He fought sin and He conquered it. Why, then, has the angels' song not been fulfilled? Why does sin still cast its shadow on earth and heaven alike? Why does God's loving purpose in sending His Son seem still to suffer so wide defeat? Because in his recovery as in his fall, man's will must play its part. I can only be saved from sin when I _will_ to be saved; I only become a partaker of the benefits which Christ brought from heaven to earth when, yielding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I turn with full accord to Jesus Christ as my Saviour. Marvel not, therefore, that we say to you with peculiar emphasis on the day in which Christ was born, "Ye must be born again." Otherwise, His birth is of no avail to you and me. We are not honouring Him, we are putting Him rather to an open shame, if we keep out of our thoughts at this time the supreme purpose of His coming, if we are not personally dealing with Him even now as to the burden and guilt of our sin.
But we can set the angels a-singing in the sky, and the melody of their music can be felt in our own hearts, if we turn in lowly penitence to Him who came to save His people from their sins, and to quicken them to a new life of righteousness and peace and joy. Only when a man comes to himself in lowly penitence, and then goes to his Father with a lofty faith, does he enter into the full purpose of his manhood; and only then, also, is there not only joy among the angels in heaven over the sinner that thus repenteth, but there is music and dancing on the earth as well, and the old life ends in which sin reigned, and the new begins in which Christ reigns; and His reign means "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men."
"There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."
_Words by_ ARTHUR BRYANT. _Music by_ CHARLES BASSETT.
1. O wondrous night! O wondrous night! we fain would tell The news the Angel told; The holy vision which befel The Shepherds by their fold. With fear they saw, with gladness heard The heav'nly minstrelsy, With hope each trembling heart was stirred At that sweet harmony: ... "We bring good news Which ne'er shall cease; To God be praise, to God be praise, On earth be peace."
2. O wondrous sight! O wondrous sight for simple swains, With hasty steps who sped; The music of those joyous strains To that poor manger led. With awe they gazed on Christ the Lord Amid that happy throng, And Israel at His feet adored, Taught by the Angels' song: ... "We bring good news, Which ne'er shall cease; To God be praise, to God be praise, On earth be peace."