Al
ple
mes
Co.,
ing
ory,
ari-
this
con=
-oal,
eap-
ited.
ome
his
lid—
burn
upid
cool
calm
suf-
ff ‘Is
and,
ched
the
ap-
omo-
lose-
auto
hetie
that
it in
eant
new
ear-
new
gear
back
nner
ving
ry. it
and
w if
sup-
inch
dis-
3."
ds a
mall
city
's of
min-
vitae
arty
use.
3 9
um-
d as
hoid
*
Translated From the ho Jenny Brown
<P ON the hill, a short dis-
+ tange from the hut stood a
lonely pine tree, that fath-
er had premised to cut
down on Christmas eve. It
was 50 beautiful, where it stood, and
stretched its dark green branches out
over the white snow. Hans walked
round and round it and looked at it
from all sides. It had grown so even,
and was just high enough-to tind room
under the low roof of the hut. In his
imagination the little six-year-old saw
it in all. its beauty, with gilt paper
stars, “ginger bread hearts, rosy-
cheeked apples and lighted candles.
“Poor as I am, Hans” father had
said, “you shall have a Christmas tree,
and fine it shall be, that I promise
you.”
And Low the little child’s heart palpi-
tated with pleasure and expectation!
I ather had gone into town and was
not expected to return before noon.
Would he be long in bringing back all
the beautiful things he was to” buy at
the same time he was * getting’ the
other - Christmas things for mother?
Time and again Hans went out on the
doorsteps and looked down the long.
snowy road. At length father was seen
in the distance. Hans started to meet
him, and was permitted to carry the
package father said was his.
But how tired and pale father looked.
He did not feel well, he said, but Hans
must not worry over that. It was only
a result of the hard labor that he now
began to feel. It would soon pass
away. And Hans believed that, too.
“Mother, father has come,” cried Hans,
and pushed the door wide open.
The noonday meal was ready. But
father could not eat anything. and laid
himself down on the wooden bench
and complained of pains in his chest.
Mother laid aside the bag of rice and
the coffee and sugar father had
brought home. Father was ill! He
had to admit it; he was suffering more
pain than he would tell. Mother com-
pelied him to go to bed and prepared
a flannel saturated with turpentine
that she spread on the chest. It was
too bad that he should be taken sick,
and on Chrisumas eve, but there was
1.8 help for ir.
the beautiful things for the Christmas
tree, little Hans for a few moments did
not think of father. But when he
fooked to tne bed where father was
lying, moaning with pain, Hans did as
mother had done. He pushed aside
the beautiful Christmas tree things and
knelt down by the bed.
_“Peor father!” and with his little
nands he stroked the bearded cheeks.
“Don’t worry. my boy; yon shall
have your Christmas tree. Speak to
Neighbor Jerker, and he: will help
you.” :
“his was all well and good, but
father was ill, and he Christmas pleas-
ure spoiled. And such a Christmas
that they had expected! last year
they lad no means to provide for au
Christmas tree or any extra pleasure.
“14 any going to the “doctor.” id
mother, as she tied the shawl over her
fiend.
“You stay with father, Hans; I will
hurry back soon.”
The doctor did not live very far
away. He did not like to be disturbed
on Christmas eve, but he wrote out a
prescription after finding out from the
: LZ
A gy -
i rtd ra on fa iy, 4 3
Sen i
*Twas the Habt before Christmas,
In each little house
The children were waiting
As still as a mouse
To hear the puff ps
And the pish, yugg and squeal
Of good old St. Nicholas’
Automot ile!
"OPTS _INustrated Bita.
‘what remarks would he made.
In his rejoicing over |
woman what the symptoms were. To
visit the sick man was not to be ex-
pected of the doctor on Christinas eve.
“Give him this every two hours and
the pain will soon pass ‘away. “ H'm,
well, as it is Christmas eve, I will only
charge fifty ore”—he had fhe right to
demand a crown, but he felt charit-
able, and, the poor- woman's last sil-
ver piece landed in the doctor's pock-
et. He did not inquire if she had any
money left for the medicine, and she
did not care to tell him that it was her
last piece of mioney. and ‘that-father
had spent his last crown for the-things
to decorate ttle Hans’ Christmas, tiee.
She. also had her pride, and she knew
Ppor
men's children have 10 right to pleas-
ure or {uxuries.” The gingerbread and
sangies and appleswoitld ‘be considered
an awful waste ard extravagance. To
the doctor's s «children it would have
looked a poor pleasure, hut for her on
little boy it was a sinful luxury. How
different God provided for the people
in this world, was the poor woman's
thought, as, heavy hearted, she walked
heme with the prescription in her
in all its beauty
already learned” a lesson
“tree.
hand. Had the ‘peer uo right to have
“highly. pleased?
RE p
‘about his Christmas tree, and he had
promised then that they shouid sée it
and splendor on
Christmas eve: . Now he .weuld- affect
indifference and pretend that he did
not. care for ‘a Christmas tree, but
would sell it in town.so father could
get money for medicine.
‘Jerken, the eldest of the neighbor's
children, cut down the tree. Hans was
crying, but 'stoutly swallowed his tears
and made Jerker promise him to tell
his mother that Hans’ iad cone td town
to buy a Christmas present: The
mother “was very- much surprised.
Where could Hans have got the money.
She could.not understand it. Jerker
did not know. He only. told her what
Hans had told Lim, and that fie’ would
not return before ‘evening, and they
must not ony about ‘him.
. ¥
no * » Ba
How cold little Hans felt, and how
that’ little heart of his felt heaxy and
sorrowful. Youig“as ‘he’ was, he had
‘from life's
story—the lesson of self-denial. He
felt. cold; his‘. coat was short and
threadbare, the shoes in poor coudi-
tion and his mittens full of holes. But
be knew that Christmas eve would
bring him a new pair of ‘mittens. From
his bed in the hut at night he had seen
mother knitting a pair of mittens that
were too small for father. So, surely,
they must be for him. “or
But with all nis sorrow there was a
warm glow at his heart. Was he not
wealthy? He had sold his Christmas
tree, for two large silver crowns. Had
bought the. medicine for father and
Lad a large silver crown left as a
Christmas gift for mother. God had
helped him. Had not mother said that
Yod watches over little children, and
liad he not sent a wealthy laay- that
had given nim two large-silver crowns
for his tree,
been told it was not worth fifty ore?
A little golden-haired girl had. met
fim in the beautiful richly furnished
room where he had brought the tree.
‘1t' was placed ohta table,’ and’ the lit-
tle girl was greatly*pledsdd’ over the
He wondered 4f the little girl
had known why he had soldshis: tree,
sand that all of his Christmas pleasure
was lost, would she have been just as
He folloyved her with
os, ! y
“Zi
ell 7!
2
FN
HANS
DAY BEFORE
CHRISTMAS.
a heart that could feel and suffer?
“The doctor gave me this prescrip-
tion,’ said mother, “and the turpen-
tine cloth was to remain, and you will
soon be well, father.”
“Oh, I. don’t believe the medicine
will do me any good. and we will just
i let it alone.”
The mother understood, and she
could not keep back her tears. Father
had no money left for the medicine.
“Don’t ery. mother, don’t cry.’ ex-
claimed little Hans, as he tried to pull
the mother down to him by her dress.
“Father should not have bought the
things for the Christmas tree, then he
could have got the medicine, 1 under-
stand that well enough,” remarked lit-
tle Hans, with a precocious mien.
“No, no, Hans, it would not have
helped me,” interrupted father from
his place in the bed. *‘But thank you
for your kind heart. You shall have
your Christmas tree as I promised
you.”
Littie Hans went out of the hut and
ran to his tree on the hill. He walked
around it, and the tears came in his
eyes. But he wiped them away with
the back of his hand. No, he must not
cry; he must noc feel or show any sor-
row over the sacrifice that would bring
gladness and blessing to the home. He
put his hands in his pockets and tried
to look glad and free from care when
he entered the neighbor’s hut. The
children had for weeks heard him brag
his eyes as she ran round the large
room and clapped her small hands, full
of pleasure. She handed him a large
sugar cake and filled his pockets with
apples and nuts and raisins. She had
so much. A table in the room had sev-
eral large dishes tilled with more beau-
tiful things than he ever had seen be-
fore. And the kind lady gave him
two shining silver crowns. Bat before
he left the room his eyes went back to
the tree. He would never see it again.
It was as if he had separated from a
He
ase and tears
His mother’s
“Poor men’s
practice self-
dear friend—from a playfellow.
sat down on the stair
streamed from his eyes.
words rang in his ears:
children must learn to
denial.”
* ¥ Ee
But now Hans was glad again as he
ran through the snow as fast as his
little feet could carry him, pulling the
sleigh after him. He felt cold and
tired. It was dark and the stars shone
in the heavens. He knew them all.
Father had told him all about them,
and he thought of the littie Christ
child, and how the whole Christian
world celebrated Christmas with trees
and candles and Christmas gifts. But
little Hans had neither the one nor the
other. True, the forest was full of
Christmas trees, but.it was not his, the
one that had grown on the hill near
his home, and over which he had re-
joiced so much. But it was gone; an-
notwithstanding bre ihe, 3
other child bad his tree. He thought
of his tree asa living being, and that
it felt the separation as much as he.
Christmas present for father.”
“You? Where didiyoun get it? Have
you money, Hans?" inquired the moth-
the bottle of Anedicine on ‘the fatife.
“Wher ‘didsyes got it, hoy?”
Hans inclined: his head. .and smiling-
ly pushed bis.mother toward the win-
dow. He drew away the curtain, and
pointed to the.hill. Mother could look
out in the starlight, night. and at once
noticed that the tree was gone. Yes,
she saw plainly that little Hans’
Christmas tree pvas not:-theve... She un-
derstood it all:
big blue eyes that sparkled wip toward
her. She lifted the child in her arms
and pressed him ‘toward her, too deep-
ly moved’ to finds words for her feel-
ings. But she felt so happy. so proud
that this was. her child, and the poor
mother in all her: poverty and humil-
ity would not have exchanged her lot
for a queen's coronet,
“Mother, I have a Christmas present
for you also,’ whispered Hans, and
placed the silver crown in: her hand.
Hans had renounced much, had de-
nied himself ail, and therefore his gift
was above ordinary value.
CHRISTMAS IN DAWSON CITY.
‘Klondiker Ie" ¥¥ot did yer find in
yer stoekin’ this mernin’?V . \
Chilkoot Pete—‘Irost-bitten oes.”
’ A ‘Funny Dream.
I had, a funny dream last gd,
As strange as strange could be
I dreamed that 1 was Santa Claus
And Santa Claus was me,
And when I'came to Santa's house,’
(Witere we live now, you know)
1 foak out near a hundred things
"And laid them in a row;
A bicycle with bevel-gear,
A gun that shoots real shot;
A pair of skates, a new canoe,
Vere some things that 1 brought.
And then I said, "For fear I’ve missed
A little thing or two
I'll leave this pocketbook w ‘ell filled,
That's just what 1 will do.”
Of course it only was a dream,
But still I think ’twould be
Just great if I was Santa Claus
And Santa Claus was me.
—Johnstone Murray.
» A Christmas Cross.
No fir-tree in the forest dark
But humbly bears its cross
No human heart in God’s ie world
But mourns its bitter loss.
Yet Christmas-tide can clothe the fir
In splendors all unguesse
And bring to every suffering heart
Its joy, its peace, its rest.
God rest you, then, my gentle friend,
And take your cross away,
Or clothe it with a radiance new,
On this glad Christmas Day.
—Willis Boyd Allen, in Youth’s Compan-
ion.
CHRISTMAS GIFT.
AN ARTISTIC PLANT STAND.
Gran’mother’s Talk.
Gran’mother says, while she’s sittin’ there,
At the ide, in her old armchair:
: 1y C hristmas now, my dear,
i hen I was gir! there was more of light
An’ song in the world a Christmas night;
The are en just bios somed over the white
In the Christmas long ago.”
talks that way, ‘cause
know,
a her hair is whiter than whitest snow,
An’ she thinks that her time is come to go
"To a Christmas in the skies.
But my arms ar ound her neck I throw,
An’ say: “Gran’mother, in the long ago,
Did you hav anybody to love you So?”
An’ she smiles, an’ wipes her eyes.
_T. L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution.
She she’s old, you
y YRS, TS An EASY.
LF. Owls ONLY fas
Woex ance A “ran
But now _ he, was home. Father
slept and mother was at the hearth
preparing the evening meal. neta
. “Hans, where. have you been?” in-
quired mother.
“Into town, mother, and I have a
er in her astonishment as Hans placed -
she could read it in the.
AN ELOQUENT DISCCURSE ENT
-minis
unknowable.
Canst
| fection?
} turies.
A SERMON FOR-SUNDAY
ITLED
“KNOWING. THE TRUTH.”
Or
The Rev. Cornelins Woelfkin, Dwells on
the Comlition.of Learning Spiritual
Truth as Laid Down by Jesus—Open-
Mindedagss is the First Qualification
BROOK N —In the Gireene Aves
nue Bg ? day morning the
: Cornelius’ “Woe: it;
apts i Beri on. Mr, W oalfkin’s tex
was from. Deuteronomy xxix:26: The se-
cret things belong unto the Lord; our God,
but the things that are pevealed belong un-
to us and £0 our chil dren, that wetmay do
all the words of this law. 1d
A noted: astronomer once. sa Th
searched the Stars, but 1 find no God.’ a
noted philesopher said, “If there is an int i
nite, personal God, He is’ unknowable
Materialistic science and’ rational 5
osophy have formulated the creed of ag-
nosticism; viz.: that God is unknown and
it sounds conservative, mod-
est and wise. But, it is. not.xeally -mew.
ne of. the ancients wrote in the long ago,
*Canst thou, by searching, find out God?
thou know the Ahnighty unto per-
Zophar, the Naamathite, was a
clever agnostic. The Hebrew law giver
writes, . ~The ‘secret things belong nto
the Lord our God.”
1f God be the Infinite, Eternal and Abs
| solute, it is impossible .to comprehend and
explain Him. There must always be di-
mensions of mystery unknown and un-
knowable in Him. "he astronomer never,
expects to find the v-ails of the universe.
There is always the unknown beyond. If
space and time stagger the imagination,
can we ever hope to bring the eternal God
completely * within ‘the range of human
conception? We are all agnostics. Even
Christians worship at the altar of the su-
per knowable God. It is no discredit to
the theist that he cannot tell the day of
Godis birth. We need not distress our-
selves because we cannot walk about God
and know His diameter and circumference.
He is unknowable.
Sut because we cannot know un, shall
we’ rest content: to know nothing? a
sciéntist is aware that he can never ow
it all. Does, he therefore break his‘instru-
ments-and’ fontent himself to abide! in ig-
norance”? He knows ‘in. pari. He will
know more; though he never knows it all.
So, concerning God, there are things-<that
may be known. The myste vy of the un-
known. is the very charm of eternity. The
ages will ever clothe themselves with new
garments of my: stery.
#How - may we know God? - God 'i§ a
spirit and must be spiritually knotvn. Soh
Fiske. speaking of the :spectrosgopes. -calls
it "an addition to our senses.” All our
inventions are extensions to our senses.
There is auto-seeing; auto-hearing, auto-
feeling. Tyndale said, ‘‘The silence of
the forest at noonday:‘is agitated with
sound, if we could only hear it.” There
are some things Feleszopically discerned,
others, microscopically "and spectroscopi-
cally. Without these they are mot dis-
cerned at ail.. “Why does one man only
glance
another will study it by the hour? Why
will some peopie leave the music hall,
while others are. held spellbound by the
symphony? Because some things are art-
jstically discerned and others musically.
There must be the subjective faculty to
appreciate objective genius.
Why do some men go through iife with:
out any sense of reverence, worship and
prayer, while others bow in humility and
adoration to one whom they call God? Be-
cause: God is spiritually discerned. The
natural man receiveth not the things of
God. neither can he know them. He is
lacking the soul's telescope, microscope,
spectroscope, etc. san] devices cannot
discover a spiritual God
The study of man himself presents a
faints analogy of this truth. Science stud-
jes the human body; articulates the skele-
ton; knows the nervous system; explains
organization. But does the anatomist dis-
cover the v ~ole man? Toes he find that
ne Ns will, the magistrate—the
conscience, the artist—the imagination, the
orchestra—tne emotions, the librarian—the
They are all there, but the ia-
memory ?
struments of physical dissection do not
discover them. “hey are mentally dis-
cerned. When spiritual men, as such,
pronounce upon phy sical science, they be-
come fools. And when materialists. as
such, promounce upon spiritual things
they likewise turn out folly. One qualii-
cation cognot constitut: authority upon
all.things.
It is sometines said that religion speaks
in a language of its own—a foreizn tongue.
This must be so in the nature of the case.
Every new idea demands the garment of
a new word or phrase. Everv science cre-
ates its: own nomenclature. We ‘might
find a hundred volumes written in our na-
tive tongue and yet not understand what
is written. Spiritual realities must ex-
press themselves in spiritual terminelocy.
Lastead of quarreling with the introduc:
tion of new terms, we should as true stu-
dents learn their meaning and so widen
our nil cnaione.
The condition of learning spiritual truth
is laid down by Jesus. “He that willeth to
do His will shail know the teaching.”
There must be Tight attitude first, and
then the cxperiment of action. Open-
nindedness 1s the first qua icat for
apprehension. Prejudice tor and
blinds t the judgment. It is the chief factor
in our Notts ations. It is the handicap
unon honest examination and experiment.
Prejudive shut the theologians out of nat-
ital: science for years. Prejudice is shut-
_— the mate tsout of religious ience
to-day. The w hole universe is governe
by law. Let a man obey the laws of na-
1 11 unfold its mysteries
xn put himself in align-
itual realitie and the
cover itself to him.
> God must believe that
is the rew arder of them
Him.
tion, the test of cz peri-
mumbling block. Men
have their own wills and hesitate and halt
at doing the will of God. The chief diffi-
cuities concerning religion do not rise out
of intellectual embarrassment so much as
a failure in attitude and action. Yet with-
out these men cannot know.
The means of knowing are twofold. St.
John says, “That which we have heard,
that which we have seen and handled with
our hands declare we unto you.” There is
ge of tradition—that which
ard. There is tradition in
Some things have been worked
They are accepted
as axiomatic by the consensus of all stu-
dents. Who thinks to question the round-
ness of the earth or its motion round the
sun? Few of us have proved it; we accept
it on scientific tradition. We do the same
in all scientific study. Tradition is the
forndation already laid, and wc build
thereon. To exclude the authority of tra-
dition would check all progress. So relig-
ion has its traditions. Some things come
to us with the “sterling” mark of thc cen-
He who discredits all religious tra-
dition ignores the past and begins anew.
This makes the difference between the
man of faith and thc skeptic. The man
of faith receives what has been proven and
builds thereon. The skeptic only exam-
ines the foundations, sometimes without
even laying new ones.
But there must be personal experience
also. When Morse asked Congress for an
appropriation of $30,000 for his telegraph
venture the ¢ nitteeman having the de-
ciding vote w undecided. Mr. Morse
took him to his hotel; showed him some
miles of wire. He bade him go into a dis-
tant room and there experiment with the
instrument according to the code. He re-
turned and voted for the appropriation,
saying, “I have seen—I have handled the
n
that diligently seek
Chere must be a
ment.
science.
out, tested and proven
at a picture, and, pass on, W hile
nei
instrument. and it wiil do what is claimed
for it.” And any man may experiment
with the realities of our religion and test
its claims to comfort, wisdom. peace, rest,
hope, love, prayer. etc. And only when
we thus know will we be effective wit-
nesses of truth. Jesus said. “We sneak
that we do know and testifv that we have
"With such knosrledge the known
seen.
becomes the kev of the unknown and leads
“Phe purpose
to obtain the
the astronomer.
life eterr
after ms
fell upon his kne ani
Thee. O God. that I am. thinking Thy
thoughts over ‘after Thee.” - This e]
edge made him partrer with the t
of the eterhal God. So every truth e
imentallv discerned puts us into na
ship with God. We Tearn to i His
though to will His will; to 7
is love; fo live His life. And I
‘eternal. Therefore Jesus says
Thee the ontv true: God: and .T 2
whom Thou hast sent, this is life eterna
The range of things ‘thns kndéwable is
_wide., Ouly, a few of them may be
zzested. We may know the forgiveness
of our sins. We are made conscious of
our sinfulness through the exercise of our
conscience and our inability to overtake
what we knosv to be the ideal. . But when
we accept the overtures of divine oigrare and
vield to the incoming and inworking of
God’s Holy Snirit, we experience a peace
and nower whnich are the subjective evi-
dences of onr being lonsed fram our sins.
This is the first thing in Christian knowl-
edge.
Next ‘we nw that we have passed
from death unto life” Such a transition
is made on all planes of life. - A new cii-
mate helps some men to pass from death
to life in bod Education enables men fo
pass from death to life mentailv. Society
sometimes causes men’ to Dass from death
to life morally. The ey elopment of latenk
geniitls mak men s from death nnio
life. So the! toueh of God’s Dns awakens
new ideals. affections and nossibilities, and
the ove of a spiritual soriety cvidences a
passage from death unto life.
“We know that all things work tovether
for good to them that love God.” - This is
not self-evident. as we take a narrow view
of mortal life. But when we see the wider
1
ranges we learn it is’sn.” There may be ex-
perienced which darken the scene and
piunge the judgment «into panic. Josephs
while being led a slave to Fazynt could not
understard this. Nor could Moses. Dan;
in the day of trial:
afterward they saw it to be so. The
sswwhich Moses saw was. not some lus
form, but rather that alle the past
history was transfigured with God's: pres
ence and favor. It is_the backward look
‘that gives us this assurance. “We know
that if our earthly house of this bodv ba
dissolved we have a building of God * * 2
eternal in the heavens.’ ‘hat is, we know
as ive haye an immortal destiny of eter:
nal life. Subiectively we know that every
appetite has its satisfaction.
rests food and thirst argues for water. If
God creates a fin on the fish He makes an
element for it to swim in. If He fashions
a wing, He supplies the air for it to fly in:
Surely these lower appetites are not grati
fied only that the deeper and nobler may
he disappointed. And objectively, “Christ
hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel.” His resurrection sat:
es our desires and becomes prophetic of
our destinv. Let us study earnestly the
trivth of Cod with a view to doing His
will, and we shall know in part now and
more perfectly by and by.
iel and the provhet
‘But
is
Preachers Must Deliver God’s Messaga.
Some rec ent events have led to a revive
al of the ‘broad Church” plea that a
preacher should speak out all that he be:
lieves to be the truth, without fear of the
congregation, and unfettered by
doxy or heterodory. This freak
suj pposed to be warranted by Paul’:
‘as of sincerity * *iwe speak.”
ortho:
who'e emphasis is put upon ‘‘sincerity.
But the first emphasis should not ba
pla ced there. Sincerity is, of cou
absolutely essential thing In a
but fidelity is a prime essential.
may
o
and his mis:
consequence’
be sincerely mistaken,
é may have far-reaching
of ll for others.
The first essential is fidelity to trust.
The first business of a Christian teacher
is to receive His message, and then,
cerely, to transmit it. The Fundamentals
of that are permanently fixed—
they ave cal—and no plea of “sin
cerity’’ must be allowed to interfere with
them. If the chief emphasis be placed
i subjective sincerity, the door 1s eas
pened to every heresy and every fad:
, in fact, is what has happened timed
hout number.
It 1s sometimes
“churches gre empty’
not believe in the
bound to object to
nat true.” Bt itis,
that many “occupants of the nuves™” are
in a sis of amazement atthe. po
contradiction between: the tril
nounced week by week 1 the Ca
the denials of these truths, or the waterin
down of them by many who'live by
them.
The
in any
I
asserted that the
> because people will
miraculous. We ard
the statement: it 1g
unfortunately, trud
crux of the whole question is not
detail concerning miracle, but in
this: Is God Master in His own world, or
1s He not? And has’ He interiered or
not with its order for the purpos:
ing ren? If -the answer is ‘no,’ is a
man cntitled to call hunself a believer at
11? But if God has intervened in the
n of Jesus Christ to save the word,
came from Him to reveal
ething out of the ordinary
1 ened.
Lord either commenced His exis.
for tha first time at Bethiehem, or
ne from ‘the other side’’ into our
If the former, then He 5 3 simp-
:» member of our race, and 3 ere
incarnation. If the lat
1s .mot simply possible, i
y demanded. A true incaru:
in exceptional entrance into a
jtional exit from our world. =
matter comes to this: Have w
y es or 3 yrom-
i and impo ble.
g the ntatter 1s
preachers wh
eliminated from S1 1
etherealized as to be hd of all
historic siznaficance.
They have no reasons save their disl
for ethe pernatural. But their neare
Sppians *h to a reason is the fact of the
silence of the Gospels concerning these
great nono. Qur lord, it is said, never
Sa
mentions His own miraculous birth; some
evangelists omit the story. St. Paul new-
er mentioned it, and this is said to be
“evidence to the contrary.” Evidence!
It is playin vith words. They testifiec
to the u to truth which included it.
And that is the great thing after all. Did
not our Lord say repeatedly that He had
come down from heaven? Did not John
speak of Him as come from the bosom of
the Father, and as being in the beginning
with God? Did not Paul speak of His
pre-existence with God? It is not just to
omit reference to these things. “What,
l becomes of this vaunted ‘‘argument
from silence?”’—London Christian,
A Comforting Assurance,
_ This instantaneous return at Christ's
ding of the widow's son into the 1}
had vacated might well be
assurance to the be $reg ved for
tions of the absolut
ones in their
Demons
almost @