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Speaker 1: The Angel's Song by Charles Simeon Luke two verses thirteen

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and fourteen. And suddenly there was with the Angel a

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multitude of the heavenly Host, praising God and saying glory

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to God in the highest and on earth peace good

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will toward men. The circumstances of Our Saviour's birth characterize

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in a measure the dispensation which he came to introduce.

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The Gospel exhibits a plain yet profound scheme of salvation.

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While its great outlines are intelligible to the meanest capacity,

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it abounds with the most sublime and inscrutable mysteries. Thus,

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in the incarnation of our Lord there was a meanness

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which seemed unsuitable to such an occasion, and at the

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same time a majesty that was worthy the person and

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character of the newborn infant. He was born not in

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a palace but a stable, and had only a manger

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for his reception. Yet did an angel come from heaven

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to announce his birth, and a multitude of the heavenly

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host attended to proclaim his praise. In this divine hymn.

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The incarnation of Christ is represented in a twofold view

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one as a subject for our deepest contemplation. The subject

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itself is announced in those words of the Angel to

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the shepherds, unto you is born this day in the

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city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord.

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And in honor of this marvelous event, a multitude of

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the heavenly host break forth into strains so abrupt as

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to need much careful elucidation, and so ardent as to

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express as fully as possible what angels feel in the

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contemplation of this divine mystery. Behold, peace now exists on earth.

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The whole race of man had fallen and were subject

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to God's heavy displeasure, nor was there on man's part

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any possibility of restoring himself to the divine favour. But

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God devised a mode for reconciling the world unto himself.

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Through the intervention of his only dear son, on his

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co equal, co eternal son, who was the brightness of

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his glory and the express image of his person, he

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laid our iniquities, and so his justice, being satisfied by

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an atonement in our behalf, reconciliation might be affected for

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us in perfect consistency with all the divine perfections. Hence

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peace was brought down from Heaven to Earth through the

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sufferings of our incarnate God, who is therefore emphatically called

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the Prince of Peace. Now every sinner in the universe

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may have peace with God and in his own conscience,

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if only he welcome his Savior into his heart and

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believe in him as God's appointed instrument for the salvation

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of the world. And now also is revealed goodwill toward men.

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The strongest possible evidence of God. God's love to men

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was the gift of his only dear son to die

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for them. In this view, the incarnation of our blessed

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Lord is always spoken of, and Jehovah himself is represented

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as commending his love to us in and by this

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marvelous event. But far more than this is comprehended in

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the expression here used by the Holy Angels. I understand

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by it that through the incarnation of Christ, a full

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scope is given to the exercise of God's good will

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to man, so that it can flow down in the

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richest abundance into the soul of everyone that is at

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peace with Him. Yes, to every believing soul, will God

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manifest himself as he does not unto the world and

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dwell in him and abide with him, and give a

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spirit of adoption Yea. And the witness of the spirit

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to attest to him, the relation in which he stands

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to God, and will rejoice over him, to do him good,

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retire rejoicing over him with joy, and resting in his love,

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and joying over him with singing. There is no expression

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of good will which a believing soul is capable of

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receiving from God, which shall not more or less be

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vouchsafed by God to everyone that is at peace with

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Him through faith in Christ. And by all this is

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the highest possible glory reflected upon God himself. There is

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not a perfection of the Deity which is not honored

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by this, Yea, and more honored than ever it was before.

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Wisdom and goodness, and power and love had been displayed

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before in the formation of angels, and in the blessedness

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diffused throughout the whole creation, and the perfect adaptation of

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everything to its proper end. Holiness too, and justice had

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been rendered conspicuous by the expulsion of all the fallen

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angels from heaven and the consigning of them over to

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everlasting misery in hell. But there had been no trace

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of mercy to be seen in in any corner of

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the universe, nor could the highest intelligence in Heaven conceive

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how the exercise of this perfection could consist with the

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rights of justice. But now the union and harmony of

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all the divine perfections was seen through the incarnation and

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death of God's only dear son, Justice exercised in a

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way of mercy and mercy in a way of justice,

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or as the Psalmist expresses it, mercy and truth meeting together,

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and righteousness and peace kissing each other. Well, then did

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the angels sing glory to God in the Highest They

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had seen no peace proclaimed in heaven, no expression of

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good will toward the fallen angels, but towards men on earth,

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both were most gloriously displayed. Hence, with wonder and admiration,

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this blessed assembly pour forth their praises in this appropriate song,

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Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on earth, good

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will towards men unless we enter fully into it, who

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as a mercy devoutly to be acknowledged. The angels, though

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in comparison of us they had no interest in this event,

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came down from heaven to celebrate and proclaim it. And

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shall not we celebrate it, shall so much as one

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of us remain indifferent now that the glad tidings of

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it are brought to our ears. Consider, I pray you

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first your own personal interest in it. Where would all

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of you have been if God had not devised and

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executed these means for your restoration to his favor. You

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had all participated in the guilt of the fallen angels,

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and must all have partaken of their misery. What could

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you have done more than they to avert or mitigate

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your doom? You would have lived only to fill up

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the measure of your iniquities, and would then have been reserved,

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like those unhappy spirits in chains of darkness, to the

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judgment of the great day. But through the substitution of

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God's only dear son in your place, and the atonement

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He has offered in your behalf, there is not so

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much as one of you that may not be reconciled

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to God and made an everlasting object of his favor.

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In fact, I speak to you at this moment am

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an ambassador from God to announce to you these glad tidings.

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To me, as His servant is committed the ministry of reconciliation,

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to declare that God was in Christ reconciling the world

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unto himself, not imputing their trespassers unto them. And at

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this very moment, it is as if the Lord Jesus

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Christ himself addressed you for as bearing his commission and

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actually representing him. I now beseech you all in Christ's stead,

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be ye reconciled to God? Will not ye then adore

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God for this revelation of his mercy to you? Will

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ye not all rise as one man to welcome this

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savior and adore him, and to seek through him the

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blessings he is come to impart. What if such a

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relation of mercy were sent to the fallen angels? Do

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you think they would hear it with indifference? Or if

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they did hear it with indifference? Is there so much

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as one of you that would not say, leave them

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to themselves their damnation is Just know then, that in

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condemning them, you condemn yourselves. And out of your own

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mouth will God condemn you at the last day. But

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I hope better things of you, my brethren, And I

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call upon you all now at this very moment, in

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spirit at least to join the angelic choir, and sing

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glory to God in the Highest, who has opened such

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a way for the affecting of my reconciliation with Him,

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and for these wonderful displays of good will to my

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guilty soul. Second, the glory that will accrue to God

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from it to all eternity. But for this revelation of

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God's mercy to us, there would have been little difference

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between Earth and Hell, for God would have been no

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more glorified in the one than in the other. But

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God is glad glorified in the midst of us. I

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trust there are in this very assembly some at least

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who have found peace with God and can attest from

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their own experience how sweet are the manifestations of His

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good will to their souls. And the time is shortly

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coming when all shall know the Lord, from the least

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to the greatest, and all flesh shall see the salvation

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of God. And Oh what a place will this wretched

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world then be. What bright manifestations of the Savior will

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then be vouchsafed to men. Methinks the visions of Mount

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Tabor will then be common upon Earth, and this song

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of angels will become the common tone of intercourse between

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man and man throughout the whole world. But raise your

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thoughts to Heaven, my brethren, and consider for a moment

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what is passing there. There are already millions of Redeemed

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souls that rest not day or night from these songs

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of praise. There the chorus is swelling louder and louder

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every day to the accession of saints made perfect. Every

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one ha having tuned his harp to the heavenly song,

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and bursting forth at his first entrance into Heaven, into

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acclamations and hosannas that shall never end. And what shall

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we say of that period when all the assembly of

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the Redeemed, together with all the Holy Angels, shall join

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in one universal, uninterrupted song. Worthy is the Lamb that

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was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength,

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and honor and glory and blessing. Therefore, blessing and honor

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and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon

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the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. Can you,

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my brethren, contemplate that day and not rejoice in the

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expectation of it, and long to be found in the

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happy number of the Redeemed I call upon you. Then, yea,

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I charge you all, in the name of the most

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High God, to begin this very day, this heavenly song.

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Leave to an ungodly world to make this a season

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of carnal festivity, Make ye it a season of holy joy,

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a very anticipation of heaven itself application. But I cannot

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close the subject without entreating you all to imitate the

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conduct of these holy angels. They were not content with

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being happy themselves. They sought to promote the happiness of

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others by making known to them these glad tidings and

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setting them an example of the frame of mind which

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they should cultivate. This is the way in which I

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would recommend to you, my brethren, to spend this holy season.

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Let each, according to his ability, improve the opportunities that

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are afforded him, of diffusing far and wide this divine knowledge,

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and of stimulating all around him the attainment and the

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exercise of this heavenly joy. End of the Angel's Song

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by Charles Simeon