The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-12-29
THE CHRISTMAS JUBILEE.
REV. 7. DE WITT TALMAGES' SER
MON AT THE TABERNACLE.


Christian Jubilee" A special programme Of
music, was rendered by the artists Of the
church, and the congregational singing was
inspiriting. The opening hymn begins:
Joy 10 the world the king Is come,
Let earth receive her king.
DR.. Talmage's text was st. Matthew ii, Q:
@When they had heard the king they de
parted: and, 10, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and
stood over where the young child was" The
preacher said:
At this season all Christendom celebrates
the birth Of Christ. Step down out Of your
comfortable surroundings into the chill De-
cember night Of Bethlehem. Two plain peo-
pie are boteled in a village barn after walk
Of eighty miles, too long trudge for one in
poor health. No lords Of state awaiting in
antechaInber, as when other kings are born
No messengers mounted at the doorway
ready 10 herald the event from city TO city.
No medical skill in attendance. No satin
lined cradle 70 receive its infantile guest
But monarch born in the hostelry called
the House Of Chinham, the night, with dia-
moned finger, pointing down TO the place; the
door OF heaven set wide open to look out;
from orchestral batons Of light, dripping the
oratorios Of the Messiah on lowest doorstep Of
good viii.
Soon after the white bearded astrologists
kneel, and from leather pouch chink the
shekels. and from open sacks exhale the frank
incense and rustic out the bundles Of myrrh-
The loOsened star; the escaped doxology OF
celestias, the chill December night aflush
with May morn; our world a lost star, and
another star rushing down the sky that night
10 beckon the wanderer home again, shall yet
make all nations keep Christmas.
Are there no new lessons from the story not
yet hackneyed by oft repeatall Oh, yesl
Now, in the first place, it was sidereal ap-
pearance that led the way. So, the star
which they saw in the east went before them
Why not a black cloud in the shape Of a hand
or a finger pointing down 70 the sacred birth
placel A cloud means trouble, and the world
had had trouble enough. Why not shaft Of
lightning quivering and flashing and striking
down TO the sacred birthplace Lightning
means destruction, SCATTERING and consum-
ing power, and the world wanted no more
destruction.
But it was a star, and that means joy, that
means hope, that means good cheer, that
means ascendancy. A start That means
creative power. for did not the morning
stars sing together when the portfolio of the
worlds was openedl A start That means
defense, for did not the stars fight In their
course against Sisera, and for the Lords peo-
plel A star That means brilliant continu-
ance for are not the righteous TO shine as the
stars forever and everl A star That means
the opening Of eternal joy. The day star in
the heart. The morning star Of the Re
deemer.
The unusual appearances that night have
been strange conjunction Of worlds. As
erasp f,.FN
ago by astronomers, and astronomers can
tell what will be the conjunction Of worlds a
thousand years from now, so they can calcu-
late backwards, and even infidel astronomers
have been compelled to testify that about the
year / there was IA very unusual appear
ance in the heavens. The Chinese record, Of
course entirely independent of the word Of
God, gives as a matter Of history that about
the year l there was strange and unac-
countable appearance in the heavens. But
il may have been a meteor such as you and
have seen flash in the horizon. Only a few
years ago / saw in the western sky a star
shoot and fall with such brilliancy and pre-
cisiOn that if had been on hill as high as that
Of Bethlehem on which the shepherds stood, l
could have marked within short distance
the place of the alighting. The University of
Iowa and the British museum have speci-
fields, fragments flung off from other worlds,
leaving fiery trail ON the sky. So that it is
not to me at all improbable, the stellar or the
meteoric appearance ON that night of which
we speak only care to know that it was
bright, that it was silvery, that it flashed, and
swayed, and swung, and halted with joy
celestial, as though Christ, in haste to save
our world, had rushed down without his coro-
net and the angels of God had hurled it after
Hint Not a black cloud of threat, but q
bright star of hope is our glorious Chris
tianity. One glimpse of that stellar appear
ance kindled up the soul of the sick and the
dying college student, until the words flashed
from his pale fingers and the star seemed to
pour its light from his white lips, as Kirke
White wrote these immortal words:
When marshaled on the nightly plain,
The glittering hosts bestud the sky,
One star alone of all the train
Can fix the sinners wandering eye.
Hank harkl to God the chorus breaks,
From every host from every gem,
But one alone the Saviour speaks,
IL Is the Star Of Bethlehem.
Once on the raging seas rode,
The storm was loud, the night was dark,
And rudely blew the wind
That tossed my laundering bark;
Deep horror then my vitals froze,
Deathstruck, Iceased the tide 20 stem;
When suddenly star arose,
II was the Star of Bethlehem.
Notice also in this scene that other worlds
seemed TO honor our lord and master. Bright
star of the night, wheel on in thine orbit
"No,' said the star, 81 must come nearer, and
/ must tend, and must watch and see what
you do with my Jesus" Another world that
night joined our world in worship. That
star made a bow of obeisance. / sometimes
hear people talk of Christs dominion as
though it were to be merely the few thousand
miles of the worlds circumference; but be-
lieve the millions and the billions and the
quadrillions of worlds are inhabited-if not
by such creatures as we are, still such crea-
lures as God designed to make, and that all
these worlds are a part of Christ's dominion.
Isaac Newton, and Kepler and Herschel only
went on Columbus voyage to find these con-
tnents OF our kings domain. 1 think all
worlds were loyal but this The great organ
OF the universe, its pedals and its pipes and
its keys, are all one great harmony, save one
injured pedal, save one broken stop-the vox
humane OF the human race, the disloyaI
world
Now you know that however grand the in
strument may be, if there be one key out of
order it spoils the harmony. And Christ
must mend this key He must restore this
key. He must restore this broken stop You
know with what bleeding hand, and with
what pierced side, and with what crushed
foot, He did the work. But the world shall
be attuned, and all worlds will be yet &C
cordant Isle of Wight, larger in comparison
with the British empire than our island of a
world as compared with Christ's vast domain
III not, why that celestial escortl If not why
that sentinel with blazing badge above the
caravansaryt II not, why that midnight
watchman in the balcony of heavenl AS
tronomy surrendered that night to Christ.
This planet for Christ. The solar system for
Christ. Worlds ablaze and worlds burned
out-all worlds for Christ
lntensest microscope cannot see the one
side OF that domain. Further reaching tele-
scope cannot find the other side of that do
main But win tell you how the universe
Is bounded 1t Is bounded on the north and
south and east and west by God. and that
Zoo Is Christ, and that Christ is God, and
that God Is ours o, does il not enlarge our
IDEAS OF a Saviour's dominion when tell YOU
that all the worlds are only sparks struck
from His anvil, that all the worlds are only
heecy hocks following the one shepherd, that
all the islands Of light in immensely are one
great archipelago belonging to our Kingi
But this scene also impresses me with the
TACT that the wise men of the east came to
Christ They were not fools, they were not
imbeciles. The record distinctly says that
the wise men came to Christ. We say they
We're the magi, or they were the alchemists,
or they were the PSYCHOLOGISTS, and we say 1t
with deprsciating accentuation- Why, they
We're the most splendid and magnificent men
OF the century. They were the naturalists
and the scientists. They knew all that was
known You must remember that astroloVy
was the mother of astronomy. and that
alchemy was the mother of chemistry. and
because children are brighter than the mother
you do not despise the mother.
LIZ e.. 4