Well, my friends, surely you know of whom I have been speaking--of whom Moses and the prophets spoke--of Him who was born of a village maiden, laid in a manger, proclaimed of angels to the shepherds, worshipped with hymns of glory by the heavenly host on the first Christmas day eighteen hundred and seventy-eight years ago, as we count time. Aye, strange as it may seem, _He is come_, and in Him all the nations of the earth are blessed. _He is come_--the Conqueror of Evil--the desire of all nations--the Law-giver--the Lamb which was to suffer for our sins--the King of kings--the Light which should lighten the heathen--the Virgin's child, of wondrous wisdom, whose name should be God as well as man--whom all the heathens, amid strange darkness and mad confusions, had still been fearing and looking for. _He is come_--He came on that first Christmas-tide. And we here on each Christmas-tide can thank God for His coming, and say before men and angels, "Unto us a child is born--the Prince of Peace is _ours_--to His kingdom we belong--He has borne about on Him a man's body, a man's soul and spirit--He was born like us--like us He grew--like us He rejoiced and sorrowed--tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin--able to the uttermost to understand and help all who come to God by Him. He has bruised the serpent's head--He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and brought us into _His_ kingdom. Through His blood we have redemption and forgiveness--yes! through Him who, though He was laid in a manger, was yet the image of the unseen God. And by Him, and for Him--that Babe of Bethlehem--were all things created in heaven and earth--and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. All heaven and earth, and all the powers therein, are held together by Him. For it pleased the Father that in _Him_ should all fulness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, to reconcile by that child all things unto Himself--all things in heaven--all things in earth." This should be our boast--this should be our glory--for this do we meet together every Christmas day.