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bddy, mindand soul; the same Creator gave all
three -and' gave them, to be used.
The Christian life unites intellectual strmiP-tTi
Mr. fit yan's Bib(e Talks
to physical per'fectloiiand then places both mind I
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though supernatural in birth and divine in His
mission", was natural in His develepment.
And so it was intended that each individual 3
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THETJIRTHAND CHILDHOOD OF
OHRl
By- WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR OCTOBER' 8
(Luko 11:40-52)
And tho child grow, and waxed strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom: and tho graco of God was upon
him. A ,
Now his parents wont to Jerusalem every year
at tho feast of tho passovor.
And when ho was twelvo years old, they went up
to Jerusalem after tho custom of tho feast.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they
returned, tho child Jesus tarried behind in Jeru
salem; and Joseph and his "mother knew not of it.
But. they, supposing him to havo been in tho
company, went a day's journey; and they sought
htm 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
tho1 doctors both hearing them, and asklngthem
questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his
understanding and answers. ' .
An'd 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 ho said unto them, How Is it that ye sought
me? wist yo not that I must be about my Father's
.business?
And they understood not tho saying which ho
spake unto them.
, And he went down with them, and camo . to
Nazareth. "Tind was 'subject unto them: but hi3
mother kept all these sayings in her hear.
And -Jesus increased In- wisdom and stature, and
:ln Jajvqur with God and man. v
One of the most wonderful and richest chap
ters, in all the Bible is the second chapter of
Luko. " 1
.It' is the chapter that gives us the most de
'tivlled ' and beautiful- account of the birth of
Jesus. ' .
Jt is the chapter that tells of the good tidings
of great joy brought to -the shepherds keeping
watch over their flock by night. -
It is, the chapter that records tho most beauti
ful hymn of praise angels and men have ever
sung:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men."
And it is tho, chapter that records what we
know of a certainty of Chirst's -childhood.
THE ONLY UNIVERSALLY-OBSERVED"
s mpfnwnAv
Christian era starts with His birth. Is it not
strange that any Should speak disrespectfully of
One who has so prbfoundly impressed the world?
It is more -than strange it is amazing-that
some children to whom Christmas was once the
gr"eat day of the yoar should, even before th'ey
reach maturity,- begin to speak lightly of One at
whose coming the1 angels sang the song pf peace
on earth, good will to men; wjhose star' led the
wise men to the manger at Bethlehem. - '
JESUS' HUMBLE BIRTH
Tho fact that He was sent into a humble home
- and surrounded in His youth by everyday peo
ple is not without significance.
Man's birth, so far as he is concernedt is a
matter of chance. 'He is not consulted as .to ,the
age in which he shall be born or aa to the nation
or the race or the family. Because' man is' thus
the child of chance, both as to his birth and as
to his going hence, he has never been able to
solve the riddle ot life without revelation. ',
( It is only whenhe learns that he was created,
not as other thing's were made but in the image
of God, put in charge of all tho earth and made
responsible for -the wise use of every moment pf
his life, every atom of his power and every ounce
of his influence, that he is able to account for his
presence here. '
Christ, .coming into the' world with a heaven
ly mission, becomes the divinely conceived child
of a virgin mother and spends His yputh ampng
the plain folk of Nazareth. He was to present
a simple gospel to which the common people
would listen gladly and appeal to the mass of
mankincLX-Jji what other environment could He
""y1"" " . "". "vm. vv m,u. iiiuu. j.nero
is no inconsistency between righteousness and
popularity;. Righteousness brings ene into har
mony with God and Christ-like sympathy gives
him the good will o his" fellows.
THE EXAMPLE vOF THE BOY CHRIST
Christ, eveii in His boyhood, gives us an ex
ample of growth in bpdy, in mind and in grace.
A bpy, as well as a man,, can bo Christ-like!
Jesus aa bey is an example to boys and girls,
just as He, whefl grown,-is an example to men
and women.
- Our Sunday .Schools and parents are not liv
ing up to their ' possibilities and duties unless
they impress upon the, children the practical
character o Christ's teachings. They are for
he present life as well as for the life to come.
Christ brought life as wel as "immortality to
light. He came that men might have life and
have it more abundantly.
" The wise men welcemed Him at His birth; the
wise men in the temple were astonished as tho
child Christ cfuestie'ned and answered questions;
the. wise of -today may well stand m awe as they
witness the. spread ,of Christ's teachings. Ho Is
thefonly grpwing figurein all the werld.
' l i ;A SERMON GOOD FOR. ALL TIME
By -WILLIAM JENNINGS' BRYAN
1
BIBLE TEXT -LESSON FOR OCTOBER 15
- J ' ' (Luko 3;7-17
Thdn he saljl to the multitude ihat camo forth
havr passed from Infancy to theays of His tain- Slg5BKJSfyoS JHio? fSSffiFlXXi
- CHRIST IN THE TEMPLT3 arice, and tyegln not to say within yourselves, Wo
fLA fi; Jntn 1 li-iivifLiij , hav Abrafla io our father:' for I say unto you,
t"And the Child grew and waxed strong, in- That .God is able of these' stones to raise up chil-
spirit, filled with wisdom; aid tlie grace of Gocl ,dren unto Abraham. ' -
was upon him " ' An now also tne axe is- laid unto the root of
a fiVo na ' 19 Tin , rtfu .t ; :,. i tl10 trees: every tree therefore -which brlngcth not
At the age of 12 He went with his parents to forth pood .fruit is hewn down, aril cast into tho
Jerusalem te the Feast of the Passover, a dav fire.
which the children of Israel observed for nearly And A110 po,oplJL aked nIm saying, What shall
20 centuries.
When the parents started back home Jesu3
tarried behind in Jerusalem. As there was guite
a company of these 'devout Jews returning to
gether, the absence of the Child was not noticed
until the' end of a day's journey when1 they
sought Him among the kinfolk and acquain
tances. As soon as they found that He was not with
them thqy hurried .back to Jerusalem and after
It is With His chlldfflfod that our Talk torlnv S'Ci A'd. ,??".. in ,th?. "S.ittin'S in
TWla. hut. ttir pntrminn into nf n JfK ia '""."""si on uie uocLors, Dotn iieanng. them and
: .' . " w ww ... a.v vi. win X.U. 10 nRirinc r mm nnoat nna '
"-'""C3 " VVIVMVIVUUl
too important to pass over in silence. His is
tho jDiily birthday widely celebrated throughout
the-' civilized world.
Each nation has its great characters to whom
succeeding- generations pay homage. In 1 this
spountry we have the birthday of Washington,
tho Father of His Country.
He has been dead but a little more than a
century and yet but a small part of the nation's
population observes the day set apart by statute
in remembrance of his services. ,
Many cease from ordinary work because It
is a holiday, but comparatively few giye serious
thought to the virtues and accomplishments of
the Father of His, Country.
Lincoln's birthday, is also a national holiday
and yet a still smaller number observe it in the
spirit -svhich prompted the passage of tho law
Lincoln was the greatest - of Republicans as
Jefferson was the greajtest of Democrats, and
yet while these name are invokod in campaigns
for political purposes the birthdays of-these
two great, statesmen Attract little, attention
Even the Fourth o,f July, the birthday of the
nation, is given over to amusemenj- rather' than
to sober reflection oir'the nation's past struggles
its present problems and its future greatness '
.u vmauo uuiuutij' it iuukcu ronvard to
Luko tells us that all
that heard Him were amazed at His understand
v ing and His answers. '
His parents, were astonished at what they
saw andNthe mother, -remembering with what
alarm they hadjgjearched for Him,, chided Him
for causing them so mucl anxiety. The answer
made by Jesus showed at what an early age He
entered upon the seclous business of His life
we shall we do then?
He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath
two coats, let him impart to him that hath nne;
and ho that hath meat, 'let him do likewise. '
Won came also publicans to be baptized, and
said unto him, Master, what 'Shall we do?
And he said unto them, Exact no more than that
which is appointed you.
r And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, say
ing:, AjtcI what shall we do? And he said unto
them. Do violence to- no man, neither accuse any
falsely; and be content with your w.agres.
.And as the people were in expectation, and all
men Iniised in their hearts of John, whether ho
were the Christ, or not;
John answered.vsaying unto them all. I indeed
baptize you with water; but' one mightier than I
cometh, tho latchet of whoso shoes I am not worthy
to unlooses ho shall baptize -you, with tho Holy
Qhost and with flrex - .-
Whose fan Is In his hand, and ho will thoroughly
purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his
garner; but the chaff ho wHl burn with lire un
quenchable. -' ' .
"The word of God came unto John tho son of
Zacharias in the wilderness. -And ho camo into
Wilst ye not that I must bo about my" a11 tho country about Jprdan, preaching the bap-
hftr'fl hllOlTIOOa?" - Horn rV nn'rsnr4-- .o 1.1 JJ :.r. "
" "i- loijuumuuu iui uie ruiiuuHiuxi ui hio.
Father's business?
They did hot catch the full meaning-of His
words; but the mother as mothers are won't
to do "kept all these sayings in her heart "
1 THE HOME'S BEST PICTURE v '
Tile picture of Christ in the temple is the
best child's picture for the home. It will be
found in many homes today,, and should bo in
more. The picture is tho most impressive lesson
that there is, because it teaches all the time The
lessons, that are taught weekly -in the Siindav
Schoolsand daily at the fireside are sorhetimes
nullified by the lessons that are hourly .spoken
by the pictures that hang upon the whflls
Josus returned to Nazareth with Joseph and
Mary and was subject unto. them, and Ho "in
creased in wisdom and stature and in favor
With God and man." His Krowth wn.R hnrmft.
b "IVhl!! .r?' tt? Christian worW , He Z STSSKr1;. & "L. Jl
God ho nlctn fniin1 fnvnf wlfl, v, rm .
. 17" ui wiuii, xnere is an
not by tho children of Christians alone but
by the children of unbelievers as well.' No other
babe hasever brought so much joy into the
nuj 1U1
"And since tho Child of Nazareth
Sot on it thus His seal and sign, '
?tU1 man's sin hath marred it saith
That fihibJhood is not still divine?"
We compute time from His advent the
important lesson in that single verse.,
MANTIS A TRINITY'
Civilization might bo defined as the harmon'fc
ous development of bpdy and mind and heart
Spme give all tho attentien to the body, some
give all tho attention to the mind and a few are
sp absorbed in spiritual development that thev
slightboth body and mind. Man is 6. trinity
Thus Luke, greatest of Gosnel writers, begins
his graphic account of the ministry of John the
Baptist, forerunner of the Christ.
Repentance wm John's message to the He
brew world. "Ye offspring of vipers," or "gen
eration of vipers," as the authorized version has
it, was the way in which he addressed "the mul
titude that camo forth to be (baptized of him."
A child of the desert, where he lived on lo
custs and wild honey, and clothed himself with
camel's hajr, "and with a girdle of skin about
hte loins," Tohn dressed his theught in the lan
guage with-which he was familiar. "
"Q generatien pf vipers, ,w,he hath warned
. ypu tp floe frem the wrath to come?"
But.it was not sufficient that' the people should
flee from -this-wrath; John told them bluntly
theymust repent and "bring forth fruits worthy
of repentance."
J It was a sermpn good for -all time that John
the Baptist, -appearing unexpectedly from his
desert fastness, preached nineteen hundred
years ago to the Plebnpw multitude
THE BEGINNING OP.-REFORM
Repentance Is the beginning of reform.
Ne one cait 'begin a new life until he recog
nizes, -thaU he-has sinned, and turns from sin.
Such a man may reflect upon his past; he may
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