Kingdom of God at hand. Captiously, or earnestly, the question is asked concerning each one, "who art thou, what art thou?” The soul, fully imbued with "the truth as it is in Jesus," can but answer: "I am

nothing, and Christ is all."

And yet, there has been bestowed upon men the privilege and duty of making Christ known to the world. Ungifted with the power and eloquence of a St. John Baptist, they may not all proclaim the truth in telling words; but in their firmness in the faith, in their steadfastness to duty, in their loyalty to the Church of God, they may show their citizenship in the "kingdom which is not of this world,” and, in showing it, make that kingdom known.

And must they not remember, that the way above all others, perhaps, in which their herald's work can best be accomplished, in convincing the world of the Messiah's claims upon that world, is by doing, in their day, works of mercy, as Christ did in His day? Though they may be tempted to forget it, they themselves embody the kingdom, as the world outside looks upon it; and the Church will commend itself to men in proportion as the children of the kingdom shall make their lives commendable, in personal holiness and in active beneficence.

Many are looking to see, rather than listening to hear. Let the world behold humanity uplifted and purified through the christian's personal example and consecrated efforts.

It is not a time for mere dreaming, but for hallowed activity and Christ-inspired aggressiveness in good. There should be kept and taught, without wavering, "the faith once for all delivered to the saints;" but this,

by itself, does not compel acceptance of the Saviour's claims, nor induce inevitable allegiance. The Church of royal lineage should be ever in the van, when valiant deeds are doing. We have been true to our trust in keeping inviolate the sacred deposit of truth, and in preserving patristic order; but, with this, must be met the responsibilities which this century lays upon all who call themselves Christians, looking to the bettering of the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual condition of mankind.

TEXT:

CHRISTMAS DAY.

THE ANGELS' SONG.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good

will toward men. St. Luke II, 14.

T

By the REV. STEPHEN HERBERT GREEN.

Rector of Grace Church, Kirkwood, Mo.

HE Church Catholic re-echoes to-day, while she keeps

the birthday of her Lord, the song of the heavenly hosts, and, in honor of the Incarnation, tunes her loftiest strains of praise. And year by year the sons of earth find help and strength in the truth that "for us men, and for our salvation," He, who is "God of God, Light of Light" and "very God of very God," "came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made Man."

In the spiritually minded this truth never fails to arouse enthusiasm and to quicken affection, and no amount of worldly hilarity or extravagant demonstration can mar the "hallowed mirth" which finds its real joy in the thought of the "Word made flesh," and the "life and immortality" thus "brought to light.”

Let us then, to-day, contemplate, and meditate upon the joyful, yet solemn thoughts which the Angels' song suggests. We think of the "shepherds watching their flocks by night"-the simple folk of Judea, unlearned, it may be, in the schools, but keenly alert to the voice

of God. We are reminded of the "mysterious way" in which God works out His wonders. We are carried

away from the open fields, and go with the shepherds to the stable and to the manger, cradling the Virginborn, and with shepherds, first, and then with Eastern sages," we worship and adore;" shepherds called by voices of angels,-sages summoned by signs from the stars;-angels singing the mêssage of heaven, “morning stars shouting for joy," and the theme of both, "the dawning of the day of redemption" "the Incarnation of God."

The shepherds of Bethlehem and the "wise men from the East"-How far apart, yet how near together in that longing desire which nothing but Emmanuel could satisfy! We close our eyes and think again, and we see David, the shepherd-boy, keeping the flock of Jesse his father "on Bethlehem's plains." We see the wild beasts approach, and the youthful shepherd, armed with the

-"strength, which was as the strength of ten
Because his heart was pure,"

tear them asunder and thus save the sheep committed to his trust. We see the shepherds on the night of the Nativity, on the same plains where David watched, patiently keeping their flocks, but oppressed with a sense of the evil in their nation and longing for a near salvation; pondering over dangers which, like wild beasts of sin, threatened the safety of the whole people to which they belonged. The spirit of unrest was everywhere. The eagle of Rome had fastened its talons deep, and, politically, the Jewish nation was in its power. And, worse than this, wild beasts of sin, of unreality,

of cruelty and of licentiousness were also attacking the sacred precincts of the nation's heart, and there seemed to be "none to deliver." But as there burst "upon the midnight clear" the voice of melody, and angels' words were heard-"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”—there came to the simple shepherds the realization of the truth that the "Shepherd of Israel" had come, the day of deliverance was at hand, and that "God had remembered His people."

Not to the King on his throne, not to the Sanhedrin in council assembled was the message sent, for their ears were deaf to words of "glory" or of "peace" and "good will;" but the message came to the "pure in heart" to the simple understanding which answered quickly the angelic summons and said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem." And doubtless in their hearts they added, as they talked by the way, "for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace; of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever."

Then our thoughts flash over to the home of the Eastern sages, who, in studying nature, studied "nature's God," and who stopped not to adore at the shrine of the stars, but looked along their paths of light, and found them shining with a radiance not their own, and proclaiming with a thousand voices, "the Hand which made us is Divine."

To these wise men comes a message from the stars,