these things must precede the judgment aud if they have not yet come to pass we can not yet expect the Lord's coming. There are two things which we should here bear in mind. In the first place the Scriptures exhort us in many passages to hold ourselves in 14 //. iSu)ida>/ in Adveni. readiness alway to appear before the Son of man, even as the Lord says at the end of this Gospel : " Watch jie tlicrefore, and 'pray always.'' If we are to be ready eoery day to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we may be called on to do so any day. In the second place we must bear in mind that the Lord is here sj^eak- ing of signs which were to come to pass before the last day, certi- fying that the end of the world and the day of judgment will once come, and these signs must be of such a nature that the great mass of mankind does not regard them signs, neither believes it that they foreshadow the judgment; for, according to the Scriptures, men will live securely as they did in the days of Noah when the Son of man will come. Whilst men are iCofVing the prophecy and disregarding the signs, that day is to come upon them "r^v a -snare." Such things which men do not count signs of the Lord's coming- are eclipses of the sun and moon, the disappearance of stars from the firmament, great storms, earthquakes and the like. Many smile scornfully when these things are pronounced signs of the coming judgment. 'I^hey say, hov,- can a thing which is brought about in a natural way and by natural causes be a sign that the Lord will come to judgment? But why should it not? The rainbow is also produced by natural causes, yet God appointed it a sign that the earth should no more lie destroyed by a deluge, and this sign has proved true unto the present day. So Christ has ap- pointed these natural things for signs of His coming. Certainly, if the darkening of the sun is to be a sign, it must be a temporary darkening which lasts for a short time only ; if the falling of the stars is to be a sign, it is evident that the falling of a few stars only is meant; for when the sun is extinguished to shine no more, when all the stars fall from the heavens, then the last day is come and there will be no more room for signs presaging it. Other j^assages of the Scriptures compared, it becomes very evident that the Lord is here not speaking of miracles, but of things which can be ex- plained in a natural way and which men generally do not accept for signs, otherwise, the day of the Lord could not come upon them " as a snare,'' Let the scoffers scoff. Often must they themselves bear witness that these very things are really signs of the coming end; //. Suiidaji in Advent. 15 for when these things do come to pass, when the storm- winds unfold their strength, or the solid ground begins to quake under their feet, then are those same scolders filled with terror, lest the day of judg- *ment have come. A\\ these signs have been fulfilled time and again, and their manifold repetition assures us that the coming of the Lord is nigh at hand. Few, indeed, regard these signs and these few are derided by the world as superstitious people, but the last of all signs will be the sign of the Son of man. There in the clouds it v»^ill appear and that sign no one shall ridicule ; for all shall see it and every one shall know what it means. That the signs shall not fail, but that the coming of the Lord will surely follow them, the Lord here illustrates by a comparison : ''Behold the fig tree, and (dl the trees : irtie/i the// nair shoot forth, ye see and know of //our own selves that summer is now n.i//h at hand. So likeioise //e, lohen ye see these things come to pans, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.'' Infallibly as summer follows after the budding of the trees, so infallibly will the Lord's coming follow after the preceding signs. The Lord confirms it with a sol- emn assertion saying: " Verily f say nntoyou, lids generation shall not 2}Ciss away, till all he fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass awUy : but my words shall not pass away.'" The .lews have been scattered among the nations of the earth since 1800 years, yet they have pre- served their characteristics as a people. They are to-day the same stiff-necked generation as in the days of Christ, and every Jew we meet at this late day and in this far western land is a living testi- mony of the truth of the Lord's Word and the certainty of His coming to judgment. The signs are fulfilled, the Lord has promised it and His Word will not pass away. He will come. The day is appointed in the council of God and, whether it be to-morrow, or centuries hence, come He will, and He will come to the unbelieving terribly. 11. Of that day the Lord says : " And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken- 16 II. Sundaii in Advent. ness, and, cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unaivares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that divell on the face of the whole earth.'^ As a bird when suspecting no danger is suddenly caught in a snare, so will the inhabitants of the earth be surprised sud- denly by the coming of the Son of man. "'As in the days that were before the flood," says the Lord, "they were eating and drinking, mar- rying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away : so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.'' This then is the reason why the day of judgment will come upon the inhabitants of the earth as a snare, because they are not expecting it, but live se- curely saying like that evil servant: " My Lord delayeth his coming." Following their usual pursuits and apprehending no danger, yea rather saying, there were no last day, or it would not come in a thousand years, the nations will suddenly behold the sign of the Son of Man. Especially three vices does the Lord mention in our text as prevalent at His coming : " Surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life." The Lord describes the generation of the last days as delighting in eating and drinking, as having their whole hearts in the cares, pleasures and treasures of. this world, as did' the Sodomites even in the morning of the selfsame day in which their city was destroyed. Plainly a description of the world even as it now is. Our age is marked by material progress and pros- perity as none other in the world's history. This is right and good in itself, but because man is by nature inclined to be earthly mind- ed, material progress and prosperity have the tendency to draw the heart and mind more to the earth and earthly things. What does the world now want? It wants peace, ease, new conveniences and new enjoyments and many unblushingly say, men had been hoaxed long enough with the hope of a heaven in the hereafter, they wanted their heaven on this earth. And where are those Avho are waiting and watching for the Lord's coming ? Are they not a paltry few as compared with the host of the earthly minded? But the greater the imaginary security the more dreadful the waking. What consternation will seize upon the wicked when the flames of the bui'ning elements will suddenly envelop them, as the //. Sunday in Advent. 17 waters of the flood came upon the inhabitants of the first world. Must they not be filled with terror like a bird finding itself caught in the meshes of a net? AVhen God spake tlie ten words from the top of mount Sinai, the children of Israel could not bear it. They fled thinking that they must die. How much more will the unbeliev- ing be terrified at the sound of the trump of God summoning them t3 the judgment! Wheii the Lamb opened the sixth sea', John saw ill a vision that " the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him thai sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand ? " Why will the unbelieving strive to flee from that day of wrath like a bird struggles to free itself from a snare? Because their own conscience pronounces their sentence beforehand. Here on earth a criminal may hope to escape by denial, or bribery, or flight, but in that judgment none will escape. That Judge will not be deceived ; for His eyes penetrate the very bowels of the earth seeing what is done in secret. He will not be bribed; for He is just and will render unto every man according to his works. He will not be resisted; for He is almighty and has power to destroy both body and soul in hell. How will the fornicator be overwhelmed with shame when his deeds done under cover of darkness will be brought to light ! How will the miser tremble when he is judged as an idolater! How will the spiteful quake when they are pronounced murderers! Then will the scoffer cease scoffing, Avhen he will see the Same whom he denied ^^ coming in a cloud with j^otver and great glory." AVhen once the apostle Paul before Felix, the governor, "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come," Felix began to tremble. How shall the ungodly tremble when the Judge will descend and in thunder-tones will speak to their con- science : I am Jesus who once came to purchase yon with my own blood, but whose love ye despised and whose Word ye rejected, and 18 II. Sunday in Advent. now I am come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel. Woe, woe will be unto them that will not be found worthy to stand before the Son of man. Their sighs are unavailing, The day of grace is past and gone, They trembling stand before His throuer All unprepared to meet Him. Jesns Christ, the ordained Judge of the world, will come with- out delay surely ; He will come to the unbelieving terribly, but He ■will come to the believers comfortingly. III. Whilst consternation and. despair will till the hearts of the un- believing at the Lord's coming, rejoicing and gladness will be with the believers. "And when these things begin to come to jmss, then looh up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draiveth nighJ^ Who can "look up and lift up his head," who can be bold and re- joice greatly, when all the world must despair, when the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll and the elements will melt for fervent heat ? These words the Lord addresses to those who believe in Him, who love Him, and who long to be Avith Him. Whosoever loves the world, or any thing in the world more than Jesus, can not re- joice, he must sorrow at the loss of his heart's treasure ; but those who love the Lord more than aught else, whose dearest treasure Jesus is, will rejoice with exceeding great joy, when they will see Him coming who is the joy of their hearts and the desire of their souls. Quick as thought will the believers be tran?formed and the sleeping saints will start forth out of their graves their bodies glorified and together, a glorious, shining throng, they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. That will be the day of the church's triumph, when the children of God, separated from the wicked and hypocrites will rise upward with a shout saying : Come is the day of our redemption, that glorious day which we loved, unto which we hasted, and for which we longed. 11. Sunday in Advent. 19 To rejoice over His coming we must have faith and trust in Him. Therefore we should daily inquire of ourselves: Heart, where is thy love ? is it in the world, or is it with the Lord? Where is thy treasure? is it on earth beneath, or in heave not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet f I'hey clearly meant to say : If thou art neither Christ nor a prophet thou oughtest to know that thou owest subjection and an account of thy doings to the priests at Jerusalem, thy spiritual su- periors, and how canst thou without their permission or sanction introduce this new thing of baptizing with water for the remission of sins? They accuse him of transgressing God's order and of bringing up a new and heretical thing. This wns a grave accusa- tion ; for it is not allowable that a single man should undertake ar- bitrarily to change a single ceremony in the church, much less to introduce a new sacrament. But John knew of whom he was called and he had a ready an- swer. "/ haytize irith loater : hut there standeth one among you, whom i/e know not : tie it is, who coming after me is preferred hefore me, whose shoe's latrhet I am not worthy to unloose.'' He said: I need not to be authorized by the high council at Jerusalem. I have my authority from Him, who is coming after me and wlio was 'before me. I am the servant. He is the Lord ; I apply the water, He works the forgiveness of sin. John had the authority of the God-man ; for Jesus Christ was liorn after John and yet He was before John, and God Himself bare witness to the truth of John's testimony, when at the baptism of Jesas the heavens were opened, the Spirit descended and abode on Him and the Father said : " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Well might John baptize for the remission of sins, because he did it by the command of Him who vvas come to earn forgiveness for sinners and who had the authority to institute new means through which to impart Hi^ forgiveness unto men. After this One those priests and Levites ought to have inquired that they might have learned to know Him, but they did not. John's preaching, was not pleasing to them and they had no inclination to inquire after Him by whom John was sent. Art thou like unto them ? Dost thou know Jesus Christ, or is He yet a stranger unto thee ? He is thy brother, partaker of thy flesh and bone, and dost thou not know Him ? He laid down His IV. Sunday in Advent. 39 life for thee, becoming obedient unto the shameful death of the cross, and thou knowest Him not ? He has earned for thy soul the cleansing from sin by His blood, and thou knowest Him not ? He came to thee in holy baptism to establish a covenant of grace with thee, and dost thou not know Him ? haste, and employ all means to learn to know Him, Hear His AVord, search the Scriptures, call on His name for the light of His Spirit, and thou shalt experience the blessedness, whereof He speaks in His prayer : " This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesns Christ, whom thou hast sent." And if thou knowest Him then con- fess Him before men, and strive to become ever more familiar with Him, and He will know thee and will own thee and will do for thee what .He promised to His own saying: "And 1 give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of niv hand." Amen. CHRISTMAS. FiKST Sekmon. Text : And it came to pass in those days, tbat there Avent out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the -world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Oyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee,, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem ; (because he was of tlie house and lineage of David) ■• to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger ; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping Avatch over their flock by night.. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them : and they Avere sore afraid. And the angel said- unto them. Fear not : for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great j oy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David a Savior, Avhich is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto- you; Ye shall find the babe Avrappcd in SAvaddling clothes, lying in a man- ger. And suddenly there Avas Avith the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good Avill toward men. Liike 2, 1-14. The birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by the Virgin Mary- is the most important event which ever transpired since the "w^orld began, neither Avill it find its equal until time shall end. The night in which the Sun of righteousness arose in Bethlehem is blessed above all nights : blessed in the heavens above, blessed on the earth beneath, blessed in time, blessed in eternity. In that night shone forth the good Avill of the Father, the love of the Son, the benignity of the Holy Ghost. The deed which God did in that night is the astonishment of the angels, the terror of the devils, the salvation of men. In that night was brought in the First-begotten into the (40) Christmas. 41 world, of whom it was said : " And let all the angels of God wor- ship him." In that night the wonder of wonders transpired : God Himself is become man. In that night a child was born in whose tiny body dwelt "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." The Almighty and Infinite is become an infant. The Eternal One, who alone inscribes the names of them that shall be into the book of the living and when the hour-glass of their time has run down blots them out again, did in that night insert His own name into the roll of mortals. In that night the Immaculate, before whom the heavens are not clean, took upon Himself the form of sinful flesh, and now we sinful mortals are called His brothers and sisters. In that night He was born who took uj^on His shoulders all the sins of all men and found a fount of righteousness copious enough to justify the world before (xod and the Father. an important night! a blessed night I a holy night! a night without an equal ! The company of the elect together with all the hosts of the heavens, the cherubim and seraphim, the thrones and dominions, the principalities and powers from eternity to eternity shall sing of the deed done in that night and shall not sufficiently praise it. We, too, stammer infantile thanks unto Him for this amazing deed, and, though our highest praises are inadequate, yet we know that they are pleasing unto Him; for He has come to be our Savior. This is what I would to-day awaken in your hearts : faith, trust, and confidence in Him as your Savior. But not only the great mysteries of His incarnation are qualified to enkindle our faith, specially attractive and edifying are also the smaller circum- stances of His birth. Permit me, therefore, to-day to picture to you : The Kindness and Love of Jesus Christ Shining Forth FROM the Smaller Circumstances of His Bikth. The life of our Lord Jesus Christ upon earth is very distinct from that of all other men. He alone could say : "Which of you convinceth me of sin ? " In the world's history many great ones of the earth are, indeed, represented as men of sterling character and great deeds, but if we examine the various circumstances of their life, small events, and particularly their conduct in private life, we soon find that those great men, famed for virtues, were by no means 42 Christmas. without faults, yea, perhaps were addicted to degrading vices. Not so with our Lord Jesus Christ. He came into the world to be the Savior of sinners, and not only the great and important events of His life demonstrate this, also small circumstances, occurrences ap- parently insignificant, they all correspond with His office and con- tain sweet consolation for the sorrowing hearts of penitent sinners. He did not make a step, He did not speak a word, He did not do an act which does not tell us that He is the Friend and Savior of sin- ners. Indeed, if we examine the small occurences of His life we are greatly strengthened in our faith a"ud our hearts are made warm in love toward Him. Permit me to prove this from the history of His birth. The journey of His parents from Nazareth to Bethlehem already contains a very comforting circumstance. According to the coun- sel of God this journey had to be performed, in order that the prophecy, Jesus should be born in Bethlehem, might be fulfilled ; but whilst on other occasions God repeatedly sent command to Joseph by an angel it is remarkable that this journey was brought about by a decree of Cesar Augustus. Yet unborn Jesus subjected Himself to the command of the emperor, and thus indicated that He would be under the law. God could very easily have brought Mary to Bethlehem without its being done in obedience to the law, but it was to be in obedience to the law that even from this small •circumstance we might learn, this child was to be under the law to redeem us from the curse of the law, " that we might receive the adoption of sons.'" He became a servant on earth, subject even to human authority, that we might be made sovereign lords in the kingdom of heaven. The infant in the stable was a prince by birth. His mother Mary, as well as His foster-father Joseph, were of the royal lineage of David. This is a proof that He is the One who had been prom- ised ; for unto David God had said : " I will set up thy seed after thee, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." This promised eternal king is Christ ; for He sits on the throne of David abiding King forever. But He was a prince without any civil right Christmas. 43 to the inheritance of a kingdom and without the least prospects of ever obtaining scepter and crown ; for his foster-father Joseph was a. carpenter and not a king. He was not to be a worldly king, and never came to be one. But why was He a prince without a lawful claim to the inheritance of a throne ? Surely, any one who is to be a king and does not inherit a kingdom must conquer one. Christ was a prince by lineage, but without a civil right of succeeding to a throne betokening thereby that He came to establish a kingdom by conquest. And He did conquer a kingdom. He invaded Satan's kingdom and took from him his Sjwil, and now He rules as the King of grace with the scepter of grace over all thof^e souls which hunger and thirst after the grace of God. In civil right He had no more any claim to the throne of His father Solomon, but He con- quered a kingdom, and if He was strong enough to deliver our souls which Satan had bound with such strong fetters. He is also able to preserve them unto life everlasting. The child Jesus was a prince by birth, but a very poor prince indeed. Of the riches of Solomon nothing descended to Him. He was born as lowly as ever u beggar's child can be born. What His poverty signifies, Paul declares when writing to the Corinthians : " Ye know the grace of our Tjord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his pover- ty might be rich." We were poor, poor in our souls, poor in God, poor in heaven, and He became poor on earth, poor in money, poor in friends, poor in joy, to earn for us the fatness of His house, the friendship of the angels, the pleasures of the new Jerusalem. Through His temporal poverty eternal riches are ours. He brings us not gold, not silver, but He brings us the white linen of right- eousness before God. Jesus was born in a village. At present the place numbers about 2,000 inhabitants and in all likelihood it was not very much larger at that time ; for the prophet Micah says : " But thou, Beth- lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel." Why did He prefer to be born in a village rather than in a splendid city ? In a village He was more easily found 44 Ohridnms. than in a city. To find a stranger in a large city is often not easy and who could find an infant, as yet without a name, in a city like Richmond ? Christ was born in a village where He was easily found, because He desires to be found by every one. The shepherds did not need to wander about long to find Him ; for the town was not large. Thou, too, needest not wander about far, if thou wouldst find Him, for He is the King of glory who cometh unto thee, the good Shepherd who seeks thee. Seeking some one in a large city you are in anxiety about finding him. Seeking Jesus you need be in no such anxiety. He comes to you even at this Christmas-day.. See, that you receive Him kindly. He is worthy of a kind recep- tion ; for He brings you the bread of life, even as the name of His birthplace indicates. Bethlehem is the name of Christ's birthplace wliich means : Bread-house, or House of Bread. Around Bethlehem much grain was raised, whence its name. It is significant that Christ was born in a village with this name. All works of God agree in harmonious symmetry. Fitly is He born in Breadhonse who is the Bread of life. He says: " I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger." As natural bread is the nourishment: of the body, so Christ is the nourishment of the soul. The soul in which Christ dwells is satiated, its desires are stilled. Natural bread satiates the body for a time, Christ satiates the soul forever. He that partakes of natural bread will hunger again, but the soul that partakes of this Bread of life will hunger no more, even as the Lord said to the Jews : "T am the living bread which came down from heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever :. and the bread that I will give is my fiesh which I will give for the life of the world." Jesus is so precious a food for the soul as both to satiate it and to give it strength and vitality to live forever. The soul which partakes of this food cannot die, because its food is a living food. At Christmas you give sweetmeats to your children and friends ; do not let your own souls starve, but feed them with the bread which came down from heaven that they may be filled with life and light and joy. Behold, the love of the Father in sending tliis living bread down from heaven. Do not, do not des- Christnias. 45 pise His love, but take aud eat. Why I the whole earth is llo^Y be- come a Bethlehem, a Breadhouse. The bread of life is scattered among all nations, and would you let your souls starve in such great affluence ? Because He came to be the food of our souls this Child was not only born in Bethlehem, the Breadhouse, He was also laid in a manger. That which is put in a manger is not put there for safe keeping, but to serve as food. let Him not complain : I am the bread of life, but no man desires me. Rather say unto Him : Lord, I am an hungered, feed me. And let no one be bashful in stretching forth his hand for this bread; for in order that no hungry soul might be abashed by the sense of its un worthiness He was born not in a palace, but in a stable. Jesus Av*g born in a stable. We are not to pity Him on account of this. We should rather rejoice over it ; for it, too, affords sweet consolation. If a common man is to enter a kingly palace his heart palpitates and his feet are loth to ascend the marble steps, particu- larly if his dress is torn and soiled, but who is afraid to enter a stable ? Some are ; the proud are ; they fear to soil their finery. So the selfrighteous will have nothing of Christ's righteousness, be- cause they think themselves clean, or clean enough without being washed by Him, but unto us who know our uncleanness before God that stable is a welcome shelter. If He had been born in a stately palace we might think. He had come only for noble and well dressed people, to such whose consciences are not soiled with flagrant sin, but being born in a stable, an unclean place, surely represents Him as coming to the unclean. He was born in an unclean place, be- cause He came to take upon Himself our uncleanness. Soiled and ragged clothes are not a hindrance in entering a stable. If your soul is soiled by Avickedness and your heart rent by remorse, do not dread to go to Jesus and to cast down your sins at His feet ; for He is come to bear our iniquity. Or do you perhaps say, your con- science is too badly scarred, your soul too much soiled ? Surely, the deeper the sense of your abjectuess, the more should it drive you to the stable. Does your conscience say that you are an out- cast ? Aye, but where do the outcasts find refuge ? Do not those who must shun the eves of men find shelter in stables!" Jesus is 46 Christmaf:. born in a stable. He is come to save sinners. From his holy sanctuary on high He came to the unclean place of this earth to cleanse the unclean. Does sin appear before your view Of scarlet, or of crimson hue ? If black as hell, why should you doubt ; He will in no vvise cast you out. Does He save sinners ? Will He not cast out ? O let me seek Him! But where is He found? That stable is decayed long- since. Shall I climb to mountain lops? Shall I sail to the utter- most parts of the sea ? My friend, you will find Him in His swaddling clothes. He was not wrapped in costly silks, an article which only the Avealthy can have, He was wrapped in linen cloth as new born babes in warm countries generally are. A very com- mon article Avhich every one can obtain. Even so now He is wrapped in an article common and cheap : the Word and the sac- raments. Bibles are cheap, the church-doors are open for every one, the sacraments cost no money : " whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Behold, hoAv excellen.t His love I Hold His wrappings and you have Him. Hear His Word, use the sacraments, grasp His promises and you shall not fail to find Him, and, having Him, you have the light of life. Therefore was He born in the night, because He is come to be the light of the world. Fitly in the night ; for night it was in the hearts of men. All nations were Avalking in idolatry and blind- ness, in vice and hopelessness. Night it remains in the heart until Jesus comes and kindles in it the light of faith and hope. Like a wanderer in a dark night, becoming aware that he is in the wrong way, but not being able to see and not knowing in which direction to turn, becomes more and more bewildered and cannot help him- self, so is man without Jesus. Without Him man must walk in uncertainty. His conscience does, indeed, tell him that he is not in the right way to communion with God, but knowing nothing of a safe and sure Avay, he can not but walk in uncertain, evil and pernicious ways. Therefore the heathen sought help from their Christmas. 47 idols and inquired for light from sorcerers and divicers on]}' to sink into deeper darkness. But in Bethlehem has arisen the " true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Seek ye light ? Seek it not in yourselves. Reason is a light for the life that now is, but of the world to come it knows nothing cer- tain. Seek ye light ? Seek it in Him who says : " I am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall not Avalk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Keceive the light Avliich shone forth in Bethlehem, and it will be a light unto you even in the valley of the sliadow of deatli. This Light sent His messengers that very night to turn the darkness into light. This heavenly light of the angels bright did not shine in a temple or a walled city, it appeared to the shepherds in the open field, in token that this child is He of whom the Lord said by the prophet : ''' I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." There is no place unto which the rays of this light had never pene- trated. Brightly does it shine over us in this far western land. Be glad and rejoice in this light, all ye, that love the light more than darkness. I have endeavored to set forth that even the smallest circum- stance of Christ's birth pictures Him as our Savior. It is but an attempt ; for in Him the smallest is too deep for human under- standing and too high for human speech. Remember the little that has been said, and rejoice that we have a Savior whose every act is full of comfort and consolation for the soul. Amen. CHRISXIVIAS. Second Sermon. Text : Luke 2, 1-14. When Moses reviewed the great deeds which the Lord had done for the people of Israel, he was filled with the admiration of Grod's mercy and goodness and he exclaimed : " Yea, he loved the people." When we consider the deed of God which this day commemorates we cannot otherwise than be filled Avith the admiration of God's condescending love, and we are constrained to open our lips and to say : Yea, He loved the world, loved it with a divine and everlast- ing love. Since the Word was made flesh, since God is born man we can no more doubt the love of God toward us. God created man in His image and placed him into Eden to enjoy immortal happiness, but man lent his ear to the voice of the Old Serpent and of his own free choice he deserted to the camp of God's enemy. Now God is born man to re-unite man unto Him- self, to restore in him the divine image and to bring him again to the paradise lost. Yea, He loved the people. He came into the w^orld not as a great and mighty Lord. He was not born in the gilded chamber of a splendid palace. No her- alds on SAvift horses with rich trappings were sent out to proclaim His birth. No chambermaids were set to Avork to prepare a soft bed in a silver cradle. Filled with wonder and love the church sings : For velvets .soft ;iud silkeu stuff ♦ Thou hast but hay and straw so rough, Whereon Tliou King, so rich and great, As 'twere Thy heaven dost throne in state. He was born ia a stable and Avas bedded in a manger. He came in poverty, because He came to make us rich. Yea, He Ibved the people. (48) Christmas. 49 Surely, we have reason to rejoice over His birth. And to en- kindle our hearts with the right Christmas joy, let us once more hear The Message Announcing His Birth. Let us consider : I. By whom the message was brought ; and 11. What it contains. L The birth of Jesus Christ took place in the stillness of the night, in the seclusion of a stable in a village. The world knew nothing of it and His own people to whom He had been promised so long were not aware of it. In the ordinary course of events it was to be expected that the people of the inn and the next door neighbors would have learned the next morning that an infant had been born in the night. But it was not the will of God that the birth of His Son should remain hidden, it was to be made known unto men that the time was fulfilled and that the promised De- liverer was now born. For His messenger God chose one of His angels bright, and he came upon the shepherds clad in celestial light and thus ran the message which he brought : " pear not : for, BEHOLD, I bring YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY, WHICH SHALL BE TO ALL PEOPLE. FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall he a sign unto you; Ye shall find the hahe wrapped in sivaddling clothes, lying in a manger." When the angel had delivered his message the air was presently filled with a multitude of shining spirits and the canopy resounded with the many voiced song : "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." This reminds us of something which is of pre-eminent im- portance in these infidelic times, when so many are not willing to believe that there is anything in existence over and above those things which can be perceived with the bodily senses. Beside this visible world there is an invisible world of spirits, and this spirit world has exercised a vast influence on man and through him on this visible world. 50 Christmos. How did sin and wickedness come into the world? It did cer- tainly not grow out of the ground, neither did God create man wicked, nor did He create him so that he became wicked of him- self. Crod is good and He can in no way be the author of evil. How sin came into the world is a question whicii puzzled the heathen philosophers and to which they could give no certain an- swer. We know it. When God had linished the work of creation, He beheld every thing that He had made and it Avas very good. There was no sin and no evil in the world. But there is a spirit who hates God and is always intent on destroying His works. He, through the serpent, tempted man and succeeded in seducing the first man to transgress the commandment of God and so man be- came a sinner. When Adam had become a sinner he could no more beget children in the image of God which he had lost, but it is written of him that he " begat a son in his own likeness, after his image," that is, he begat a son who was of a corrupt and sinful nature like his father. From the spirit world did sin come into this world. Indeed, Satan, that Old Serpent, who first seduced man, has a vast host of evil spirits under him and he brought them into this world and they established a kingdom of darkness in which they rule over men, as Paul writes : "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." These evil spirits seduced men to idolatry, as Paul testifies saying : " The things which the Gen- tiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God," and to a thousand harmful and destructive vices. Yea, often evil spirits took bodily possession of men and even unto this day cases of bodi- ly possession by devils occur in heathen lands as missionaries re- port. From the spirit world did sin come, and by sin death and the army of evils under the sun. But as there is a world of evil spirits so there is also a world of good spirits. One of these, the angel Gabriel, was sent to the virgin Mary to announce the birth of Him who is called " the Son of the Highest." Perhaps the same Gabriel, or another of heaven's high- est angels was the messenger to the shepherds. We see here that the angels of heaven were so rejoiced over the birth of this child Christmas. 51 that they crowded the air over and around Bethlehem singing praises to God in the highest strains. The infant in the stable was not born for the angels, yet we here behold that the spirit world was greatly interested in His birth, seeing those bright spirits which surround the throne of God winged their way to the city of David to sing hymns of Joy and praise. Why did the good spirits rejoice so when God was born man ? The apostle John tells us when he writes: "For this purpose the Sou of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." For this reason did the angels'of heaven rejoice so greatly over the birth of this child, because He came to undo the work of Satan and to deliver men again from the power of darkness. And He did commence to destroy the works of the devil so soon as He entered oji His public office by delivering those who were bodily possessed of evil spirits. They could not resist Him, but when He commanded them they had to go out. In his first chupter, St. Mark introduces the evil spirits in a man saying: " Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." They recognized in Him their destroyer and He did so destroy the works of the devil that, through His Gospel, idolatry has been over- thrown in many lands and bodily possessions have almost entirely ceased in Christendom. But bodily deliverance was not the actual object of His coming. He was born into this world to deliver the souls of men from the power of sin and death. This is the grand object of the incarna- tion of the Son of God that when the soul leaves the body it can not be clutched by the evil spirits and dragged down to the place of torment, but shall be taken up by the spirits from on high and carried to the realms of everlasting light. So let us hear tJie neios which the message of the angel brings, and let us take it to heart. 11. ^^Fear not,"" says the angel to the terrified shepherds. Ye are sinful mortals and the light of heaven must appear terrible to you, because God dwells in a light which the sinner cannot bear. But 52 Christmas. here is no cause for terror ; for behold 1 proclaim to you the birth of your Deliverer who comes to take away all cause of terror from your hearts. Jesus, the Abolisher of fear. If you have Jesus with you, you need not dread the presence of God ; for in Christ He is a recon- ciled Father. With Jesus you need not fear the devil and his minions ; for He is their destroyer. With Jesus you need not fear the threats of the law ; for He has satisfied the demands of Moses. With Jesus you need not dread the valley of the shadow of deatli ; for He has taken aw^ay sin, the sting of death. With Jesus you need fear no evil. Jesus dwelling in your hearts will make all things work together for your good. '^Fear not.''' Why hot ? "-For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy." " Behold" ! An exclamation of wonder. Yes, here is the wonder of wonders. The Everlasting is become a new-born babe. The Almighty a feeble infant. He was before the hills were made and He is but a day old. The Carrier of the universe must be lifted by His mother. God is made man and yet remains God. The God-Man is bedded in the manger. He was called " Wonderful " by the prophet, and verily He is Himself the great- est of wonders. — " Behold " ! An exclamation to direct attention. Look and see and consider well. Here is something worthy of your attention. God is born man. Whosoever hears it, let him incline his ear and lay it to heart and weigh it in the mind ; for God is born man that man should be born again into a godlike and never-ending life. ''Behold, I bring you good tidings.'" I am not a messenger of evil. I am not come to threaten you with wrath. I will not summon you to the judgment. When the wife of king Jeroboam came to Ahijah the prophet, to inquire of him about her sick son, he met her with the words: "I am sent to thee with heavy tidings." Here comes this messenger from heaven, the Lord's angel in heavenly splendor. What does he bring us ? What can we expect, we, who have robbed God of His glory and have cor- rupted our ways before Him ? What else could we expect but a heavy message ? We are all like unto the prodigal son. We must Christmas. 53 all confess : " I have sinned against heaven." Hearing that a nies- eenger comes from heaven, must we not feel like turning and flee- ing and hiding from him ? But behold, he opens his mouth and he says : "/ bri7ig you good tidings of great joyT An angel from the God of heaven sent to bring good tidings to men ! What greater honor could be done to this earth ? That is joy, great joy, in comparison to which the joy of the world is nothing but a fleet- ing shadow. What is the joy of the world ? 0, the world counts Christmas a glorious time. Everybody quits work, and laying aside all cares each one is intent on that which he counts his best enjoyment. Some want dances and parties where liberties are allowed which otherwise are counted very indecent. Some want one luxurious dinner after another loading themselves with sweetmeats. Some seek the saloon with its drunken brawls, and perhaps go home to abuse their family. And when the holidays are over many a one is sick, or has spots in his conscience which are a troublesome thing. The joy of the world is a vain joy, quickly past and leaving only an empty desire. And the Christian ? He, too, does not despise the earthly gifts of God, he rather truly enjoys them partaking of them in moderation, and much joy does it bring him to cause joy to others surprising them Avith gifts. But the Christian's true Christmas joy is the gift of the Father in heaven which is laid in the manger. Honor to the earth that an angel came to it as a messenger from heaven, but his message tells of greater honor. God Himself is born man to walk with men upon earth. And since He is born man to become our brother, who can doubt that He has thoughts of peace towards us ? Tell abroad His goodness proudly, Who our race hath honored thus That He comes to dwell with us. What can He be to us and what can He bring us when He was. born so long ago and so far away ? Hear the angel say : " WJiicli shall he to all people" He is born unto all people, not one single one excepted. Over Him all people and all sorts of people should 54 Chrisfiiias. rejoice. Rejoice over Him, ye kings ; for He is the King of glory, Eejoice over Him, ye princes ; for He is the Prince of life. Re- joice over Him, ye lawyers: for He is our Advocate with the Father. Rejoice over Him, ye farmers ; for He is the Sower of that heavenly seed which brings forth a never-ending harvest. Eejoice over Him, ye gardeners ; for He is the Rose of Sharon. Rejoice over Him, ye soldiers; for He is the Captain of your sal- vation. Rejoice over Him, ye tailors ; for He brings the garments of salvation. Rejoice over Him, ye merchants ; for He is come to purchase your souls. Rejoice over Him, ye poor ; for He is come to make you rich. Rejoice over Him, ye hungry; for He is the Bread from heaven. Rejoice over Him, ye thirsty; for He has the water of life. Rejoice over Him, ye sick ; for He is the Physician of the soul. Rejoice over Him, ye men ; for He is the Hero from the tribe of Judah. Rejoice over Him, ye women; for He is the woman's Seed. Rejoice over Him, ye virgins ; for He is the V^irgin- boru. Rejoice over Him, ye children ; for He is come to bless you. Rejoice over Him, ye that sit in darkness ; for He will be your light. Rejoice over Him, ye weak ; for He will be your strength. Rejoice over Him, ye widows; for He will be better unto you than a husband. Rejoice over Him, ye orphans ; for He is the everlast- ing Father. Jejoice over Him, ye lost ; for He will guide your feet in the way everlasting. Rejoice over Him, ye sinners ; for He is the Friend of sinners. Rejoice over Him' all people. Let your hearts be enlarged and your souls lifted up and sing : My heart for very joy dotli leap, My lips no more can silence keep ; I, too, must sing with joyful tongue That sweetest ancient cradle-song : Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto men His Son hath given. Why this..ga'eat joy ? '"For unto you is horn this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." All described already, save the little word " unto you."^ This word '' unto you " asks you to receive Him into your heart. Make it '• unto me " and let your heart rejoicingly say : I^nto me the Savior is born, my Christmas. 55 Savior, my Jesus. Open thy heart and say unto Him : Open are to Thee all portals. Behold, I am waiting. Come, dearest Jesus, Iioly Child, Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled. Within my heart, that it may be A quiet chamber kept for Thee. For this purpose was He born into the world that He might be born in our hearts. And ! that every one liere present could to-day gladly say : He is born in me. He is mine and I am His. Blessed, thrice blessed are all those in whose hearts He ia born. He makes them kings and priests unto their God. Since He came down from heaven for man's sake they that hold to Him must be exalted high as the seraphim. With these let us unite our voices and sing : ^'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men^ Amen. SKCOND CHRISTIvIAS DAY, OR SUNDAY AKTER CHRISTNIAS. Text : A.nd it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pon- de;red them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2, 15-20. On the first day of Christmas, I invited you to joy and glad- ness, because of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, in Bethlehem of Judea. With what right did I call on you to rejoice over His birth ? If a tried and condemned criminal is already standing on the scaf- fold, but before the deathstroke is dealt a messenger arrives bring- ing a pardon, which saves him from an ignominious death and restores him to life and liberty, may not such a one fitly and justly be called on to greet the arrival of that messenger with joy and ex- ultation ? Ye were such tried and condemned culprits. The law had tried you long ago, and had found you transgressors ; for it says : " Ye shall be holy," and ye were not holy. Therefore the law had pronounced the sentence upon you, that you were to die eter- nally in hell, gnawed by that worm which never dies. But before the sentence was executed this messenger of pardon arrived, who Himself is the destroyer of our death, the conqueror of hell, who has restored eternal life unto us, who brings the message: Ye shall (56) Second Christmas Day, or Sunday after Christmas. 57 not die, but live. Is not this reason for rejoicing ? What ! our hearts should not be enlarged with gladness when God Himself has come to us into our flesh to free us from bondage and to transport us to His glorious liberty ! Surely all people at all places even at the uttermost sea should take harps and, chanting rapturous songs of praise, should nevertheless confess and say : Our praise is not a worthy exaltation of the Lamb of God, which came down from heaven to take away our sins ; and though the multitude of the angels should join iu with their celestial voices, yet we could not suf- ficiently praise Him. But alas ! the world cares nothing for His birth. In the midst of t)hristian lands many thousands blasphemously and public- ly deny Him with their tongues and many more thousands with their deeds. In our degenerate days, Christmas, with the majority of those that are called Christians, has lost its original object, for which it was introduced by the ancient church. To them it is no more a time to ponder the birth of Christ, but only an extra time for merry-making, to walk in " the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." Many celebrate Christmas in such a manner, as though during this time of the year they were at lib- erty to break every command of God's law. But as in all things which we do, be they great or small, there is a responsibility resting upon us, so also in our celebration of Christmas. It reminds us that the Father in heaven has conferred a gift upon us. How SHOULD WE CONDUCT OURSELVES TOW^ARD THIS GiFT. 1 answer : We should do what the shepherds of Bethlehem did, we should I. Seek Christ. II. Praise Him. I. Of the high festivals which the church celebrates Christmas was introduced last. But it is of equal importance with the others ; yea, it is the foundation on which they rest. If we could not cele- brate Christmas we would have no Easter and no Pentecost. It is 58 Si'cond Christtnas Day, or Sundaii after Christmas. the loveliest of all our church festivals, because it reminds us, that the best and noblest which the heavens contain is given unto us, and thus it portrays to our minds the eternal and infinite love of the Father. The sum and summary of all Christmas sermons, if they be Christmas sermons indeed, is simply this : The Father did not refuse to give us His own and only begotten Son with all that He is and has. Therefore it is also meet for us to consider, under what obligations we are put by this gift of the Father; for every one receiving a gift is under obligations to the giver. That which Christmas brings us, is not only to be our joy so long as the holi- days last, it is to be that bread by which our souls are nourished all the year round, yea all our lifetime and also in eternity. But if the gift of the Father is truly to be and to remain the nourishment of our souls we must conduct ourselves towards it in the right manner. What are our obligations regarding the Christmas-gift of the Father in heaven ? First of all it is our duty to accept His gift with gladness, and to appreciate it. Despising a gift is an offense against the giver. Christmas reminds us, that God the Father has given us a noble gift. Must He not be greatly offended, if we do not consider His gift worthy our notice, and negligently pass it by ? Is not that slighting the goodness of God ? Christmas is indeed a festival of rejoicing, but there is also something grave and serious about its celebration. The God of heaven presents to us His very best and dearest. He gives it freely without asking any compensation from us. Must it not excite His anger, if His present is despised ? Can He let that man go unpunished, who despises His Son ? Of those, that despise the Messiah, it is written in the prophecies of Malachi : ^'Behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." The connection of the passage shows, that the prophet is speaking of the time of the in- carnation of the Sou of God, and he says, those despising Him would be burnt like stubble. All those despising the gift of the Father will be burnt with unquenchable fire and they will not be Second Christmas Dm/, or Sunday after Christmas. 59 few in number. With what jealousy the Father watches over the appreciation of His gift is manifest from the very manner in which He gives it. The Father did give this gift for the whole world ; it is there even for the most blasphemous scoffers, but only those who properly appreciate it come into actual possession of it, where- as those, who do not appreciate it do also not possess it and only multiply the wrath of God against themselves. Having before praised to you the gift itself let me briefly set forth, how we come into the actual possession of this gift. To be partakers of the gift of the Father we must do what those shepherds of Bethlehem did, vve must seek Christ. If those shepherds would have disregarded the message of the angel to them, or, if they would have doubted it, thinking : Who knows whether it is true ; or, if they would have said : It may be true, but to seek this Child we would be obliged to leave our flocks in the darkness of the night and they would be in danger of being torn by wild beasts or stolen by thieves, then they would not have found Christ, nor could they have rejoiced over Him. In order to find and possess we must seek. The Lord does not say : He that ne- glects to seek, will nevertheless find ; He says : " He that seeketh, findeth." To him that knocks it shall be opened. The man who does not seek the gift of the Father, will never be in possession of it. Whosoever will not knock at the door of Bethlehem, has no part in Christ, and he indeed justly remains empty-handed. If the master of a house has spread a festive table and invites and urges the guests to help themselves, that guest justly departs hungry, who toill not do the bidding of the housefather. Even so the hearts of those justly remain empty, who, though invited and urged, will not do the bidding of the Father in heaven ; who will not say with the shepherds : ^^Let tis noio go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to 2MSS, which the Lord hath made knoion unto us" Whosoever would have part in Christ must have a desire for the gift of the Father, he must wish to possess it. As God the Father did not irrisistibly force those people occupying the inn at Bethle- hem to make room for Joseph and Mary, but rather permitted His Son to be born in a stable, so He does to-day not obtrude His Sou 60 Second Christmas Day, or Sunday after Christmas. upon any one against his will. He lays Him in a manger, and, as it were, cries out nnto the world : Here is a gift for you ; it is free to all ; let every one that would possess it, seek it and take it. If we are nevertheless not in possession of the Father's gift, although He urges it on us, the fault is ours and not His. Let us not he in- dolent. Let us seek Him, while He may be found. The Father owes us nothing. If we, who are called Christians, no more desire and seek His gift, who knows but that the Father might again let His Son be born in a stable, that is, take the Gospel from us and give it unto heathen nations. If Christ is to dwell with us we must desire and seek Him. How shall we seek Him so as to be certain of finding Him ? If one seeks a thing, but seeks it at the wrong place, or, perhaps with eyes closed, he will not find it. Hence in seeking Christ we must know how to seek Him. I answer : We should seek Him in like manner as the shepherds ; for they did find Him. Now the shepherds sought Him as such, who knew that they were in need of Him ; for they were greatly elated at finding Him. Even so should we seek Him, because we stand in need of Him. If we come imagining that we can help ourselves, and need no help. He will have nothing to do with us; for He has not come to help those that can help themselves. His ofiice is to help the helpless. Nor must we seek Him trusting in ourselves that we are righteous, or we will be offended at the form of sinful flesh, in which He appeared. We must seek Him as sinners ; for He is come to be the Savior of sin- ners. Not as rich, lest we be offended at the miserable stable, His birthplace, and the manger. His cradle, but as wretched and miser- able and poor and blind and naked. Not as proud aud lofty- minded, or the stable door might be too low for us, but with empty heart and hand ; for He is come to be our all in all. The language of our heart must be : In my hand no price I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling. Those shepherds were not offended at His lowliness, poverty and misery. They did not exclaim : Should we acknowledge such Second Christmas Day, or Sunday after Christinas. 61 a beggar's child our Lord ? Those meu were glad, if they did but find Him. Do you say : I would fain be the Lord's, if only it would not bring disgrace before the world ; but I do not like to see my neighbors shrugging their shoulders at me. Friend, if that is your sentiment you are seeking yourself and not the Lord. The shepherds were rejoiced to find the Lord, although His surround- ings were by no means lordly. If He is indeed your heart's desire, you will press on to Him and not look to the consequences or stum- ble at the opinions of others. We should seek the Lord for His own sake. Seek thou the Lord, remembering what He said to Abraham : "7 am thy exceeding great reward." The shepherds sought the Child willingly and eagerly. Ex- amine the angel's message, and you will find that he had not com- manded the shepherds to seek the Child, nor had he admonished them or even advised them to do so, he had simply proclaimed to them, what they would find at Bethlehem. Yet they say : "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem." They were full of the desire to see Him, willingly they set out to seek Him, cheerfully they left their flocks to hasten to the Lord. We are to seek the Lord with desire and longing, because He is the highest good. Kot in a half-hearted way, so that it makes but little difference to us whether we find Him or not, but with zeal and fervor, as men seeking a precious treasure. Willingly should we seek Him and should not wait till misfortunes and afflictions drive us to Him. In good days we are not to say : I do not need the Lord, and when the evil day comes, I will have time enough to turn to Him. In good days we are to seek Him, that He may be with us in the evil day. As it is said of the shepherds : " They came ivith haste," so we should early and hastily seek the Lord, and not wait till we can find no more pleasure in sin. With gladness we should forsake the world, making the heart free from that which is in the world, to possess " the Pearl of great price." As the shepherds said : "Let us now go," so let us now seek the Lord. To-day let us seek Him ; before to-morrow comes the clock of our lifetime might perhaps have run down, and who shall seek Him in the grave ? To-day God gives His Son, to- day He is to be found, to-day the heavens are open, to-day let us 62 Second Chrisfviaf< Boy, or Sunday after Christinas. seek Him. Do not let this Christmas-tide pass by without earnest- ly seeking the Lord. And if yon do seek Him yon will surely find Him ; for He is come to be found. Where shall we seek Him? where shall we find Him? The shepherds went to Bethlehem, there they found Him in the manger of a stable. Must we undertake the far journey to Bethlehem in order to find Him? Going there we would find nothing but an impoverished village of several thousand inhabitants, and on the spot where tradition says that Christ was born, we vrould find a monastery instead of the stable, where we might see the Savior of the world in pictures, but no moi'e as an infant in a manger. In the same manner as the shepherds found the Lord in the stable. He is no more to be found on earth, and a pilgrimage to the Holy Land would not bring us a single step nearer to 4im. He is just as near in the uttermost parts of the earth, as at Bethlehem. But where shall we find Him? Must we complain with the Bride in the Song of Solomon : " 1 sought Him, but I found Him not." Must we seek Him at random, or has He promised to be found at a certain place and in a certain way? Most assuredly He has, and there where He is to be found to-day, the shepherds had already found Him, even before they found Him bodily in the stable. If the shepherds, had not previously already found the Lord in a different manner, their finding and seeing Him bodily in the manger would have benefited them just as little as it did the Phari- sees, who also saw Him with their eyes, heard His voice Avith their ears and touched Him with their hands, but nevertheless remained children of wrath. It is not the sensible seeing and feeling the Lord which saves. Judas, His betrayer, had kissed Him, yet the Lord calls him " the son of perdition." Where and how had the shepherds previously already found the Lord ? They had found Him by the faith of the Word. They say : "Ze^ us now go and see this thing ivhich the Lord hath made hnown unto usT Now the Lord had made this thing known unto them in no other way than by the word and message of the angel. In the Word the shepherds found Christ. In the Word we find Him. In His Word He desires to be sought, and there He will be Second Christmas Da//, or Sunday after Christmas. 63 found ; for unto the Jews He testified : " Ye have not his word abiding in you ; for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." They had not Christ dwelling in them, because they believed not His Word. Therefore He goes on to instruct them where to seek and to find Him, continuing: '' Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life ; and they are they vvhich testify of me." He tells them, to have Him abiding in them, they must search the Scriptures. These are His testimonies ; in them He is to be found. He and His Word can not be separated. Where His Word is there He is also. The Word of the Gospel is the manger in which He is laid. If we grasp the Word we have (Jhrist Him- self ; for He is as good as IHs Word and will not go back on His promises. Surely, the grace of the Lord is great. He has made it very convenient for us to seek Him. We need not cross the ocean;, we need not ascend up to heaven or descend down into the deep^ His craale is His Word and that is nigh unto us, even in our ears. Do you seek Christ? My friend, grasp the cradle and you have the Child. How can we lay hold of the Word ? Evidently not with the hand, but the shepherds say : ^^Ler us noiu go and see this tlmig^ tuhich IS come to pass." Mark well, they do not say : Let us go and see, whether this thing is so, they say : It is come to pass, let us go and see it. They laid hold of the Word by faith, by believing it i they had no doubts of the Word, but depended upon it. Nor must we overlook that they regarded the Word which they heard as the Lord's own Word ; for they do not say : Which the angel, they say : '^ Which the Lord hath made knoum unto us." They believed the Word, not because an angel had proclaimed it to them, but because it was the Lord's Word. It is not sufficient simply to regard the Scriptures as a word of truth ; for other writings we also receive 'as words of truth. We must receive the Scriptures as God's own Word. Neither must we look to the person of the preacher, but to the Word itself. Whether an angel or a sinful man proclaim it, makes no es- sential difference, because it is not the excellency or the skill of the preacher, but the Word itself which brings Christ nigh unto us. If we thus hold fast the Word of the Gospel as the Lord's own 64 SecondChristmas Day, or Sunday after Christmas:. Word, then we have Him in it. Let us therefore imitate the exam- ple of the Thessalonians of whom Paul writes : "When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God." Behold, the importance of clinging to the Word ! Let us search the Scriptures with eagerness, knowing that, if we have His Word, the Lord Him- self can not be far distant from us. II. In the second place, the shepherds set us an example for imita- tion in their praising the Lord. On this permit me but a very few words. The shepherds returned to their flocks "glo?'ifying and praising God," and in particular it is said of them : " When they had seen it, they inade kiiown abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." Those men were so rejoiced at finding the Lord, that they could not be silent, they had to speak of Him to all whom they met. Their hearts were so full that they could not re- frain from singing praises to God, or from communicating their joy to others. When we have found the Lord we must exalt His praise, and one of the chief praise-offerings, which we can bring to Him, is, to freely confess His name upon earth before friend and foe, high and low. Those shepherds very likely met some high-standing and proud people, but they were not ashamed to speak to them of the Child in the stable. Never must we be ashamed to confess Christ before men. The scornful smile of respected and influential men of the world should not deter us from speaking of our Savior. This praise, confessing Him before men, is so pleasing to Him, that He has promised to confess those in heaven who confess Him on earth. Though we make ever so many discouraging experiences, we should ever again speak of our Lord, and thus strive to make ^ others also partakers of our joy. Those shepherds were the first Christian missionaries, spreading abroad the fame of Christ. Pray- ing for those who yet walk in darkness and striving to win souls for Him in our family, in our neighborhood and wherever we find occasion to speak of Him, is an offering of sweet smelling savor unto the Lord, praise "pleasant and comely." Second Christmas Day, or Sunday after Christmas. 65 And now let us imitate the virgin Mary who ^'■kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Let us not forget the Christmas tidings in a day or in a week. Let us store them away in our memory, not to let them lie there idle, but to occupy our minds with them and to converse on them in our hearts. It is a glorious thing that the Lord did not only once come into our flesh to redeem us, but daily comes to us in His Word. Let us keep His Word in our hearts that He depart not again, but abide with us continually. Amen. NEW YEAR'S DAY. Text : And when eight days M'cre accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Luke 2. 21. Dearly beloved fellow Christiaus! God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant nnto you in this new year, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that throughout the year Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, and ye may be rooted and grounded in love, knowing that the love of Jesus is better than wisdom and riches. The return of the year teaches too solemn and useful a lesson, as that we Christians conld pass it by unnoticed, though New Year's day, as snch, is not a church festival. The change of the date on our almanacs appears to be an insignificant thing, but it proves to us that it is true what Solomon says : " All is vanity." There is nothing stable under the sun, every thing is subject to mutability and change. Transient is every earthly thing. Time is transient; it continually progresses, and no one can stay it. The past year is passed and gone, and cannot be called back again. Time is like a shadow which passes by and returns no more. As time is so must everything be which is in time and subject to time. It must all be temporal, vain and vanishing. Exam- ine the rocks of our mountains, and you will find that even they are subject to decay. Like wind and weather all earthly things are continually changing. They are variable as the moon. What is wealth, honor, happiness ? It is like the Chameleon which often changes color suddenly. The man who to-day is rich, honored, 66 New Yearns Day. 67' happy, may to-morrow be poor, despised, miserable. Most impres- sively does David picture the vanity of man's life and doings when he says in the 39th Psalm: "Lord, make me to know mine end^. and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail lam. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee : verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain show ; surely they are disquieted in vain : he heapeth uj) riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them." David desired this knowledge from the Lord that his life and doings were vanity. Man's life and doings are, indeed, a vain, transient thing. Where are those stately Romans who rode in golden vehicles and pridedi themselves in being lords of the earth f They have disappeared like- a shadow ; scarcely a few of their names have been handed down to> us. Of all the myriads who have lived in the lapse of time the names of some thousands are inscribed on the pages of history, the rest have passed away without leaving a trace behind them. What shall be known of us a hundred years hence, if the world will yet stand ? Our place will know us no more, yea perhaps the very re- membrance of us will be forgotten ; no one will know that we ever were, and no one will care to know. Man lives a short time on tlia earth and then sinks into oblivion. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, Bears all its sons away ; They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day. Yet man lives so securely as though the earth were to be his dwelling place forever, and he considers not that his days are as a handbreadth. Of the vanity of all earthly things the return of the year re- minds us, and it should persuade our hearts unto wisdom, to seek the things which are not vanity, which will cause our names to be remembered forever. Where shall we seek them ? Not in tlie things of this earth ; for " the world passeth away and the lust thereof," and the works of man crumble to atoms. Seek the tower of Babel 68 New Year's Day. which was to reacii up to the skies I Ask for the names of its builders ! They are forgotten, and they will never be known ; for they wei-e proud men, and their names are not written in the book of life. By great deeds we cannot inscribe our names on the indeli- ble pages of eternity ; only by holding fast che covenant, which the Immortal One has made with us, shall our names be immortalized in heaven. To do this I beseech you through the mercy of my Lord at the beginning of this new year. When do we close the old and begin the new year in a manner pleasing to God? I answer: When we do it in the Name of Jesus. In His name we end the old and begin the new year, if we I. Believe that He is the propitiation for the sins of the past ; and II. That He will be our Helper and vSavior in the future. "And when eight days were accomplished for the circmncising of the child, his name was called Jesus." Circumcision was in the Old Testament what baptism is in the New, the sacrament of re- ception into the covenant of grace with God. As baptism " works the forgiveness of sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation," so in the Old Testament the children of the Israelites through circumcision obtained the forgiveness of sins, were delivered from the power of death and the devil, and were made heirs of eternal life. As Peter said of baptism: " Be baptized for the remission of sins," so circumcision was for the remission of sins. Now in our text we read of the Child Jesus : " And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child." The child w^hose birth we celebrated eight days ago, was also circum- cised; it, too, received the sacrament of the forgiveness of sins and of deliverance from death and the power of the devil. Does not this contradict the words of the angel to the virgin Mary when he New Year's Day, 69 said : '• The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. " This Child was not conceived and born in sin like other children. He was •' holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners," even from the womb. What strange thing, then, is this that He was circumcised ? If He was holy and undeliled from sin, why did He receive the sacrament which was instituted for the remission of sins ? If He was the Son of the Most High,^ why did He receive the sac- rament of reception into the covenant of grace with God? If we would tell an angel of heaven that he must be baptized, what would he answer ^ Would he not say : I am not a sinner, like you mortals on earth, and I need not be baptized for the remission of sins. Where there is no sin, baptism would have no meaning, because it is "for the remission of sins." Now here we behold this wonderful spectacle that the Most Holy One, God's own Son, is circumcised. Think of God coming down from heaven and being baptized as though He were a sinner needing forgiveness! Jesus Christ, who is the true God, is circum- cised as though He were a sinner and needed forgiveness. Infidels and Rationalists would make of this a flat contradiction saying, if He had been the true God, He could not have consented to receive the sacrament of the forgiveness of sin. But we Christians must not be led away from the Word by the- inferences of human reason. It is, indeed, a wonderful thing that the same one whom the. angel called " Christ, the Lord," after eight days was circumcised as though He had been born a sinner like other children ; but in this wonderful thing is embraced the mystery of our redemption. St. Paul explains this beautifully when he writes to the Galatians : "When the fulness of the time Avas 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." This Child was not a sinner, and, therefore, not subject to the law. He had committed no sins, and for His own person Jid not need cir- cumcision. Nevertheless He was put under the law and was cir- cumcised a? though He were a sinner. Wherefore ? St. Paul 70 New Year's Day. answers : "To redeem them that were under the law." He was not subject to the curse of the law, but others were; He had not sinned, but others had ; He did not need forgiveness, but others did. Therefore He was circumcised not for His own sake, but for the sake of others. Who "these others" are the apostle defines when he adds : "That we might receive the adoption of sons." We, you and I, had sinned and needed forgiveness. Therefore Christ was put under the law to fulfill it in our stead, and so to deliver us from the curse of the law. He was circumcised for our sake to earn forgiveness of sins for us. We have sinned, and that the sins, even of the past year alone, have been neither few nor small we cannot deny, neither should we attempt to deny it. Now from eternal Justice the decree has long since gone forth : " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written m the book of the law to do them." This ■decree puts us under the curse; for none of us can say that he has done "all things which are written in the book of the law." But there was One in heaven who was moved with compassion to us-ward, and He made this agreement with eternal Justice, that He vvould come down to the earth. He would assume our nature. He would step into our shoes, would put Himself under the law and in our stead would fulfill its requirements and for His sake we should go free from the curse. At Christmas Ave heard from the message of the angel that He did come, and our to-day's Gospel tells us that He went to work very early to fulfill the contract made with Justice in eternity and revealed to the patriarchs of old. When eight days old He was gircumcised. He the Holy One, as though He were a sinner, and so He demonstrated that He had taken our place under the law. Let fastidious persons say of our text, the Bible ought not to speak of such things as circumcision, because they were of- fensive to delicacy ; to us who, by the grace of God, have come to an understanding of the counsel of God unto salvation, know, that this text is one of the most glorious verses in the whole Bible, be- cause it tells us that we have a Savior who did indeed perform the requirements of the law. Those drops of blood which He shed at His circumcision are unto us the earnest, the pledge that He did do New Year's Day. 71 what He had agreed on with eternal Justice, and, hence, that the penalty pronounced by the law is removed from us. That we, my friends, have not kept the law can now no more prevent our salvation, because Christ has kept it for us. Though I have transgressed the law, yet Christ has fulfilled it for me. If now I grasp Christ's fulfillment of the law and appropriate it unto myself as mine own, then I have a fulfillment of the law, and this is just as good and just as valid before G-od as though I had never broken the law, but had kept it most perfectly ; " for Christ is the ■end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." This is our trust that Christ is the propitiation for our sins ; that His fulfillment of the law is ours ; and if we do heartily believe this, then the sins of the past year are, before God in heaven, a thing of the past and are no more taken into account against us. This is the way to rid ourselves of the sins of the old year, to claim the work of Jesus as our own. This is ending the old year in the name of Jesus, to believe it, to rejoice over it that He saves us from ■our sins. n. If we so by faith in Him begin the year in the name of Jesus, we have a quiet conscience concerning the past, knowing that He is the propitiation for our sins ; and in Him we have also a Helper for the future, a Friend on whom we can depend. "His name was called JESUS, wliich luas so named of the angel before he was con- ceived in the womb." Jesus was the personal nanie of the Lord, the name by which He was known when walking on earth. It was not by accident, nor merely by human choice, it was by the counsel of God that He received this name Jesus ; for He " was so named of the angel before he ivas conceived in the womb." Already before His cc-nception His name was given Him by an angel. It is, therefore, not an earthly, or human, but a heavenly, a divine name. Not His mother, God chose it. Now if God gave Him a name it must sure- ly be an appropriate name, and so it is ; for His name tells us what He is and what He does. His name was given Him when He 72 New Year's Day. was circumcised, and even then He was already doing what His name denotes ; for the word Jesus means Redeemer, Deliverer,. Helper, Savior. Savior is the name of the child circumcised at Bethlehem. The reason why this name was given Him the angel tells us when saying unto Joseph : " Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." He is the true Jesus, He is the Savior. In earthly things there.are many that may be called saviors^ A skillful doctor is a savior in sickness, when he gives wholesome medicine ; parents are saviors of their children, providing for them ; kings are saviors of their subjects, when defending them; money is a savior out of many difficulties to him that possesses it. But these all are poor saviors. When need is greatest they forsake those who trust in them. A doctor can not cure death ; money can not deliver from the compunctions of conscience. When remorse begins to lacerate the heart, when the law, death and hell strike terror to the soul, when Satan begins to say : Thou art a sinner and thou art mine, tlien all earthly saviors forsake us, then their comfortings are vain and they become manifest as miserable saviors. But when need is greatest then Jesus is the true Savior ; for He has come to save us from our greatest need, to save us from our sins. Insigni- ficant are all external evils in comparison to the evil of sin ; for temporal afflictions, though they last for years, last for a time only,, but sin drags down to eternal destruction. Though I would be obliged to beg my bread at the doors of hard-hearted strangers and though I must sleep under the canopy of heaven, and be made wet by the dews, yet having Jesus for my Savior 1 would be far better off than a millionaire who has made gold his savior ; for gold will procure comforts and luxuries for the body, but Jesus will deliver out of every trouble. If the burdens of this life oppress me, Jesus, my Savior, cheers the heart with the hope of a better life to come and He knows how to soften every sorrow and sweeten every toil. If my sins trouble me, Jesus, my Savior, is come to save me from my sins. If Satan accuses me, I answer : What right shouldstthou have to condemn since Jesus, my Savior, hath bruised thy head ? If hell threatens to devour me, I answer : Jesus, my Savior, ascend- New Yearns Day. 73 ed OD high and led captivity captive. Though I must walk through the valley of the shadow of death I have a staff on which to lean : Jesus, my Savior. A bright star of the moruing greets me from beyond the river of death : It is Jesus, my Savior. 01 what sweet- ness is comprised in the word Jesus, Savior. None shall claim my heart beside, None but Jesns crucified ; Savior, I am only Thine, Other love shall ne'er be mine, " Thy name is as ointment poured forth," says the Bride in the Song of Solomon. Delightful to the believing soul is the name of Jesus, delicious as the savor of precious ointment, lovelier than the lily of the valley, sweeter than the rose of Sharon. Shall we not in this dear Name begin the year ? Dark the year lies before us. None of us can tell, what it will bring him, whether it will exalt him on earth, or lay him low in the dust. We Christians who do not seek that which is of the world, but have our eye fixed on the eternal home above, can, as pilgrims in a strange laud, not expect much good in the world. Of some things, indeed, we do know that they will be in this new year. Satan will be our enemy, the world will tempt us, our own flesh and blood will try us, perhaps death will knock at our door. Where shall we find one to depend on for comfort, help and deliv- erance ? Thanks be to God, we know of one : Jesus, our Savior. " Our God is the God of salvation ; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death." Begin the year in the name of Jesus. If He is with you, you can be bold against Satan ; for He is come to destroy the works of the devil. If He is with you, you can triumph over the threats and allurements of the world ; for He has overcome the world. If He is with you, you can rule over the sin dwelling in your members ; for He gives the Spirit that lusteth against the flesh. If Be is with you, you can be cheerful in affliction ; for if you suffer with Him, you shall also reign with Him. If He is with you, you have a Friend whose "loving kindness changes not." Trusting in His name we can cheerfully sing : 74 New Year's Day. Jesus' Name shall lighten pain, And in all our ills relieve us ; Losses thus shall turn to gain, And to blessings what seemed grievous ; Jesus' Name is Sun and Shield, Here must all our sorrows yield. In this world every thing is changeable, and man more change- able than aught else. Man is indeed to-day red, to-morrow dead, to-day rich, to-morrow poor, to-day glad, to-morrow sad, to-day re- spected, to-morrow rejected, to-day beloved, to-morrow hated. Thank God, that in this world of changeableness we have one thing which does not change, the Word of our God, which tells us of the Eock of Ages clef t for us. In Him let us hide our souls; then let times change, let fortune change, let men change; in the clefts of the Rock of Ages there is an unchangeable hiding place. May you dwell in Him and He in you. Amen. SUNDAV AKTER NEW YEAR. TicxT : Aud when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou thei-e until I bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child aud his mother by night, and departed into Egypt : and was there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Eg^pt have I called my Sou. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be com- forted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying. Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither : notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee : and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by,the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. Matth. 2, 13-23. Our Lord Jesus Christ was made of the seed of David accord- ing to the flesh, as it had been foretold; for thus God had spoken unto David by Nathan the prophet : " I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." From this and other similar pas- sages of the Scriptures the Pharisees, as blind leaders of the blind, concluded that, when the Messiah would come He would establish a worldly kingdom and would rule at Jerusalem as a mighty mon- (75) 76 Sunday after New Year. arch. They were indeed blind leaders. Had they examined the Scriptures wibh an unbiased mind they must soon have understood that Christ, being an everlasting king, could not be a worldly mon- arch. Earthly kings are of few days and must soon leave their dominion to others. But the idea that the Messiah would make Jerusalem the capital of a mighty kingdom, suited the carnal wishes of the Pharisees, and so they themselves adopted it and taught it to the people. In the time of Christ, therefore, it was the common belief amongst the Jews that the Messiah would liberate them from the dominion of the Romans and would make them a ruling nation on the earth. So deeply was this false opinion concerning the na- ture of Christ's kingdom rooted in the minds of the people that it was extremely difficult for the apostles to extricate themselves from it. On the day of the Lord's resurrection those two disciples going from Jerusalem to Emmaus yet said: "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." He had truly redeemed Israel with an everlasting redemption, but they meant a different kind of redemption, namely civil and political redemption. Even at the Lord's ascension the disciples still asked : " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " To the very last they cherished the fond hope that He would restore liber- ty and self-government to the Jews. Not till after the outpouring of the Holy Ghost did the apostles fully understand the nature of Christ's kingdom. This false notion, inculcated by the Pharisees, is entertained by the Jews unto this day. Fondly, but vainly do they expect the Messiah yet to come, to gather them out of all na- tions and to establish a glorious kingdom at Jerusalem. In Christendom also many have erroneous and mistaken views concerning the nature of Christ's kingdom. The Roman Catholics teacli that the church is a visible body under a visible head, that it should have authority over the civil powers and should reign in worldly glory. Milleuarians, similar to the Jews, harbor the fond dream that Clirist would yet come to rule over the earth in a visible kingdom, for a thousand years. Many, when they have embraced Christ, think, they onght now to fare happily and prosperously in all things. Sunday after New Year. Ill All such opinions, as though Christ's kiugdoni should be an external kingdom, glorious in this world, or, as though following Christ ought to bring worldly blessings and happiness, are against the nature of Christ's kingdom ou earth and they are in conflict with the Scriptures. Neither sliould they be regarded as harmless ; for they bring great danger to the soul. Of those like unto seed sown on a rock the Lord says : " Which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." When temptation comes upon them, they fall away. If a man thinks in following Christ, his path must be smooth aiid he must fare happily, and then he finds that he must climb over rocks and suffer wounds from thorns, he is in great danger of being offended in Christ, and is tempted to turn back and to walk no more with Him. To avoid these dangers it is important to be rightly informed as to the nature of Christ's king- dom, in order that we may know what to expect of Christ and with Christ. Let us therefore to-day consider : The Nature of Christ's Kingdom as shown by His Fleeing to Egypt and the Murder of the Infants at Bethlehem. We learn here : I. That Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of the cross ; and II. That in it is manifested the hidden power of God unto salvation. At His birth and again at His presentation in the temple glori- ous things were spoken of the child Jesus. In addition to this wise men from the far East came to Jerusalem inquiring : " Where is he that is born King of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him," And when they found Him at Bethlehem they worshiped Him, and opening their treasures " they pi'eseuted unto him gifts : gold, and frankincense and myrrh." Thus far the history of Christ speaks unto us of honor and praise brought unto Him both by angels and men. But very soon He had to suffer the persecution of men. He was come into the world 78 iSiinday after New Year. to be a landmark of salvation to the meek and the lowly, the con- trite and the broken-hearted. Hence it could not be otherwise than that He must be a rock of offence to the proud, a stumbling-block in the way of the world, a sign offensive to all who are not contrite and broken-hearted. When still an infant He was in the way of one mighty on earth ; for when the wise men had departed, " the angel of the Lord appear eth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the you7ig child and his mother, and fiee into Egypt, and le thou there until I bring thee word ; for Herod will seek the yonng child to de- stroy him.'' This Herod was not a Jew, but an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. An ambitious man and favored by opportunity he succeeded with the aid of the liomans to make himself king over Judea. His- tory tells of few tyrants so unfeeling and bloodthirsty as he. He spared not his nearest relatives, but under nefarious pretenses he put many of them to death, including his sister, his wife and three of his sons. When this bloodthirsty tyrant heard by the wise men that the long expected King of the Jews was born at Bethlehem he at once began to fear for his throne. Herod wanted to remain king and to perpetuate his throne. Therefore this child was in his way, and he was quickly resolved that it must be put out of the way. The infant Jesus was already hated and His destruction plotted. He had to flee for His life and He did flee, t Wonderful spectacle ! The King of kings, who in the eighth chapter of Proverbs says : "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice," flees to save His life from the hands of a petty tyrant. Behold here the nature of Christ's kingdom on earth. When He was boi-n there was no room for Him in the inn. He had to be born in a stable in great lowliness and poverty. Now there was no room for Him in Bethlehem, nay, not in all Judea. He had to be- come an exile from the land of promise and had to seek safety in that land in which Israel had once been held in bondage. And He did flee. He might have stayed at Bethlehem. He might have taken up the contest with Herod. He might have caused fire to fall from heaven and consume the murderers sent by Herod. He might have stationed the angels a fiery wall around Bethlehem. He Sunday after New Year. 79 might have inspired the people of the Jews with sudden courage to rise up against their oppressors, and He might have given victory to their arms to drive both Herod and the Eomans from the land, and to seat Him on a throne of gold and ivory. That, that would have been something great and glorious before the world. Then His praise would have been in every mouth. But He flees ! That is inglorious, disgraceful before the world. In like manner we read at the end of this Gospel : ^'But when /«e (Joseph) heard that Arche- lavs did reign in Judea in the room of hii^ father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notiiHthstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee; and He came and divelt in a city called Nazareth.'' Here again we behold Him seeking safety in obscurity. He hides to escape the power of a man. He "made him- self of no reputation," says St. Paul, "and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself." He surely humbled Himself when He submitted to flee from the country by night, when He took upon Himself exile and hardships, and sought seclu- sion to escape the hands of wicked men. This all is not glory in the sight of men. Now as the King, so the kingdom. The Christian must fare similarly on earth as did Christ ; for He said to the disciples : "The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute yon."/ Christ experienced the hate of the wicked and endured all manner of suffering on earth : even so the citizens of His kingdom must also be hated by men and must un- dergo sufferings. This is illustrated here by two plain examples. The first is Joseph and Mary. On account of the Child Jesus they were obliged suddenly to arise by night, to forsake all and set out on a long and perilous journey to a strange land, and when they returned even then they were not free to choose their place of abode. Por the Child's sake they had to dwell in seclusion. The persecution aimed at Christ fell upon them also ; they had to take part in it. And not only they, but also the infants in and around Bethlehem ; for Herod, "wheti he saw that he toas mocked of the loise men, was exceeding loroth, and sent forth, and sletv all the children 80 Sunday after New Year. that were in Bethlehem., and in all the coasts thereof, frovi two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." For Christ's sake these children had to suffer death. It did not simply happen so to them, because Herod was a bloodthirsty tyrant; for Herod would never have thought of putting those children to death if it had not been for this Child Jesus. In these latter days the name of Christ has, indeed, become great on the earth ; nevertheless His kingdom is yet a kingdom of the cross. Unto this day following in the footprints of Christ does not bring honors and worldly advantages. The true Christian, walk he ever so inoffensively, is yet hated by the wicked and des- pised by the world. Many a humiliation must he experience and many a conflict must he endure. Nevertheless there is victory and glory in the cross of Christ. Though in the judgment of the world the kingdom of Jesus Christ appears weak, fleeing, vanquished, perishing, there is a hidden power active in it which makes it triumphant in persecution, vic- torious in defeat, invincible to the enemies. This power is hidden to the world, but manifest lo them with whom is " the secret of the Lord." Let us observe the working of this power as shown by our text. IL In the secret chambers of his palace king Herod concocted the plan to destroy the new-born King of the Jews. He was certain that the Child was born at Bethlehem, but at Bethlehem there were . many children, and not knowing Avhich was the one, Herod resolved not to search out the Child by inquiry; for he feared the parents might be caused to take warning and might flee. To make per- fectly sure of the Child's destruction Herod determined to have all children in and around Bethlehem, that were two years old and under, suddenly put to death .This was a bold, wily and, as far as human sagacity goes, a sure plan, because there was no human possibility of Joseph and Mary being warned. But Herod's secret plan was soon made known to Jose})h. and Jesus escaped. Here is Sundaii after Xeiv Year. 81 that secret, hidden power which is active in the kingdom of Christ. Herod was baffled when he thought he had succeeded in his scheme. And Herod was not only baffled, he in fact by attempting to destroy Christ only promoted the cause of His kingdom. Herod did succeed in cruelly murdering a large number of innocent children, but who was the gainer and who the loser ? Herod was not the gainer ; for the One whom he aimed to destroy, escaped him, and the blood of those innocent babes may many a time have risen up before the eyes of his mind an accusing witness and, surely, it burns on his soul forever ; but those children, being of Jewish parents, had been received into the covenant of grace by the sacra- ment of circumcision and were saved. Early Avere they secured from all danger and made perfect. If Herod was not the gainer, those infants were certainly not the losers. Yea, by the satanic scheme of Herod they obtained the high honor of being the first martyrs for Christ in the New Covenant. Aptly does Luther say on the death of these infants : "This death is unto them a peculiar honor before God and all His angels and saints, and in salvation they will receive a special reward for it." In the judgment of the world Herod fared prosperously and those infants perished miser- ably, but here again is that secret, saving power in Christ's kingdom which, in fact, made them the victors and Herod the vanquished. Herod also gave occasion for the fulfilling of the Scriptures. By his persecution Christ was obliged to flee to Egypt, from where He was called back by an angel of the Lord, and so the prophecy was fulfilled. "■Out of Egypt have I called my son.'' Herod caused the mothers at Bethlehem to raise a cry of lamentation over their murdered infants, and so was accomplished the prophecy : " In Rama was there a voice heard, lame^itation, and weeping, and great mowning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be com- forted, because they are not." Because Archelaus was also a tyrant, Joseph was afraid to go into Judea and went and dwelt in Naza- reth, and so the prophecy was fulfilled : " He shall be called a Nccza- reiie." Behold again the working of that secret power in Christ's kingdom, making Herod subservient for the fulfilling of the Scrip- tures. Herod thought to destroy Christ, whereby the prophecy 82 Sundaij after Xew Year. of the Scriptures would have been thwarted, and he knew not that his acts served to promote the f ultilling of the Scriptures. Yes, there is an invisible power in Christ's kingdom by which even His persecutors are made instruments for the promotion of His kingdom. One thing more remains to be mentioned : " But whoi Herod was dead.'' Though a fugitive the Child Jesus Avas living, but Herod died, or rather, he perished in the most miserable manner conceivable. Not long after the murder of those infants a disgust- ing disease befell him : his body swelled prodigiously, worms grew in his flesh and when he was in such a condition that barely the places could be distinguished where his eyes had been, he attempted to kill himself with a knife, and was prevented only by his cousin. Behold again that hidden, vvonderful power in Christ's kingdom : Jesus, the infant Child, living, Herod, the mighty persecutor, dead. So it has been unto this day. Christ, and with Him the Church, abides, but the enemies and persecutors perish. Why was this sorrowful occurrence comprised in the plan of redemption ? and why is it written ? The object is clear. Man had fled from God, and Christ came to restore man again to com- munion with God. He suffered ignoble flight that we should no more be obliged to flee from the countenance of His Father. Out of His humble fleeing grows our approach to the throne of glory. This clearly illustrates the nature of Christ's kingdom. It is a kingdom of the cross, but by the cross, and under the cross it tri- umphs with everlasting victory. In Kevelations 7th chapter we read that John saw " a great multitude, which no man could num- ber, before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," and it was said unto him : " These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple." They came out of great tribulation, but they had the palms of ever- lasting victory in their hands. Christ's kingdom is a kingdom whose citizens are led from cross to glory, from labor to rest, from defeat to victory, from death to life. Sunday after Neio Year. .S8 Because this is the nature of Christ's kingdom, we shouki gird our loins and prepare our hearts to be true and loyal citizens in His kingdom. Xever' should we expect worldly gain from following Christ, remembering what He said to Pilate : "My kingdom is not of this world." We can not expect to be carried to heaven OU' ^downy beds of ease; for Christ said : " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me."" We must not hope to avoid the enmity of the wicked, or the scorn of the world; for Christ was hated and obliged to flee, and He- war ningly says : "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you I for so did their fathers to the false prophets." But when we must bear the cross, suffer affliction, feel the en- mity of the world and the scorn of the wicked, our hearts should; be cheerful and we should never despair. The kingdom of Christ., though it appear to be made an end of, has never yet been over- thrown, neither will it ever be. When affliction threatens to ovei'- whelm us, we should call to mind that those standing before the throne of God came out of great tribulation, but now hold palms iia their hands, as Christ also suffered, and by suffering entered in to His^ glory. Our hearts should be settled in the words of Paul: "We- are cast down, but not destroyed." The Lord may suffer His own- to be cast down, but He will not suffer them to be destroyed... AVhen it appears as though our enemies must prevail, and we must perish, Ave should not falter. If men seek to do evil unto us we know that, under the providence of God, they are only working for our good ; as the Scripture saith : " We know that all things work together for good, to them that love God." Very pertinently does Dr. Luther write: "The example of these innocent babes is written to teach Christians, when they suf- fer they should not suffer as murderers, thieves, adulterers, or as busybodies in other men's matters, I Pet. -t, io; for such sins should not be found among Christians. They are to fear God and are to avoid giving any offense. And yet the world shall assail them and shall not let them alone, so that their sufferings are like unto the sufferings of these innocent babes, who certainly had not deserved such a death at the hands of Herod, but had to suffer it alone on- 84 Sunday after New Year. account of the child Jesus. 80 are we to suffer; then we have the comfort that Christ suffers with us, as He said to Saul, Acts 0, 4 : ^ Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ' Then it must needs fol- low : either bodily help must come to us, or the tyrants cause us, the sooner to be delivered from this evil world and to come to Christ, our Lord and Savior." Whatever may betide, we should follow Christ cheerfully knowing that His kingdom on earth is a kingdom of the cross, but that He has an everlasting kingdom of glory in heaven in store for us, and if we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him. Here through scorn aud frown, There the glorious crown ; Here in hoping and believing, There in seeing and receiving : After scorn and frown Comes the glorious crown. Amen. EPIPH^IXY. Text : Now wheu Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusa- lem, saying. Where is he that is born King of the Jcavs ? for we have seen his star»in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea : for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligentlv for the young- child ; and wheu ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they depart- ed ; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over Avhexe the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the j-oung child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and woi'shiped him : and when they had opened their treasures,, they presented unto him gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod,, they departed into their own country another way. Matth.-^, 1-12. From time immemorial both the genius and the superstition of man have been occupied with the stars of lieaven. This can not appear strange to us. In a still, clear night the canopy of the firmament displays a scene grand in its immensity and of surpassing beauty. When we step out into the open air on a starlit night the eye is at- tracted upwards, and admiring their beauty we wonder, what the stars are, how many there are, by what laws they hold their station, perform their revolutions, and the like. Hence when the people were scattered over the face of the earth after the confusion of (85) 86 Epijilianii. languages at Babel, and many of the nations lost the kiiowledge of the true God, the heavenly bodies became one of the first ob- jects of their superstitions adoration, and to these they began to ascribe those powers and influences which belong to the Deity alone. The science of astronomy also was fostered very early among some of the ancient nations, and in fact much of. what we now know of the constellations and revolutions of the heavenly bodies we owe to the observations and the researches of men who lived thousands of years ago. Becanse the heathen worshiped the heavenly bodies as gods the science of astronomy degenerated with them into the superstition of astrology. The heathen believed that this earth with its plants and productions is governed by the stars in their various signs and constellations, and to these they in particular ascribed a controlling- influence over the life of man both in his good and evil fortunes. So entirely were many of the heathen nations given to this super- stition that in all their nndertakings and doings they would first inquire after the sign and constellation, and these they regarded either as good or evil omens. It is to be deplored that so much of this heathenish superstition is still lingering in lands which have teen Christianized for centuries. To plant, to sow, to harvest, to travel, to wed, to fasten a horseshoe over the door for good luck and a score of other things belong to heathenish idolatry and not to Christianity. We Christians are to walk in the fear of the Lord, .and not by signs. Our lives and actions are to be governed by the Word of God, and not by the stars. But the abuse of a thing will not annul the right use of it. The firmament of the heavens with its myriads of stars does cer- tainly preach a powerful sermon to us. " The heavens declare the glory of God; anci the firmament showeth his handiwork," says the 19th Psalm. The stars with a silent, but a powerful voice pro- claim the creative powei', skill and goodness of God. In their -countless multitude the stars are made a special comfort to the church. Leading Abraham, the father of the faithful, out of his tent in a starlit night God the Lord said unto him : "Look now to- ward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them," Epiplianij. 87 and then God promised him : " So shall thy seed be/" As the stars are a countless multitude which no man can number, even so those who have stood and who do stand in the faith of Abraham, and these are his true, spiritual seed. In the stars the Lord also gives signs which presage His coming to judgment and which are to serve for the warning of the wicked and the comfort of the pious ; for He said : '• And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars." Extraordinary phenomena in the starry skies are to remind us that the Lord is coming to destroy this pre- sent earth and to create new heavens and a new earth. In another passage the stars are made an emblem of the reward for patient and prolonged labor in the Lord's service ; for thus Daniel writes : "They that be wise shall shine like the brightness of the firma- ment; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." But of all Scripture passages in which the stars are mentioned those are the most lovely and comforting in which our Lord Jesus Christ is compared with, or is even directly called a star. Hence allow me to speak of : The Stak of Bethlehem, setting forth I. Who and Avhat is meant by this Star; and II. How we should make it the hope and compass of our lives* I. This Gospel narrates an occurrence which was not pleasing to the Jews, but which is specially comforting to us who are descend- ants of Japliet. It is the coming of the first Gentiles to worship Jesus. Who and what these men were is a matter of secondary im- portance. The main truth contained in this text is this, that Jesus is born a Savior not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. The scribes and Pharisees taught that the Messiah would be the Savior of the Jews only and not of the Gentiles. They thought, only by becoming Jews could the Gentiles obtain part in the Messiah. This error was refuted early in the very infancy of Jesus ; for God Himself led those Gentiles to Jesus, and spake to them in a vision, and so acknowledged them His own. And the text does not say 88 EpipJiany. that the wise men were circumcised and became Jews, but as they had come, so they departed again to their own country. Their coming was indeed a strong testimony for this blessed truth, that unto this Jesus should the gathering of the Gentiles be, the more so because they were led to Him so wonderfully by a star, showing that He is the Star of hope for all nations. AVho, then, is the Star of Bethlehem ? It is none other than Jesus Christ Himself; He is the true Star of Bethlehem. In Him is fulfilled the prophecy spoken by Balaam saying : " I shall see him, but not now : I shall behold him, but not nigh : there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel." This Star out of Jacob arose when Jesus was born at Bethlehem, and that none other than Jesus Himself is this Star is clear from Balaam's prophecy ; for he explained himself when adding : " Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion." This Star is He of whom the Old Testament so often declared that He would have dominion in the earth, a world-wide and an everlasting kingdom, and this the Lord Himself confirms at the end of the book of Reve- lations saying : " I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." The true Star of Bethlehem is Jesus Himself. Therefore He very properly revealed the fact of His birth to the wise men of the East by the apj)earing of a star. There have been various conjectures concerning this star. Some have said that it was the Holy Ghost in the form of a star; others that it was a bright and shining angel leading those men ; others that it was the light shining over the shepherds of Bethlehem, supposing that this light had been visible in that far away land. These and similar things are conjectures which have no sure foundation in the text ; for the wise men distinctly say : " We have seen hii star in the east." It was a star, yet not one of the planets or of the fixed stars ; for after shining a while it disappeared and only on the way from Je- rusalem to Bethlehem it appeared again and went before them and stood still over the place where the child Jesus was. We will not deviate from the Scriptures, if we regard it a star which God Epipliany. 89 caused to appear for the special purpose of leading those men to Jesus. But how could those men know by this star that the promised King of the Jews was born ? Some have supposed that these men came from Arabia, the same country whence came the queen of Sheba, and that the aforementioned prophecy of Balaam had been preserved in that country. Others have supposed that these men came from Babylon, to which city the word " magi " would seem to point as their home. There Daniel had lived and prophesied, and he and his prophecies were no doubt remembered a long time at Babylon. AVhen Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream the king " made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the Avise men of Babylon." It is likely that the teachings of Daniel, who was one of their greatest and wisest men, were preserved in that school of learned men and, indeed, they might have had prophecies uttered by Daniel which are not recorded in the Sacred V^olume. But these things also are more or less probable suppositions and I have mentioned them the more to emphasize the facts given in the text. The text does not say from which country these men were, neither does it tell, how they could know by this star that Jesus was born, but it does say that this star was the means by which it was made known unto them that the promise given to the Jews was now fulfilled. This star was the agency by which they were brought to Judea. God dealt with those men through means, although in their case through extraordinary means. May we too expect to be led to Jesus by some specious means, by dreams, by visions, by peculiar sensations and the like ? We have no promise that God will deal with us in that way, and if we expect it we are expecting God to do for us what He has not prom- ised us. Those wise men from the East were led by a star, but God has nowhere promised that we too should be so led. Neither should we overlook, but should carefully consider for what purpose that star served those men. It did not lead them directly to Bethlehem where Jesus was, but the appearing of this star only gave them oc- casion to travel to Judea, the land in which dwelt the people pos- 90 Epiphainj. sessing the written oracles of God. Arriving in this hmd tliey directed their steps to Jerusalem, its capital city. Why did God so dispose that those men had to travel this roundabout way ? What did they find at Jerusalem ? in that city they found a most valuable treasure, even the Avritten Word of God. This Word was proclaimed to them by hypocrites, it was communicated to them by that bloodthirsty ty- rant, Herod, but it was nevertheless the Word of God, and having the sure Word of prophecy they had a solid and immutable foun- dation on which to rest their faith. This Word gave them the assurance and certainty that they had not been deceived or misled. It is indeed to be assumed that those men were already acquainted more or less with the promises given to Israel, but at Jesusalem they found that particular Word in which the birthplace of the Savior was named, and in this Word they now had the infallible certainty that the star by which they were led Avas not a false guide. Though God does now no more use such wonderful means, yet He still so deals with men as to cause them to inquire after and to give ear to His Word. One is laid on a bed of sickness, another is stricken with poverty, another must mourn the loss of loved ones, another is saved from death or great misfortune by a peculiar in- tervention of providence, and by these things God strives to draw men to Christ and His Word. I knew a man who was well to do in Europe, but he immigrated to this country and here he was poor and had to work hard for a scanty living, yet he thanked God for it and pronounced his immigration his best fortune, because here he found the true Gospel preaching, by vrhich he obtained the living assurance of his soul's salvation. His immigration was his earthly loss, but his heavenly gain, because by it he was brought to a place where he could hear the true Gospel preaching. God will lead men wonderfully, yet His guidances are not in themselves means of conversion and salvation ; good and evil fortunes are only agencies which God uses to direct men to that one thing by which alone the saving knowledge of Christ is obtained, the Word of the Gospel. St. Peter gives testimony unto this and says : " We have also a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that ye take Epipltaiui. 91 heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in yonr hearts." Why is the Gospel called a light? Certainly because the Star of Bethlehem shines in it. Jesus Christ is the sun and centre of the Scriptures. The Gospel preaches Christ and every one who in singleness of mind gives heed to the Gospel will realize the truth of His promise when He says : " I am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Therefore we who have the Gospel should certainly not be idle, but we should imitate the wise men from the East. What did they do ? II. When the wise men had learned by the appearing of the star that the promised Savior was born, it was soon settled with them to go and to seek Him. This could certainly bring them no earthly gain, but it must rather have brought them earthly loss. What- ever their occupation may have been it had to be interrupted for a long journey and this journey itself was by no means a pleasure trip, because it must have taken them through desert lands where dangers and hardships beset them. To those men the one import- ant thing was to seek and to find Christ. Even so should it be with us. The one thing needful, the one thing of paramount import- ance to us should be to seek Christ and to be found in Him. We need not travel to a foreign land to find Christ. St. Paul writes : " The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is, the Avord of faith which we preach." In the Word of the cross Christ is preached unto us and we have the Book of His testimonies lying on the mantlepiece. Seeing we are favored so greatly should it not also be our favorite occupation to read the Word of Christ, to ponder it in the heart and to become the longer the more intimate with Jesus ? Was there ever a time when the Book of God was placed within the reach of every one as it is now ? In our dayrthe very poorest can possess a Bible and when the Word of life is made so plentiful should we then not improve our opportunities for the benefit of the soul ? We can go to the house of God every Lord's day, and the Bible invites us to read every morning and night, and 93 Epipliamj. if the Star of Bethlehem is not shining in onr hearts it is owing alone to onr own willfnl neglect and we are left without excuse. But in this text a sad fact is recorded which is found but too true at this day also. Those men from the East traveled for days across the desert and their strong desire to find the Lord helped them cheerfully to endure all hardships and to brave all dangers. Surely their hearts must have thrilled with joy when they reached the land of Jndab, that chosen land of God's own chosen people. They went into this land, but no sign of an extraordinary event could be seen. They went to Jerusalem, but there was no display of festive joy. They inquired for the new-born King of the Jews, but the inhabitants of Jerusalem looked at them with surprise, be- cause they had heard nothing of the birth of a prince. They in- sisted that the promised King was certainly born, because they had seen His star in the East, and now Jerusalem began to feel alarmed. Perhaps they applied to king Herod, perhaps he heard of these strangers and drew them to his court. He was anxious in this mat- ter, because he feared for His throne. Hence he quickly made in- quiry of those versed in the Scriptures and though with guile in his heart he told the wise men what Micah had prophesied. Yet even now, when the attention of the chief of the people was direct- ed to the fulfilling of this prophecy in such a remarkable manner, nevertheless not one of them made a move to accompany the wise men down to Bethlehem. They had to go alone. For centuries the .Jewish nation had been looking and waiting for this their prouiised King and now the news of His birth seemed evil tidings to them. Why ? I Herod, the Edomite, was king, and they thought to dethrone him would cause tumults and commotions, and they did not want to be disturbed in their money making and pleasure seeking. Must not the indifference and the earthly mindedness whicli they observed at Jerusalem have been a sore trial to the faith of tilt )se strangers from the far East ? But they stood the test. AVheii the .Jews would not go to worship their King those strangers went alone. We live in a land which is called Christian, but how many of its inhabitants are there, whose first love is Jesus Christ, whose Einphany. 93 highest aim is to be found ill Him ? Surely they are a miuority, not to say a remnant only. The great majority is given to money making and pleasure seeking. And this often becomes a cause of temptation to the Christian. The devil will suggest that he is foolish in not thinking and living as others do, and his own flesh will draw the Christian to fall in line with those who are traveling the broad way. Let us therefore well note the example of these wise men. When the inhabitants of Jerusalem would not go with them they went alone. If others will not go with us to seek and to follow Jesus let us go alone. If father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife will not go with thee, go alone, and make haste to secure the salvation of thy soul. Here is the Word of the Lord proclaiming this great and glorious fact: The long promised King of the Jews is born and He is thy Savior. Let thy soul flee from the land of destruction and find salvation with this King, and let it not hinder thee, if the multitude go not with thee. Yea, if even those dearest to thy heart will not go with thee, go thou alone. " Let us now go," said the shepherds, after the angel had spoken unto them, " Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." Amen. I. SrJNL»AY AFTER EF^IPHAXY. Text : Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 4.nd when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerus- alem after the custom of the feast. And Avlien they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's Journey ; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both liearing them, and asking them ([uestions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed : and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us '? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought meV wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business "? And they understood not the saying Avhicl) he spake unto them. And he went down Avith tliem, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them : but his mother kept all these say- ings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and num. Luke 2, 41-52. " The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." These words the Lord spake after the deluge, when He smelled the sweet savor of Noah's burnt-offering. Man is of a corrupt nature, and hence it necessarily follows that " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually." This corruption which is in the nature of man naturally begins to exert itself early in his very infancy. To this Solomon bears witness saying : " Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child," and of himself and the Ephesians St. Paul says : " We Avere by nature the children of wrath, even as others." This is the testimony which God Himself bears concern- ing the childhood and youth of man, and its truth is attested by (94) /. Sunday after Epiphany. 95 the experience of all ages. Excepting our Lord Jesus Christ there was never a child born upon this earth whose heart was not prone to all manner of evil. Where is the mother who does not know that a child is inclined to do just that very thing which it is forbidden to do? If not that which is good is early implanted into the heart nothing will grow in it save only the weeds of wickedness and vice- How some can assert that children are innocent and have no sin is hard to understand. Infants are indeed innocent in comparison to grown up sinners, but to say that they are without sin is contrary to the declaration of the Lord : ''That which is born of the flesh, is flesh," and what it brings forth will self-evidently be on the same order. " The child is a chip of the old block," and in youth the evil propensities of nature are peculiarly active. By the grace of God there have been many who were pious and virtuous in their youth, as we see in Josejih, Daniel, Timothy, the virgin Mary and many others. And there are yet many young peo- ple of praiseworthy piety and virtue, but their piety is not of natural growth. They are made pious by a godly education and the work of the Holy Ghost in the heart. On the other hand we have nu- merous examples of great men of God who had to regret the sins of their youth with bitter tears. When David, the man after the heart of God, looked back to his youthful days he was constrained to sigh : " Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgres- sions." Job, whose piety the Scriptures laud so highly, in the days of his affliction said : " Thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the ini"s 'L'HANSFiftURATioN ox the Mount. Let me attempt to set forth : I. How it transpired ; II. What effect it had on the disciples; and III. How we are made partakers of His glory. T. The transtiguratiou of Christ took place a week after He first told His disciples that He must suifer and die at Jerusalem. This pre- diction of His suffering- \ind death Avas very offensive to the disci- ples, so much so that I'eter took Him aside and said unto Him : " Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." Peter, not yet rightly understanding the Lord's missiot^ thought He should be spared such shame and suffering, but Jesus replied : " (let thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me; for thou sav- orest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." His transfiguration so soon after this occurrence was to show the disciples that His suffering and death were not against His glory, but rather through dishonor He would obtain the highest honor ; for from that same body, which was to be spitted on, striped and nailed to the cross, divine glory shone forth. " And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, Jamts, and John his brother, ami hringeth them up into an high mountain apart,-' Mat- thew says "after six days," Luke says : "And it came to pass, about an eight days after these sayings." There are different ways of computing time. From Sunday to Sunday, the Sundays excluded, is six days ; from Sunday to Sunday, the Sundays included, is eight days. To say " after six days," and again " about an eight days after " is not a contradiction. For witnesses of His transfiguration Jesus chose the three most prominent of His disciples, Peter, James and John. Peter had taken special exception to the Lord's saying that He must die at Jerusalem, James was to become the first martyr among the apostles 148 VI. iSunday after Epiphany. being put to death by Herod at Jerusalem and John was to become the principal defender of Christ's divinity. With these three the Lord went up into a high mountain. This mountain is not named by the Evangelists, but the earliest church fathers agree in saying, and it is generally accepted, that it was mount Tabor, the highest mountain in Galilee and a secluded place. When they had arrived on the mountain Jesus betook Himself to prayer and while He prayed He " was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the liglitJ' The apostles compare the glory shining forth from the Lord with the brightest visible creatures. We mortals know of nothing and can imagine nothing brighter than the sun or more shining than the light. Human language lacks th^ words fully to express the glory of the invisible God and the Scriptures speak to us by way of comparison to convey to our minds some idea of what it is. Yet we must not think that the Lord's countenance shone with a glaring light which would have blinded the eyes like the noonday light of the sun. It was a lovely, beatifying light ; for ravished with delight did the disciples look upon the Lord. But you will not expect me to describe to you the glory of Christ transfigured. To such a request I could only reply : Let us see that we die in the Lord ; then we will know His glory, when we shall see Him face to face. Coming down the mountain the Lord charged the disciples saying : " Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man he risen again from the dead.^' His transfiguration was not yet to be made public, because it was something which belonged to His state of exaltation. So we should content ourselves ta walk by faith until the day of our exaltation, when we shall " meet the Lord in the air." But this we may ask : Whence came the glory visible in Him ? It came not from without, but from within. In the Old Testament there was one man of whom, in a certain sense, we may say that he was transfigured. It was Moses. When he came down from the mount, where he had conversed with God, his face shone that the children of Israel could not bear to look on him. That light shin- ing in the countenance of Moses was impressed on him by his inter- VJ. Sunday after Epiphany. 149 course with God. It was from without and not from within. But it was not so with Jesus Christ. He was God. In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. In His state of humiliation He ordinarily kept His divine majesty hid that the eye of man could not discern it, but there on the mount it shone forth in Him. Therefore His very garments were made white as the light. The light in Moses' countenance, being only communicated from with- out, was hid when he covered his face with a veil, but the garments of Jesus were no obstruction to the brightness streaming from His body- It was the brightness of His divinity made visible to the bodily eye of the disciples and to that brightness His vesture could be no obstruction. For this we have the testimony of both Peter and John. Peter writes : " We were eye-witnesses of his majesty,, when we were with him in the holy mount," and John says : "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." Mark well this wonderful occurrence on mount Tabor and learn from it that divine glory is in very deed communicated to the humanity. It was the same body which shone in divine glory and which was raised on the cross covered with shame, even as Peter accused the Jews that they " crucified the Lord of glorv." When the body of Jesus Christ was raised on the cross the Lord of glory was being crucified, and because a body possessing divine glory was made the ransom for us we may not doubt that our sins are atoned for and we shall surely come to dwell in that city which. John saw and of which he says: "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it : for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." From that city two men appeared on the mount of transfigura- tion : ^^And heliold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Mm.''' Elias had not died, he was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. Moses died on mount Nebo and was buried by God Him- self. Here Moses appeared together with Elijah, so his body had been raised again from the grave. There is another life after this present life. Moses and Elias were not dead, they lived and were in communion with God, otherwise they could not have conversed with the Lord. When man departs this life he enters on another 150 VL Sundai/ after Ej)iphany. aud an altogetlu'r different life ; for this present is a bodily and that other a spiritual life. This is here exemplified ; for those two men had long since departed out of this life, yet they lived and their bodies Avere now in such a coudition that they could appear and disappear. Of that spiritual, heavenly life we know nothing cei'tain save onlv what the Scriptures tell us. 'J'hat we ourselves mav enter that life and learn all about it we must give heed to the subject on which those two men conversed with Jesus. On Avhat did they speak? Did they talk on moukery, or fast- ino-, or church ceremonies, or the mourners bench, or holiness meet- ings, or doing right? Here were two men from the celestial city speaking with the Son of God. Certainly they did not engage in flimsy talk, but chose a subject of vast and vital importance, and the conversation taking place on earth we may surmise that it con- cerned the weal and woe of us earth-born mortals, and so it did. Matthew does not name the subject, but T.uke does. He says : " Thev spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusa- lem.'' That was the great subject, that the burden of their con- versation, the Lord's capture, trial, death, burial aud resurrection. Do you think : is that the outcome? That tedious old story, heard a hundred times I Had they not something more interesting, the glories of heaven or the mysteries of the spirit world, to talk about ? Friend, if you tind the history of Christ's death a tedious old story, you are certainly of a different mind than Moses and Elias. To them the death of Christ at Jerusalem was the great, the all- absorbing subject, aud the same is the case with all the saints stand- ing before the throne of Cod; for their song to the Lamb runs thus : ''Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." The Lamb's blood and death is the admiration of the saints in heaven, their song and their happi- ness. If to you, all this is a tedious old story you are not fitted for the company of the saints; neither will you be found there, unless you put away your carnal mind and crawl to the cross. The cross of Christ is your salvation. O, make it the talk of your soul, com- mune on it in your heart. VI. Sunday after Epiphany. 151 ir. From that heavenly conversation the disciples might or ought to have learned the true meaning of Christ'is suffering and death, but they were so much filled with amazement that they could scarce- ly realize what they were thinking or doing. This is evident from the words of Peter ; for he said : " Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tahernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."" Peter was so enthused that he forgot ■every thing. His wife, his friends, his property were all forgotten. He wanted to stay on that mountain and never to come down again. Peter forgot even himself ; for he spake only of three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, one for Elias, but none for himself. His soul was so ravished with joy that all his desire was so to be- hold the Lord always. Peter was indeed talking foolishly when he spake of building huts there. Just from the Lord's conversation with Moses and Elias he ought to have understood that Jesus must come down from that mountain to die a shameful death at Jerusa- lem, but " he wist not what to say." From the effect of the Lord's transfiguration on the disciples we may learn a few things concerning the life in the new heaven and the new earth. The disciples at once knew Moses and Elias, not by pictures which they had seen, — there were no photographs of those men — , they knew them by intuition. The saints in heaven will recognize one another, and what joy it will be to meet the mar- tyrs and all those who loved and confessed Christ on the earth ! It is joy to meet with those whom we dearly love after a pro- tracted separation. But this earthly joy is a mere shadow of what will be in those realms where love is perfect. — Facinated by the sight of the Lord's glory Peter forgot every thing else. When we shall see the Lord face to face all will be forgotten which could disturb our happiness. The former things will then have passed away. Earthly loves, earthly affections and aspirations, earthly cares and afflictions will be past and will trouble the heart no more. The seeing of the Lord's glory will afford full satisfaction. — Heaven is the place where tabernacles are I^uilt and not taken down ; taber- 152 VJ. Sunday after Epiplumy. nacles which will remain, when the mountain on which Peter pro- posed to build, will be no more. " We know," says St. Paul, " if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- ing of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."' From those tabernacles none will wish to remove ; they will all say : ^*It is good for uk to he here" Is it your desire to be there ? Does your heart consent to Paul, when he says : " In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed uj)on with our house which is from heaven " ? Does your soul agree with David, when he says : " My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord " ? Do yon with fullness of heart join in the song : Jerusalem, my happy home. Name ever dear to me. When shall my labors have an end • In joy, and peace, and Thee? When shall these eyes Thy heaven-built walls And pearly gates behold '? Thy bulwarks with salvation strong, And streets of shining gold ? The lover of Jesus is indeed resigned to the Lord's will, whether to live or die, but his longing is to depart and to be with Jesus, and his soul says : The sooner the better. III. Does your heart tremblingly say : Ah indeed ! Who would not desire to see the glories of heaven ? Bnt how shall I be found worthy to enter there ? I have sinned and my garments are spotted. Let me direct you to a circumstance in this text which will teach you where to seek your worthiness. The garments of Jesus were of earthly fabric and though He wore good garments so that the soldiers crucifying Him thought it worth while to cast lots for His coat, yet Jesus did no^possess many changes of raiment, and it is safe to conclude that by much travel His garments were more or less soiled and dusty. Yet by the glory flowing from His body "his raiment became shining, exceeding VI. Sunday after Epiphany. 153 white as snow ; so as no fuller on earth can white them." If we are to be found " meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light," our souls must be dressed in white. But to make the soul pure and white earthly powers and human skill are all in vain. Unto Judah the prophet Jeremiah said : "Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord." There is only One who can make the soul white. It is He of whom the prophet Malachi said : " He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi ; and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." This refiner and purifier is Jesus, who made His own earthly garments white as the light, and shining as His raiment was, it is but an emblem of the "gar- ments of salvation" which he has earned for us. Dressed in His righteousness, the robe of His merits, our souls are gloriously ar- rayed in the sight of His Father ; for of Him the Father bears this testimony : "This is my beloved So7i, in lohom lam well pleased,'' Well pleased with His Son the Father must be well pleased with those that are in Christ. you who have walked in sin, you who have soiled your soul and loaded your conscience, you who have made your members weapons of unrighteousness, turn to Jesus Christ. He can make white and pure. Be the spots in your soul never so dark, your deeds never so black, Christ's glory will ever overcome them. " Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Turn to Jesus beseeching Him to make white your garments, and doubt it not that His blood cleanses you from all sin. The publican and dying thief Applied to Christ and found relief ; Nor need you entertain a doubt : He will in no wise cast you out. This is the Father's command that you come to Jesus ; for He says : "Hear ye him.'- Hear Jesus Christ. What has He to say ? He says : " I am the Lord that healeth thee." Acknowledge that you are sick, sick unto death and hear Him saying : " The son of 154 VL Suiidan after Epiphany. man is come to save that which was lost.'' '* Hon, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." '- Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Turn to Jesus (Jhrist ; incline unto Him the ears of your heart and hear Him speaking to you in many words of great promise, and you will soon learn to say : I heard the voice of Jesus say : " I am this dark world's light ; Look unto me, thj' morn shall rise, And all thy day be bright ! " I looked to Jesus, and I found In Him my Star, my Sun ; And in that Light of life I'll walk Till travelina: davs are done. Amen. SEPTI lAOESIiVIAK SUNDEW Tkxt : The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a house- holder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place, and said unto them ; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found ■others standing idle, and saith un to them. Why stand ye here all tlie day idle? They say unto him. Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard ; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward. Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more ; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying. These last have Avroughtbut one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat •of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way : I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own ? is thine eye evil, because I am good V So the last shall be first, and the first last : for many be called, but few chosen. Matth 2(1, 1-10. The kiiigdoui of heaven, the visible church of Christ on earth, is like nnto a held in which wheat and tares are mixed together. The wheat are the true Christians, the tares are those who are in the outward community of the church, but are not Christians at heart. To these tares belong also the drones and idlers, who are in the church of Christ, but do nothing for it. In the parable before us, the kingdom of Clirist is compared with a vineyard, and those nulled to it with laborers in the vineyard. Now a vinevard ivS a (155) 166 Septuagesimae Sunday. place where^there is much and some hard work to do. Herein is a similarity between the kingdoms of Christ and the kingdom of the world. Man is not placed on this earth to idle away his life- time, but to labor in some useful employment. Many, indeed, count laboring a disgrace, and there are not a few who will rather beg than dig, rather steal than work ; but in fact it is idleness and not work which is a disgrace to man ; for to the Thessalonians St. Paul writes : " We hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies." To idle away the days and not to work, that is a aisgrace to an able bodied man, and it is walking disorderly, for God's order is that every man should be occupied in some useful employment. God has not only commanded this, to industrious labor He has also given great prom- ises. Thus the 128 Psalm says : " Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord ; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands : happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." The man who labors industriously in the fear of God has the prom- ise that God will supply him what he needs for himself and family ; but the idler has no promise, save that poverty shall overtake him as an armed man. Let the drone be rich or poor, he is a nuisance in the community ; an evil example, harmful and of no good. Similar in the church. If a church has five hundred members, but drones, do-nothings, how shall that church thrive ? Certainly, if three earnest workers join together they will accomplish more than a hundred drones. This househoulder goes out to hire labor- ers into his vineyard. Those called to the kingdom of Christ are also called to labor in it. Here the word is : All hands to work ; drones are not wanted ; they are only a hindrance and a draw- back. Of that unfruitful tree in His vineyard the Lord said: " Behold, these three years 1 come seeking fruit on this fig- tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cun^breth it the ground ?" The drone in the church is nothing but an encumbrance. He himself will do nothing, and he is a hindrance to those who want to work and who do work. Drones are tares, an encumbrance to the wheat. Be not an idler in the vineyard, but lend your hand that the kingdom may thrive and grow and be spread abroad. Septuagesimae Sunday. 157 Yet from this fact that drones are only an encumbrance, it does not follow that those who do work are all pleasing to the housefather. If a laborer works hard and does it all wrong, his industry will occassion so much more harm to his employer. It must be the right kind of work performed in the right spirit. Hence selecting only the main thought in this text let me set forth : The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard a Proof THAT WE ARE SaVED ALONE BY GrRACE ; showing I. How the parable proves this ; and II. What warning and comfort is contained in it. I. From this parable, which is so exceedingly rich in doctrine, I desire to-day, in the most simple manner possible, to exhibit only the chief and main point of doctrine which the Lord here intended to inculcate. Given in a few words it is this : In the kingdom of Christ an altogether different rule obtains than in worldly transac- tions. In this world the rule is : As the labor, so the wages. That is equity and justice. But in the kingdom of Christ there is neither earning nor paying of wages. Whatever a man receives of spiritual gifts, is all alone by the grace of (lod, and never because that man earned it or in any way deserved it. In Christ's kingdom all is grace, and nothing but grace. How does the parable prove this ? The connection is this : Peter, speaking also for the other apostles, asked the Lord : "Behold, we have forsaken all, and fol- lowed thee; what shall we have therefore?" Peter did indeed not follow Jesus for the sake of reward, he walked with Jesus because he believed Him to be the promised Savior. But aside from this faith Peter had the idea, because they had forsaken all and followed the Lord, they deserved and ought to have some reward. When Peter appealed to their forsaking all and inquired about the reward, it was as much as saying : Lord, we have done this much for Thee, ]5iS Se.ptungcmttac Sunday. now what in returu wilt Thou do for us? Pett^r argued from the rule which obtains here on earth auioiig men. It is this: One favor is deserving of another ; honest work, honest pay ; I do you a good turn, so in equity you ought to regard yourself under obligation to do me a good turn ; I work for you, so you owe me wages. That is the principle underlying Peter's (]uestion. It is the principle on which dealings among men are, or, at least, ought to bej invariably carried on. The workman ought to do an honest ilay's work, and the employer ought to pay him an honest day's Avages. That is right and equitable here on earth among men. This rule of mutual right and equity among men, Peter ap- plied to the kingdom of Christ and wanted to learn of the Lord^- what He would give them for what they had done for Him. The Lord answered Peter, they would verily not I'emain unrewarded, they would be rewarded a hundred fold, and they would sit on twelve thrones Judging the twelve tribes of Israel, but He added : " Many that are lirst shall be last, and the last shall be Hrst." This was a word of warning to Peter, and it implied : by looking and asking for reward he was stepping on dangerous ground, and he must (piit doing so, or out of a first one he would become a last one and would lose both inheritance aiul reward. To this warning the Lord annexed this parable, and hence it is very evidently the Lord's direct and chief object to teach that in His kingdom an entirely different rule ap})lie« than in dealings among men. What is that rule ? The parable is this : In the morning the householder hires laborers for his vineyard and contracts with theni for a penny a day, the penny standing for the common day's wages. During the day, and even towards night, he engages other laborers and contracts with them on the same principle; for he says : ^'Whatsoever is righty 1 will give you.'" So all these laborers go to the vineyard to work in it, and at sunset they come for their wages. All this is very simple, according to right and contract. But now comes the remarkable part of the parable. ''So when even was tmne, the lorrl of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Gall the laborers, and give them their hire, beginnitig from the last unto Septuayesimac Siindny. 159 the jirsL And lokeH they came that inere hired about the eUventh hour, they received every man a pomy. But wlien the fir d came, they supposed that tliey shoiddliavi' received nwre: and they likewise rereived every man a penny J' Some had labored twelve hours, some six^ some only one hour, yet the householder pays those who had worked only one hour the same amount as the lirst with whom he had con- tracted in the morning. Now those hired tirst thought, this thing- was wrong and they spoke up against the householder saying : " Ttiese last have ivromjlit Init one hour, and tliou hast made them equal unto us, lohich lutre borne tlie burden ami lieat of tlie day.'' Were they not justified in murmuring ? Was it right and according to equity what this householder did? Those dissatisfied ones calcula- ted in this way : We get a day's wages for twelve hours work, so those who labored only one hour ought to get one-twelfth of a day's wages; or if those hired last are paid more, we too ought to get pro- portionately more. Those hired first are indeed not cheated, they get what they contracted for, but what they object to is that the last are paid the same amount. Well, could not the householder make a present to those hired last? So he could, aiul if he had given it as a present then none of the others would have had any show of right to say a word against it ; for when it comes to making presents then I have the choice, to whom J want to present a gift and what I will give him. But here there was nothing said of making presents, neither was the penny given as a present; for the householder commanded his steward : " Gall the laborers, and give ttiem tlieir hire, beginning from tlie last unto fJie first." To all the penny was given as wages. So there can be no question about it, this householdei" does not act according to the rule of equity among men. ^'ou hire six men : three labor a day, three half a day, and at night you pay them all, each seventy-five cents. Against this the three first would have reason to grumble and ail the neighboring farmers would say : That will never do, because it tends to raise the wages. That this householder acted according to a dilt'erent rule than that of merit and reward, labor and pay, he himself declares saying to one of those grumblers : "Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst mo/ 160 iSepiuagesimae iSunday. thou agree with me for a penny f Take that thine is and go thy way : I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not latvful for me to do what Iioill with inine own f is thine eye evil, because lam good ?" He says : The pittance for which thou didst contract with me, thou hast received, and now go. But as to my goods they are mine own ; I owe them to no mau and I will divide them as I see proper ac- cording to mine own goodness and benevolence. So those grumblers, who thought they ought to get more, were sent away in displeasure, whereas those who received the penny as not earned and not de- served, as coming from the goodness of the householder, retained his good pleasure. Christ does not deal with those called into His kingdom accord- ing to the rule of what is right and fair. If He did. His kingdom would cease to be a kingdom of salvation for sinners, and we would all be lost ; for all have sinned, and if He would deal with us ac- cording to right, the sentence could be none other than this : "The wages of sin is death." Christ observes a rule which is the very op- posite of justice. Jesus Christ is not come to condemn the world, but to save the world ; not to punish sin, but to forgive sin ; not to consign the sinner to eternal death, but to bring him eternal life. Jesus Christ is not come to pay us according to our work, but freely to bestow on us the gifts of His grace and mercy. He deals with us according to His goodness, and not according to what we have earned and deserve. " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." In Christ's kingdom all is grace, nothing pay, nothing wages. He indeed promised a reward even for giving a cup of cold water, but what reward ? A hundred fold reward. That is also not according to what is deserved, it is the abounding of His mercy and loving kindness. 11. There are also other doctrines which may be set forth from this parable, but this is clearly ^/iejoom^ which the Lord aimed to Impress on the minds of His disciples. In the kingdom of this Septuagesimae Sunday. 161 world and in the kingdom of Christ two entirely different rules ob- tain. As the labor, so the pay — that is right among men ; but in the kingdom of Christ all is grace, and though a Christian has la- bored ever so long and fver so industriously, all that he receives, is purely by the goodness of the householder, and not because he has earned and deserved it. Paul labored more than any of the other apostles, yet the Lord said unto him : " My grace is sufficient for thee." Therefore mark these two rules well and do not exchange or mix them together ; for neither of them will apply in the other kingdom. The rule of Christ's kingdom will not apply in earthly affairs. Suppose you would offer me my year's salary with the remark that it is a gift and present, I would answer : Friends, in that way I shall not take it ; for I have spent my time and labor in your service and it is my wages and not a present. But on the other hand, if I have labored in the service of Christ for a year, can I then come before Him and say : Lord, I have labored a twelvemonth for Thee, where are my wages ? Would He not an- swer : Thou ungrateful servant ! Have not I done good unto thee from the days of thy childhood, when thou deservedst it not? '■'■Take that thine is, and go thy way.'^ Therefore I repeat it, mark these two rules well and apply each in its proper place, and do this not only in theory, but practically in your own heart and mind, and it will spare you much trouble and anguish of heart. Remember, there are in the visible Church two kinds of workers. Some work with an eye to the reward, some from grati- tude towards God and from the love of that which is good. Those who labor with an eye to the reward do, as a rule, labor hard, but they are always ready to complain that God does not bless and pros- per thefti as He ought, and they are envious of those who have not labored as long and as much as they, and yet are made equal with them. What do such wage-workers get ? They generally do get the pittance of advantages which an outwardly pious and moral life brings in this world, as the Lord says of the Pharisees with respect to their praying at street corners and their giving alms in the market places : " They have their reward." Their reward was honor before men, that was their penny, and it was all they got. Be 162 SepUtagesimae Sunday. warned, therefore, and be not a wage-worker in the Lord's vineyard, or you are found a servant and not a son, and the servant remains not in the house. And even the most advanced Christian should never regard this warning as needless for him. The old Adam is so easily tickled with the idea of being deserving and the devil is sly enough to tempt unto trust in works under the very name of grace. He can argue : Oh ! it is all grace, but see, you do what so many will not do, you go to church, you read, you do good, therefore you have obtained and possess grace. That is making the very gift of grace a kind of reward obtained by man's work. We must never lose sight of this fact : every man that is saved, is saved in no other way, than the malefactor on the cross, simply by the mercy of God. Before Him uone can boasting stand, But all must fear his strict demand, And live alone by mercy. But this parable has also comfort for down-cast hearts, such as say: " I long to work in the Lord's vineyard, but I am not so situ- ated as to do much in any way, and when I try to do some good, something is sure to come up and to spoil it. Shall I then be ex- cluded as an unprofitable servant and of no benefit to the vine- yard ?" Indeed, we do little, and what \ve do is all nothing but patchwork. There is not one in this house who can show up one hour of thoroughly good and faultless labor in the Lord's vineyard. The Christian does good, but as long as he is not rid of the fiesh, he cannot do one work which is not tainted and imperfect in some way. Instead of taking pride and putting trust in our good works, we have rather I'eason to be ashamed of them before God, because, measured by the standard of holiness, not one of them could pass muster. what a precious thing that the householder deals with us according to His own mercy. "7 will give unto this last even as unto thee.^' The gifts of grace were set before those griimblers, but they did not want gifts, they wanted wages, whereas those who knew Septuagesimae Sundai/. 163 that they had earned nothing, were glad to receive the gift. If you feel your nnworthiness, despair not I It is not a gift of reward which is for the worthy, it is grace, and because it is grace, there- fore it is for those who have not earned it and are not worthy of it- Are you unworthy ? God is gracious. By grace I Our works are all rejected, All claims of merit pass for naught ; The mighty Savior, long expected, To us this blissful truth has brought. That He by death redeems our race, And we are saved alone by grace. Amen.. SEXAGKSIIVIAE SUNOAV Text : And when much people were gathered together, aud were' come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable : A sower went out to sow his seed : and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side ; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock ; aud as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit a hundred-fold. Aud when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying. What might this parable be '? And he said, Unto y6u it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in para- bles ; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not under- stan'd. Now the parable is this : The seed is the word of God. Those by the way-side are they that hear ; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of tempta- tion fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of thi^ life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, ke.ep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8, 4-15 Grent are the exertions which are now made to refine and ennoble the human race. Progress is the watchword of the age, not only in material improvements, but also in the culture of the mind ; and it is certainly true, education was never so widespread, never so general a thing as it is now. By education, men say, the human race is becoming nobler, better ; its moral standard more elevated. And the theory is advanced, the more widespread and thorough education would become, the more would vice be subdued, the more would the nobler qualities of our race be developed. (164) Sexagesimae Sunday. 165 Now the Christian church has never been an opponent of education and learning; in all ages the church has proved herself the foster-mother also of worldly learning, sciences and the fine arts. Where the Bible is introduced barbarism must vanish, civili- zation follows in its wake. The Christian nations are the civilized, the educated, the enlightened ones. Bat in our times education is greatly overestimated that many count it the help of the world. If we ask, what is the need of the world ? men will answer : Education. We Chi-istians know that education is not the true help of the world. Education is good, it is praiseworthy, but when men think education the one thing needful, when they say, that education would elevate the human race from the pool of depravity into which it has fallen, that is a fatal error. When education is made to supplant the Gospel of Jesus Christ it is put to an evil and harmful use. The heart of man is evil and remains evil, though you educate him a thousand years in all the scieuces of this world. Does not history tell us, and does not our own observation prove to us that fre<|uently the most educated are the most vicious of men ? I am of course not speaking against education. From a worldly point of view the best fortune which parents can provide for their children is to give them a good education. That is better than to leave them a pile of money. I am speaking against education being regarded as the savior of mankind, and I say : Education can make a man a gentle- man, but it cannot make him a Christian. There is but one thing in the world which can, in the true and full meaning of the word, help man, and that is the Word of the cross. It alone is the incorruptible seed by which men are born again to become new creatures. Education gives to man outwai'd polish, but the Word of the cross makes him a new creature from heart and soul. The true help of man is to hear the Word of God, and that is his only help. All those who would become new creatures, who would be born again to an imperishable hope, must hear the Word of God. Human wisdom and human contrivances may change and polish the manners, but the heart they can not change ; this only that Word can do which is " the power of God." 166 Sexagesimae Sunday. The Gospel of Christ is now scattered broadcast throughout the world, and it is a good and powerful seed which brings fruit wherever it is sown. It blesses a heart here and saves a soul there ; "it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Yet not in all does the seed bring fruit to perfection. The Lord distinguishes four kinds ■of hearers. Hence let me speak oti : The Fourfold Hearinct of God's Word. I. Of the tirst class of hearers the Lord says : " A sotver went out ■ io sow his seed : and as he soioed, some fell Inj the wayside; (tnd it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it." This He explains thus : " Those by the wayside are they that hear ; then com- eth the devil, and taheth away the word out of their hearts, lest they ■should helieve and he saved.'' This class are persons who do hear the Word, but they are not renewed, not converted, not saved by it. Their hearts are hard like unto a hard-trodden pathwg,y. The seed falls on the surface and it remains on the surface, and in a very short time it has disappeared again. They do not take the Word to heart, they do not understand it and soon they have forgotten it. To preach the Gospel to this class of hearers is like beating the air. You may beat the air an hundre 1 strokes with a switch, you will hear a whistling sound and you will gradually feel your arm tiring, but that is all ; not a vestige of the strokes will remain in the air. This class of hearers may liear the Gospel for years, yet they un- derstand and know nothing or very little about it. If you will look around among your acquaintances you will, no doubt, find such who go to preaching, and as for the law they know well enough what is right and vvrong among men, but when it comes to the Gospel they do not understand the first principles of it, although they have heard it perhaps an hundred times. Where is the fault? Is it in the seed ? no! it is not the fault of the seed ; the seed is good. Indeed, it is exactly the same seed whether it falls " hy the wayside " or " on good ground.'' One Sexagesimae Sunday. 167 and the same Gospel is preached to all, and of it Christ says : " The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Where is the fault? Is it in the quality of the soil, because it is hard ? This the text does also not say; it only says : " Some fell by the wayside,'" but it does not say that this was the reason why it could not grow. Originally the hearts of all are like the wayside soil. By nature all have a stony heart, and this is a divine seed with divine power to make the hardest soil soft and fertile. " Is not my word like as a lire ? saith the Lord ; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? " That which can break rocks can also break wayside soil. The test says of the seed : " // was trodden doivn, and the fowls of the air devoured if." That is the reason. The seed is trodden down. Those by the wayside themselves tread down the seed. When they hear the Word they put it from them, as Paul said to the Jews of Antioch : " It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you : but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." The wayside hearers put the Word from them, saying within themselves that they do not want it. Others, when they hear the Word, are struck by it, but they argue : If I would let this seed grow in my heart what would my acquaintances say ? how would my companions regard me ? would they not call me a fool, and would I not lose their friendship ? They think they could not afford to risk losing the friendship of men and so they put down the Word. The seed by the wayside is not only trodden down, it is also devoured by the fowls of the air : " Thoi cometh the devil, and tah- eth away the word out of their hearts." The devil knows that it is the Word which does the harm to his kingdom and therefore, if he can not keep people from going to hear he will be busy to take the Word from their hearts even while the pastor is preaching. If he can make the mind drowsy, or fill it with thoughts of pleasure or business or sinful and filthy imaginings the Word can not enter the heart. And with many who did give attendance to the Word the enemy yet succeeds in taking it from them by a chat at the church 168 Sexagesimae Sunday. door, or a diversion in the evening. If you go to church every Sunday, but each time allow the enemy to take the Word from you it is labor lost and your last estate will be worse than the first. Does not the text exculpate those by the wayside ? Does not the Lord plainly say to the disciples : " Unto yoti it is given to hi07o the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to. others in parables ; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." Must we not conclude from these words that it was not the will of the Lord that those people should understand His doctrine, believe it and be saved ? And if it was not His intention that they should understand, how could any guilt fall on them ? These conclusions appear very reasonable, but they are not founded in the text and do not follow from it. If the Lord said, He spoke to the people in parables for this reason, because He did not want them to under- stand it and be saved, then He would have contradicted many pas- sages of the Scripture which so distinctly declare, that He will have all men to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. The text is clear in itself if we only examine it right. The reason why the seed by the Avayside does not grow and bring fruit is, because it is trodden down and devoured. The Sower sows the seed with the intent that it should grow. He sows good seed, and it would grow and bring fruit if it were not trodden down and devoured. To this the devil himself gives testimony; for he '■'cojneth and taketli away the luord out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.' ^ The devil knows for what purpose the seed is sown, he knows that it is good seed and if left there will bring forth faith and salvation ; therefore he says : I must be at hand, I must take that seed away, or the eyes of those people will be opened, they will believe and be saved. So the devil himself bears testimony that it is the will of the Sower, that those people should believe and be saved. But since this is the Lord's will what can we make of the words : " To others in parables ; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." We must here not forget to what kind of people the Lord was speaking. He had preached to the people before, and He had not spoken to them in dark sayings, but in childlike words; for in his first chapter Mark informs us : Sexagesimae Sunday. 169 " Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God," but they received not His Word. Now He spake to them in parables which they could see and yet not see, which they could understand and yet not understand. They could understand the words seed, sowing, wayside, etc., but the parabolic, the hidden meaning thereof they could not understand. And the Lord spake to them in this manner to induce them to seek after the hidden meaning of His words, as the disciples did who can^e asking an ex- planation. If the multitude would have come asking further in- struction they would have received it just as well as the disciples ; for Jesus never rejected any one who came unto Him. II. If Satan cannot hinder the seed from taking root and begin- ning to grow in the heart his aim will next be to cause it to wither again. Of the second class of hearers the parable says : "Some fell upon a rock; mid as soon as it was sjrrung wp, if withered away, l)e- cause it lacked moisture." In explanation the Lord says : " They on the roch are they, which, when they hear, receive the word ivith joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temy- tation fall away." On a rock with but a thin layer of soil seed will spring up very quickly, but hot sunshine and dry winds cause it to wither quickly. This class of hearers do truly believe for a while, but seeing a young and promising faith spring up is hateful to the enemy and he will do his best to cause the young Christian to fall into sin or to be offended at the cross of Christ. Many are the instances of awakenings which seemed to promise great things, but soon died away like young wheat on a rock is singed. AVhy do many become backsliders so ([uickly ? "• And these have no root." A shallow surface only was cultivated in them, and underneath the rock remained unbroken. They repent, but not thoroughly. Hosea says of them : "They return, but not to the Most High : they are like a deceitful bow." Many are carried away by momentary emotions. The Word does lay hold on them and for a while it seems that they would become zealous and exemplary Christians, but it is all only superficial. In the depth of the heart, 170 Sexagesvmae Sunday. in the background of the soul the rocky soil remained unbroken, and when a heat, a temptation, an aflfliction comes they fall away. Therefore the prophet Joel exhorts : " Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God." Let the plough- share of the law penetrate deeply and turn up the soil thoroughly that the seed of the Gospel can strike firm root and can endure the •drouth when it comes. in. There is another danger to the growing seed, beside being con- sumed by the drouth. ^'^And some fell among thorns ; and tJie thorns sprang up ivith it, and ehoTced it." Of these the Lord says in His explanation : "That which fell among thorns, ai'e they, which, lohen they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches, and pleasures of this life, and hring no fruit toiJerfection." Seed sown among thorns will not die so quickly as that on the rock, it may grow very luxuriantly for a while, but when the thorns begin to crowd it, then it turns yellow, becomes sickly and gradually dies. Therefore the Lord does not say of those among thorns that they bring no fruit at all, but they " bring no fruit to perfection." They are true Christians, spiritually alive, and they begin to bring the fruits of the Spirit by walking in good works, but the thorns come up and they gain ground until they infest the whole heart. So the spiritual life is choked and the fruit unto salvation does not follow. The thorns are all sins and evil lusts, of which the Lord specifies three : "Cares and riches, and pleasnres of this life." Indeed, three most dangerous thorns. Many turn to the Lord in all earnestness, and especially do many in their youth vow allegiance unto the Lord, in uprightness of heart pledging themselves to walk in the ways of the Lord to the end of their lives, but in after years they become entangled and choked in the cares of this life. They enter business, have much to occupy their mind, a household to care for, and the care for the soul becomes less until other cares have crowded it out ; and though they remain 'church members and preserve the outward form of godliness, yet the spiritual life in them which was once so fresh and green, has died out, and it must Sexagesimae Sunday. 171 be said of them as of the church at Sardis : " Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." — With others the desire to gain a competence awakes, and they know, to be saving and to gather up the fragments is not wrong, but by and by their deceitful heart leads them beyond the line, their saving money is turned into craving money and so the love of money gradually takes possession of their heart and the love of Christ is choked. — Others are lured by sensu- al lusts or worldly pleasures, and they say, it is allowable enjoyment, but they suffer it to draw them away from the care for the soul, and by and by fornication, intemperance or some other carnal vice fixes its hold on them, or the love of the world chokes the love of God in their hearts. This is the history of many thousands who once were the children of God, but who, like Solomon and Demas, suf- fered the thorns to grow up and to choke the spiritual life within them. Because this is so we should in turning to the Lord be careful to root up all the thorns and to leave none remaining in the heart, as the prophet Jeremiah exhorts ; "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." Turning unto the Lord, see that you bid farewell to every sin and then watch day after day that not rank thorns or vicious weeds grow up again. If you allow a place to the brier of intemperance, or the hawthorn of avarice, or the nightshade of carnal pleasure it will surely bring death to the inner man. Make it your practice frequently to scan the field of the heart with the eye-glass of the- law and when you discover a weed let there be no temporizing with it, that your heart may remain like to that ground of which the parable says : IV. "And other fell on good ground, and qjrang up, and bare fruit an hundred fold ." Explaining this the Lord says: "That on the good ground are they, which in an honest atid good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." These are they who hear the Word, understand it, believe it, bring fruit to perfection and are saved. They are those who reach the end of faith, the salvation of the soul. 172 Sexagesimae Simday. How can the Lord here say : "And other fell on good ground," when the Scriptures testify that Adam " begat a son in his own likeness," and: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh ?" The Lord compares the hearts of these with good ground, not because they are good in themselves before the seed comes to them, or even because they are one whit better, than the hearts of those by the wayside, but because the seed falls into them, makes them good ground and grows and brings fruit in them. That this is the mean- ing is unquestionable from the Lord's words to the disciples : " Unto you it is given to hnow the mysteries of the kingdom of God."" That the hearts of the disciples were a good soil was not of them- selves, it was the gift of God. It is the seed that makes the ground good and produces the fruit. Without the seed neither good ground, nor any fruit. If we would be good ground and bring fruit we must occupy ourselves- continually with the Word. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." We must hear the Word, read it, keep it and ponder it in our heart, and, surely, the soil will not be too hard for that seed, it will strike root and grow. Then when the seed has sprung up we are to bring forth fruit with patience. Where that seed is growing the weather will not always be fair, tempests will come, heat will fall upon it, tares will strive to choke it, but we should ^^hring forth fruit IV ith patience," knowing that the harvest will come, when they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, and they that went forth weeping shall bring their sheaves with rejoicing. Amen. QUINQUAOESIiVIAE SUNO^W. Text : Tlicu he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be de- livered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on : and they shall scourge him, and put him to death : and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things : and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things Avhich were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side begging : and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of Dayid, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace : but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And J'esus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him : and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee ? And he said. Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight : thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorify- ing God : and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Luke 18, 31-43. We again stand at the threshold of that period of the year whicli our forefathers set apart for the special consideration of the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and avhich was re- garded by them as a sacred time. Surely, a good and laudable or- dinance of the church ; for the suffering, death and rising again of the Lord is the very center of the whole work of our redemption and salvatdon. Any one who does not understand this part of Christ's work ; any one who does not know wherefore Christ suffered, why He died and for what purpose He rose again, can nevermore under- stand the plan of salvation. Whosoever, therefore, would come to a living knowledge of God and the Savior whom He has sent ; who- (173) 1?4 (JjriiKjiffN/esinute Sunddij. soever would know the will of the Father and understand the work of the Son, let him study the meaning of (.'hrist's suffering, death and resurrection. So long as the disciples did not understand these things the Scriptures were a sealed book to them and their eyes were holden that they could not see the true glory of Jesus ; for when He spake to them of His suffering and death "this mying was Mil from them, neitlter knew they Ike tilings irhir/t were sjwl-en." This is C'hrist's true glory, that through suffering and death He re- deemed us from sin and death. For this the perfected saints ascribe unto Him everlasting glory, saying : "Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," and the epistle to the Hebrews says: " By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having ob- tained eternal redemption for us." Without Christ's suffering, without the shedding of His blood and His death we would not be redeeiaied, because Divine justice required that the guilt of sin must be punished, the wages of sin must be paid, before mercy could be extended to sinners. There- fore when Peter in Gethsamane drew his sword to defend his Master, the Lord said unto him: '• Put up thy sword into the sheath; the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? " With- out the shedding of His blood there could be no forgiveness of sin ; for the epistle to the Hebrews says : "Without shedding of blood is no remission," and of His blood alone does the Lord say : " This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for nnniy for the re- mission of sins." Without His death we would yet be in the power of death, as the epistle to the Hebrews says : " Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same ; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bond- age." Only because He died can we triumph over death saying : "0 death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory?" If we would be Christians indeed, we must know and we must believe that Christ's sufferings, blood and death are the ransom with which we are bought from sin and death, the price with which life Quinqiut(je^i7)r