<^.i?'^. nM€i m^m 'm:m. ^Y A. Edwin Keigwin; Class Book Gopyiightl^", COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 1 A Greater Christmas ^Vt 3r BY A^ EDWIN KEIGWIN fastor oj West End Presbfjieriaji Church New York AUTHOR OF *^HB HUABT SIDE OF GOD," "THE NEW PATRIOTISM," ETC. PUBLISHERS THOMAS NELSON & SONS NEW YORK ^\ COPYBIGHT, 1915, BT A. EDWIN KEIGWIN Press of J. J. Little & Ives Co. New York ;^ nJry^tnSBni^^ DEC 131915 ©CLA416849 '*/ travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.^' St. Paul. the friends and fellow-laborers, /J^ members of ^ West End Presbyterian Church, whose unfailing love and loyalty b to me a priceless possession. This Book is affectionately inscribed. h CONTENTS I. The Challenge. II. A Great Christ for a Great Age. III. The Halo. IV. The Measure of a Man. V. The Spirit of a Man. VI. The Vision and the Man. VII. The Way to Bethlehem. VIII. Christmas in the Heart. j 4 I THE CHALLENGE "I WANT a Christmas that goes with great cities; a Christmas that goes with the Singer tower and the Imperator. A Christmas that is afraid, that does not dare to tackle a big, serious, actual social human fact, that in its secret heart longs for dells to be good in, we will not be put off with." Such are the words in which Mr, Ger- ald Stanley Lee voices a growing sen- timent. The world of big things and bigger men resents the apologetic pres- entation of an emasculated gospel. "The challenge goes out from a world of men to the churches. Give us a Christ who grapples with things. We will not have a weak Saviour who says * Please,' a plaintive person, a lovely outsider.'' | To find a challenge of this nature in a widely read secular magazine is A GREATER CHRISTMAS significant. With nothing to take its place, the world is coming back to that authority which we thought forever rel- egated to the attic and the dust of ages. The antique is again in vogue. There are very many straws to in- dicate that the tide is setting in. Here is another, an editorial, from a New York daily, in which the ring of the same challenge is clearly discernible. The evident intention was to record with pride another victory for American in- vention. But,^the trans-Atlantic tel- ephone receives scant praise as, driven by intense human longings, the editor proceeds to draw a deadly parallel. "The striking thing is the contrast be- tween the successful results of applied science and the blundering failures of modern statecraft. While inventors are bindmg the world together m one great conununity, annihilating distance and destroying the old geographical isola- tion, political (and ethical) leaders are 8 m I A GREATER CHRISTMAS a thousand years behind the times. We are as helpless, in the grip of blind sociological forces, as were the ancients. Until the moral leaders get abreast of the electrical and mechanical engineers, the inventions and mechanical achieve- ments will continue to be turned into instruments of wholesale destruction and horror. Before we can take another step in progress, there must be Edi- sons in the field of ethical endeavor.'' Grave is the indictment filed by an eminent British author and editor, Mr. G. K. Chesterton. "The whole col- lapse and huge blunder of our age is this: We have mixed up two opposite things. Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to suit the vision. Progress does mean (just now) that we are always changing the vision to suit the world. We are not altering the real to suit the ideal. We are altering the ideal; it is easier. The net result is this; we are Marxian one 9 A GREATER CHRISTMAS day, a Nietzscheite the next day, a Superhuman (probably) the next day and a slave every day. As long as the vision of heaven is always changing, the vision of earth will be exactly the same. The modem man will never change his environment so long as he is always changing his mind." In the foregoing excerpts we are placed face to face with the noblest longings of an awakened world, the impotence of modern faith and the subtle causes which have wrought our humiliation. ^'They who debase their gods, will be debased by their gods." The proverb is hoary with approving years and sur- charged with the thunder of Sinai and the verdict of the Judgment Day. A weakened religion, doubtful of itself and hobbling about upon finite demon- strations is no longer tolerable. Nor will groping temperamentalism, fum- bling expediency and distressing sub- jectivity much longer be acceptable as 10 i&. A GREATER CHRISTMAS a substitute for faith. "We are in the presence of a spirit sternly contemp- tuous toward mere spiritual preten- sions/' as Dr. A. C. Hill puts it. The world is seeking a throne of ultimate authority, an authority that will bind all men in allegiance to high heaven and the flag of humanity. Amid the interminable shifting of scenes — intellectual, ethical, national, — a solitary personality has retained His place in the cast as star of the first magnitude. The challenge " Give us a Christ that goes with great cities" is but the applause that precedes the reappearance of Jesus in that inspiring spectacle "The Triumphal Entry." The hour of destiny has struck, turn dow^n the dazzling lights of artificiality that we may be alone with our thoughts as we behold the resplendent glory of the Great Christ. 11 n A GREAT CHRIST FOR A GREAT AGE In the foregoing challenge the essen- tial weakness of modem thought is unmasked. It is not vigorous, bold, daring. We celebrate the nativity of Christ, but we forget that nineteen hundred odd years have sped by since Christ was an infant. What we need is a heroic conception of Jesus, such as that expressed by the writer of the book of the Revelation, who sees Jesus in imposing form; His eyes a flame of fire; His voice as the sound of many waters; in His right hand the seven stars; in His mouth a sharp two-edged sword; His countenance as the sun shining in its strength; the earth melt- ing like wax before Him; the armies of Heaven following upon white horses; a rod of iron in His hand; upon His head many crowns; on His thigh a name 12 y. ^^^mmmmm A GREATER CHRISTMAS written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Here are marshaled the recog- nized insignia of power, that, to the best of human ability, the dynamic energy of the superhuman Jesus, may be portrayed with the fidelity of a cam- era. Only with such a Christ, glorious, majestic, conquering, can we provoke enthusiasm from an age such as ours. It is this kind of Christ which the church is challenged to present. Such was the Christ whose advent Isaiah prophesied in the immortal words, "His name shall be called the Mighty God." Would it were possible to impress every Christian with the importance of getting a big idea of Jesus! If our religion is to keep pace with the trend of the generation this is imperative. '^ Power'' is the coin word of the hour; it is the personification of the spirit of the times; it is the crowning glory of this truly great age. Horse power, steam power, man power, heart power; 13 il a.. A GREATER CHRISTMAS but, what is greater than God power? Think of it! Let the mind dwell upon the thought — absorb it. And under- stand, Isaiah is not saying that Jesus is a channel of God power, or an illus- tration of God power. Avoid that pit- fall. The Hebrew word here translated "God," is never used symbolically, or metaphorically, or in a secondary sense, but always literally. Nor is the word ever used to designate any man save Jesus. The word means "God Him- self." Isaiah declares Christ to be the Divine energy lying back of all God- like manifestation. How wonderfully Christ fulfilled this prophecy during his short earthly career. In reading the New Testament, one cannot fail to note the resemblance between Jesus and God. Every crea- tive act, ascribed to God in the Old Testament, in the New Testament is ascribed to Jesus. Throughout that matchless ministry, Jesus constantly re- 14 A GREATER CHRISTMAS iterated the claim of identity with God and demonstrated its reality. Was it not this very claim that so outraged the Scribes and Pharisees, forming the basis of their most specific charge against Him? "He maketh Himself equal with God/' Jesus boldly announced himself possessed of every attribute of God, even power over death. "No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have "power to take it again." And we remember that when they brought to Him the sick of the palsy, and the Scribes said within them- selves, "This man is a blasphemer,'' He turned upon the doubters with the words, "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth. He said to the sick of the palsy. Arise, take up thy bed and go to thy house." And think of the superb confidence w^ith which Paul speaks to a scoflSng world, "I am ready to preach the I 15 iM^i^:' A GREATER CHRISTMAS Gospel even in Rome, for I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the Tpower of God.'^ In this case the word translated power is the Greek "dynamis,'' from which is derived our dynamite. Christ is the dynamite of God. Nothing weak in that concep- tion of Jesus. Paul is in no danger from the ever prevalent and fashion- able disease, skepticitis. Imagine, if you can, a man with such views rele- gating Christ to the nursery, the sewing circle or the pink tea. No, Paul thrust his standard into the very forefront of world power and conflict, at Rome, as he ranks Christ ^^far above all prin- cipality, and power, and might, and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." There's a working faith for you. A faith to inspire self- respect and make itself respected even in a materialistic and militaristic age. What a big idea those early disciples 16 A GREATER CHRISTMAS must have had, to acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus amidst the pomp and splendor of Roman power. Pic- ture the authentic scene of their first acknowledgment. It was at Csesarea, the New York of Palestine; the sea- port into which poured the armies and wealth of a world empire. As one ap- proached from the sea, the most strik- ing object, among the many beautiful buildings, was a marble temple erected to the memory of Caesar Augustus. It was the shrine of Roman worship of military power. But, literally, stand- ing under the very shadow of this im- posing temple, the first disciples de- liberately turned their backs upon world power and gavel their love and allegiance to Jesus, the idealist. Thus both the parallel and the con- trast between God power and man power have been clearly drawn from the first century to the present. ''His name shall be called the Mighty God." 17 A GREATER CHRISTMAS "Christ the power of God unto salva- tion/' This is the great Christ for a great age. Do you know of anything more needed to-day, among Christian people especially, than just such a big idea of Jesus? We have whittled Him down, and analyzed Him, and ground Him in the mortar of speculation and re- duced Him with the acid of criticism until there is nothing left but a sweet- spirited, gentle idealism. Those who have a big idea of Jesus will not stumble over mere details of the nativity story, the nature of miracles, the mystery of the resurrection, and the probability of the second coming. Jesus went to the root of all unbelief when He said, ''Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God.'' There are two conceptions of Jesus : that we must avoid. We are not to ^ think of Jesus as so loving and in- ^ dulgent that men may do as they ^t 18 A GREATER CHRISTMAS please, neglect and reject Him, and at death be received into everlasting habitations, with the plaudit, ''Of such is the Kingdom of God.'' Nor are we to think of Him as being all thunder and anger. In the emasculated gospel of recent years we have presented a Cnrist not worthy of more than the ordinary respect accorded to any good man of our own generation. We need to preach Jesus as the Mighty God, with a mighty big heart, but a mighty long memory. I know very well there are those who speak disparagingly of a faith that makes such a conception possible. Not- withstanding, whatever one's views may be of Jesus and His matchless life, they are all alike founded primarily upon faith. To say that Jesus was not very God requires quite as much faith as to say that He was. The only diiBference is just here — the former faith is negative, destructive, while the latter is positive and constructive. 19 jj^iTiHi— ■ A GREATER CHRISTMAS Either is an intellectual venture, pure and simple, but that venture is the outstation of spiritual progress. There lives near New York a man who has won for himself a wide rep- utation for restoring broken down cap- tains of industry and finance. His method is exceedingly simple. He be- gins the restorational routine of each day by standing the men in line, and then he hurls this command at them like a thunderbolt, ^^Look up! If more people would look up in life, fewer would fall down. Look up, and you will be a new man.'' This is a broken down age, a broken down world, and we need some prophet of the rugged propor- tions of Isaiah or Paul to make us toe the mark and command us to look up. The Greek word for man means '"up-looker." Look up, my friend, get a big idea of Jesus, and you will find that your whole spiritual, intellectual, and moral nature will enlarge enormously. 20 A GREATER CHRISTMAS This leads us to the sweetest of all Christmas thoughts — sweetest, because it brings Christmas into one's own per- sonal life. When we gain this big idea of Jesus, we make the glad discovery that this dynamite of God is a friendly power. It operates in one direction — "Christ is the power of God unto salvation.^ ^ In this respect Christ's power is quite unique. Can you name any other known power which uniform- ly works for salvation.'^ In its very nature, power is destructive. This fact is taken into account before energy of any kind is utilized. In boiler, dynamo, gun, nation and individual, power be- gins to destroy almost from the mo- ment it first exerts itself. Saving pow- er; this is what the world is seeking. Christmas is celebrated everywhere, even by Jews, Turks and infidels, be- cause the conviction is growing that in Christ-power alone is there hope of sal- vation for the human race. A GREATER CHRISTMAS Let US get a big idea of Christ this Christmas — at least nineteen hundred and fifteen times bigger than it was that night when the Holy Infant was placed in Mary's arms. Christ is no longer a babe, — except in the heart that has just received Him. ^'': 22 -tssmmi^'^m m THE HALO Civilization has collapsed for ob- vious reasons; It has become an empty robe, a tenantless structure. Burke wrote, ^^Our civilization has, in this European world of ours, depended for ages upon two principles — the spirit of a gentleman and the spirit of re- ligion." Decay set in because the spirit left the body. When Civilization be- came Knickknacks and Culture be- came Kultur, the throne of Christ was usurped by Kings of finance, and what not. We prated of a kingdom wherein dwelleth righteousness, justice and brotherhood. True to every law of logic, we have found the kingdom partaking of the nature of its king. The demand for a greater Christmas, a greater Christ, is an appeal for reality. Men are no longer satisfied with holi- 23 A GREATER CHRISTMAS day tinseL There is a growing convic- tion, that in Christmas is a hidden source of power, — ^power that will com- pare favorably with the most striking examples of physical greatness. To tap this spring of energy and analyze its nature is the goal of our quest. Some things are so sublimely great that they defy portrayal. They must be seen or experienced to be appreciated. It is told of a celebrated artist that he journeyed many miles to the Grand Canyon and came away without so much as unpacking his brushes. When pressed for the reason, his reply was: "I could not insult God.'' So, lan- guage breaks down, the imagination is bankrupt, when one seeks to delineate the greatness of Jesus. True, many have been the attempts. Some have sought to depict Him in colors historical; but the portrait was merely that of a man. Others have painted Him in ethical terms; but the SSSSj&tmi A GREATER CHRISTMAS picture was that of an ideal. Yet others have dipped their brushes in their own hearts and upon the sky mixed mystical colors; but art critics pronounce it the portrait of a phantom. There was ample justification for the action of the Constantinople Council (A. D. 754) which declared, "Christ is too exalted to be figured in human art.'' With the best of motives and under the most favorable circumstances the artist works with inadequate pig- ments. His painting reflects human imperfections more than it does the glory of Christ. The resemblance between the picture of Jesus by Albrecht Diirer, and a portrait which the artist made of himself at twenty-eight has been com- mented upon. Those of us who have visited the cathedrals and galleries of Europe will fully appreciate the remark of a Greek monk to Titian, "Your scandalous pic- tures are as bad as they can be." It 25 ^^^iTtfj-^Mgn'-iar^. A GREATER CHRISTMAS could not be otherwise. And to-day's would-be artist of the invisible need look for no better reception for his portrayal. The canvas must be stretched and the colors spread by unseen hands or the picture of the great Christ will remain unpainted. In the fifteenth century, there emerged, from an obscure home in Italy, a man of rare genius and surpassing versatility. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, inventor and man of science. He designed bridges, scaling- ladders, breech-loading cannon and the most ingenious mechanical toys. He made lions that walked, lizards that rolled their eyes, and birds with flap- ping wings. Almost nothing seemed beyond his power and ken. The great- est product of this mind and heart was a well-known painting, "The Last Supper." Leonardo da Vinci devoted ten long years to this noble work. His brush assembled the disciples of our 26 n A GREATER CHRISTMAS Lord and escorted them, one after an- other, to a place at the sacramental table; it traced in the Master of the feast and arranged the drapery of His garments. But, at that point the brush rebelled. The genius of Leonardo was bafl3ed. He could not paint the face of Jesus. Long did he pray and wait for the inspired moment — ^but it never came. He died leaving less able hands to finish his masterpiece. AH reverent scholars, historians and preachers are supremely conscious of the same limi- tations. Personality is elusive. The fragrance of violets cannot be captured by the speediest lens or the ablest brush. Personality is the fragrance of the soul. Long before psychologists began to speak of our ^'astral bodies" great painters realized the presence of a form within the physical form. Hence, when com- pleting a portrait or an image the old masters encircled the head with a ring 27 A GREATER CHRISTMAS y of gold. The halo represented personal values, which, though perceived, es- caped the brush. It is this mysterious element of which Christmas speaks to us. Personality is a paradox, according to St. Paul, "Unknown and yet well known." True of us, it is more true of Jesus. A beautiful chastity is pe- culiar to personality. Only upon rare occasions and to kindred spirits does Christ reveal His glory and power, and then but for a moment. It is a snap- shot; but that treasured picture-mem- ory becomes the beckoning angel that leads the soul to another unveiling, and another, and still another. So each succeeding century has brought man closer to Christ, as it has led him nearer to the stars, the wisdom of yesterday becoming the ignorance of to-day, Christ and Christmas should mean more to this than to any former generation. That He is more, the challenge, '^Give £8 . A GREATER CHRISTMAS US a Christ that goes with big things/' is abundant evidence. The elusiveness of Jesus is at once His charm and our incentive. ^^It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the honor of a king is to search out a matter.'' The thought expressed by Solomon is this: the higher instincts of man demand a soul-spur, which con- cealment alone affords. When we think we have arrived at the goal of inquiry, we discern, to our surprise and intense delight, that we have but made a be- ginning. There is an exhilaration of adventure in the pursuit of the elusive. Without doubt, this accounts, in some measure, for the fascination which has kept the eyes of all classes and condi- tions of men fixed upon the Bethlehem star. The heart of the race is young, not old. The mind of man is alert, not atrophied. The faith of humanity is virile, not dead. Therefore, the world 29 afc^..^^-;.raiiifej«^H^ -r<^,.-.. VI THE VISION AND THE MAN The greater the vision, the more humble the man. The more a man really knows the more does he realize how little he knows. He is most likely to be appreciative of the worth of others who has the largest worth in himself. There is a reason for this. As the vision widens and deepens, we suffer by comparison, necessarily. How strikingly is this illustrated in the life which we have been analyzing. As he beheld the true glory of the Lord, the vision humbled and prostrated John, who declares ""When I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead." Such has ever been the effect of a vision of the great Christ. When Isaiah had that vision he cried, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in 45 iib"rT-ii^'jiaT^M?airiirt A GREATER CHRISTMAS the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King/'* A notable instance is also found in the story of the publican and the Phar- isee. Two men in the same temple, upon the same occasion, and for the same purpose — to pray. Note the difference. The Pharisee is haughty and self-sat- isfied. Oh, the sarcasm of the Bible record! "The Pharisee prayed thus with himself — ^not with God, he had not seen God, nor could he in such a frame of mind. — "Lord, I thank thee that I am not as other men.'' And the publican? He stood afar off. He could not lift his eyes to heaven. He smote upon his breast, as though he would say, "Thou wicked heart within me, thou cruel, cruel, black and sinning heart." And then he prayed to God, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." These examples may be duplicated without number. Some men are proud P *Ezek. i, 28; Dan. viii, 17. A GREATER CHRISTMAS and self-satisfied as they listen or read — because they have not seen the vi- sion. They remark, *'0h, I am good enough! I am as good as the average." Press them further and they reply, *'I believe in Christ, and acknowledge Him to be the only perfect man, but I feel no necessity of making a con- fession of my sins to Him." On the other hand are those who have the vision and recognize the humiliating contrast. They bow their hearts, as well as their heads, as they pray, "We leave undone the things that we ought to do, and we do the things we ought not to do." Be comforted, contrite one, this is an unmistakable sign that you have caught the true vision of a great Christ. Years ago, in an Ohio city, there lived a gentleman of great influence and eminence. A successful barrister, he attended the church of his fathers with a good degree of regularity, but 47 i* A GREATER CHRISTMAS he had never made any acknowledg- ment of faith. His life was above re- proach. He was easily the leading citi- zen in the state. Men in every walk of life looked up to him. One evening he informed his wife that he was going to his office to keep a very important appointment. He went by a side street, which he rarely used, and had almost passed a small church, when, through the windows, there came wafted to him on the wings of song those sweet words, — ^^ There's a Stranger at the door. Let Him in.'' He paused a moment, deliberately re- traced his steps, and, urged by a sud- den and subtle impulse, he descended the steps and entered the lecture room. For the first time in his life he caught the vision and definitely accepted Christ. Returning to his home, with- out going to his office, he met his dis- 48 1 A GREATER CHRISTMAS tressed wife at the door. "My dear/' said she, 'Hhere are two gentlemen in the parlor who have been waiting for you for some time. They tell me they had an appointment with you at the office, but you did not appear. Oh! I have been so anxious, fearing that something had befallen you.'' Without a word of apology he turned to his wife, and with joy in every line of his countenance, said, "The most wonderful thing has occurred this even- ing.'' "Well, don't tell me about it now. You had better go in and see your friends." "No, I cannot keep it a moment longer. I have found Christ." "But," said she, "let's not talk about such matters here, we shall be over- heard. Come back into the kitchen." He straightened himself up, a mo- mentary flash of resentment kindling his countenance, as he said, "I have kept Christ out of my life for over forty years; do you suppose that I 49 A GREATER CHRISTMAS will now take Him into the kitchen?" Laying his hand upon the door of the parlor he entered, and there was no business transacted that evening. Frankly he stated what had occurred to him, confessed his inability to com- prehend it all, and told his astonished friends the joy that had come into his heart at receiving Christ. That man was Chief Justice of the State of Ohio; subsequently, a member of the United States Supreme Court. What had transformed him? It was not ar- gument. It was not a sermon. No great affliction which had cast its shadow athwart his path. It was a vision — a strong religious impression. For the first time in his life the mind had been sufficiently off guard and open for him to catch the vision of the Christ be- hind the Christ — the great Christ. May this vision be yours. Whatever your attainments, social position, or intel- lectual gifts, may you have the vision 50 A GREATER CHRISTMAS of John, and like him may you fall at His feet as dead, that He, reaching forth His hand of love, may touch you and say, "Arise and live/' The meas- ure of the man is the measure of his vision. ^\ 51 vn THE WAY TO BETHLEHEM "I CAME of Christian parents, and was reared in a Sabbath school. From childhood I have been a regular at- tendant upon the services of the sanc- tuary. I am now sixty years of age, and throughout my whole life I have been more or less concerned about per- sonal salvation, having purposed, upon several occasions, to identify myself with the church. But, frankly, Sir, the process of becoming a Christian is still a great mystery to me.'' The gentleman with whom I was talking was a commanding figure in the community. I have not been able to erase from my memory his con- cerned countenance and confession. And what is more, I have felt a certain sense of self-accusation, that such men could sit under my preaching without M 52 A GREATER CHRISTMAS gaining a clear idea of a thing so ele- mental as the plan of salvation. When allusion is made to the plan of salvation we think of something beset with endless terminology. We have come to associate salvation with such words as regeneration, justifica- tion, sanctification. There was a time when these words, as sweet morsels, were rolled under the tongue. Even the children had quite a clear knowl- edge of their meaning. But such is no longer the case — more's the pity. Perhaps, as some have said, these theo- logical terms have muddied the stream of salvation — ^perhaps not. Be that as it may, the question of absorbing im- portance is how are we to make perfectly clear, to this friend of ours, the process by which Christmas comes to a human heart. 5^ Dr. Archibald Alexander Hodge, that great theologian, required a volume of eight hundred and eighty-eight 53 A GREATER CHRISTMAS pages for his outline of the plan of salvation. But the founder of Chris- tianity needed only nine words; and here they are: "I am the way, the truth and the life." All that Dr. Hodge has said in his exhaustive treatise is found embodied, in compact form and simplified, in these nine words of Jesus. There are just three miles between a soul and Bethlehem. Mile number one — ^^I am the way." To become a Christian one must first of all definitely decide to put one's feet resolutely in the path of Christ's life. We have simply to say to ourself, the way to live is to live like Jesus; the way to work is to work like Jesus; the way to love is to love like Jesus. The early disciples were not called Christians. No, Christian was a term of derision, first used at Antioch by those who cordially hated the followers of Jesus. The early disciples were called "the people of that W-a-y." 54 /A A GREATER CHRISTMAS When Saul of Tarsus went down to Damascus to arrest believers, his war- rant read like this, "You are to arrest all the people of that Way, whether they be men or women, and bring them bound unto Jerusalem." We read very little of theological unrest in the early church, except con- cerning the resurrection of the body. But they did discuss, and most ear- nestly, the Way. Hence we read in the Acts of the Apostles, "There arose no small stir about the Way." After telling just what was this way and how one must live to assure the Divine incoming, Jesus made the observation: "Narrow is the way that leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it; broad is the way that leadeth unto de- struction and many there are who go in thereat." So we see the first step, in the plan of salvation, is to set the feet in the w-a-y, without respect to what we feel, or how much we under- 55 im\^ A GREATER CHRISTMAS stand of the philosophy of salvation. It is to say, "To live like Jesus is the way to live. I will do it.'^ The next mile in the way to Bethle- hem is, "I am the Truth." No man truly sets forth on the way of Jesus that he does not discover the truth as it is in Jesus. We talk about crum- bling creeds. What is a creed? Creed is from a word meaning I believe. A creed is not readymade. We cannot buy it as we buy a suit of clothes. We can adopt a creed but it is not our own unless it expresses us. A creed is a discovery — an arrival. The remark is often heard, "It doesn't matter what you believe.'' Quite true, if it is not your belief. But, bear this in mind, the man who is walking along the w-a-y "doesn't matter," can arrive at but one creed, the only one at end of that way — doesrCt matter. It was quite another way along which Jesus and His followers took their wearisome journey 56 ■4' A GREATER CHRISTMAS — the way "it matters much/' There- fore did they arrive at clear-cut con- victions regarding truth. Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Jesus said, "I am the Truth/' But Pilate never arrived at the truth as it is in Jesus. Why? Pilate was not walking in the way. It is splendid to be logical, but it isn't salvation. It is perfectly logical to have a creed that expresses us. If we don't care what we are doing our creed will be a don't care creed, but if our feet are in the way of Jesus we are sure to find the truth as it is in Christ. Doing is knowing. "If any man will to do His will he shall know of the doctrine." A great many re- verse it. They say, "Well, when I can believe in the virgin birth, and the atonement, when I can understand the philosophy of the plan of salvation, I shall become a Christian." That is most improbable. We cannot go the second mile until we go the first. 57 ^ A GREATER CHRISTMAS Seeing is not always believing. Be- lieving is seeing. "I am the Life." That is the last mile in the natal journey. When we have followed the way and discovered truth it becomes second nature. We begin to live it. The way, the truth, the life. The way — an act of delib- erate choice; the truth — a discovery; the life — regeneration. This is the way to Bethlehem. How clearly these mile posts stand out in the New Testament. Take, for example, the case of Simon Peter, in whom Jesus awakened spiritual yearn- ings by a call to service. "Do you want to make your life worth while? Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men." Immediately the nets are left and he follows Jesus. We discover no trace of intellectual transition or change of feeling. We read nothing of a cyclonic experience or spiritual convulsion. It is the simple winsome- 58