Connecticut western news., 1890-12-31

NO"AA cO CAAO ocASAO OAA OA kASUCOs "A NAOAA means trouble, and the world had had trouble enough. Why not shaft of lightning qnivering and flashing and striking down to the sacred birthplace? Lightning means destruction, a shat tering and consuming power, and the world wanted no more destruction. THE STAR OF THE EAST. But it was a star, and that means joy, that means hope, that means good cheer, that means ascendancy. A star! That means creative power, for did not the morning stars sing together when the portfolio of the worlds was opened? A star! That means defense, for did against Sisera and for the Lords people? A star! That means brilliant continu- ancaa for are not the righteous to shine as the stars forever and evera A stari That means the opening of eternal joy The day star in the heart. The morn ing star of the Redeemer.
 The unusual appearance that night may have been a strange conjunction of worlds As the transit of Venus in our time was foretold many years ago by astronomers, and astronomers can tell what will be the conjunction of worlds thousand years from now. so they can calculate backward; and even infidel astronomers have been com pelled to testify that about the year 1 there was very unusual appear ance in the heavens. The Chinese record, of course entirely independent of the Word of God, gives as matter of history that about the year there | was a strange and unaccountable ap- pearance in the heavens.
 But it may have been meteor such as you and I have seen flash to the horizon. saw few years ago in the northern sky S star shoot and fall with such brilliancy and precision that if 1 had been on a hill as high as that of Bethlehem, on which the shepherds stood, I could have marked within short distance Nlc place of the alight- ing The University of Iowa and the British Museum have specimens of meteoric stones picked up in the fields, fragments flung off from other worlds, leaving a 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. I 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 with out his coronet, and the angels of God had hurled it after him!
 GLORIOUS CHRISTIANITY
 Not a black cloud of threat, but a gleaming star of hope, is our glorious Christianity. One glimpse of that stel- lar appearance kindled up the soul of the sick and dying college student un- til the words flashed from his pale fin gers and the star seemed to pour it's light from his white lips as Kirke White wrote these immortal words:
 When marshaled on the nightly plain The glttering hosts bestud the sky, | One star alone of all the train
 l Can fix the sinners wandering eye. Hark, hark to God! the chorus breaks
 From every host, from every gem; But one alone, the Saviour speaks It is the Star of Bethlehem.
 Once on the raging seas rode.
 The storm was loud, the night was dark, And rudey blew the winds that tossed my laundering bark.
 | Deep horror then my vitals froze, Death struck, ceased tho tide to stem 1 When suddenly star arose.
 It 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, 'I must come nearer, and must bend and must watch and see what you do with my Jesus" Another world that night joined our world in worship. That star made bow of obeisance. l sometimes hear people talk of Christ's dominion as though it were to be mere ly the few thousand miles of the world s circumference; but believe the. mill ions and the billions and the quadrill- ions of worlds are all inhabited-if not by such creatures as we are, still such creatures 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 conti- nents of our Kings domain.
 ONLY ONE D1SCoRD.
 | I think all worlds were loyal but this. The great organ of the universe it's pedals, and it's pipes, and it's keys all one great harmony save one injured pedal, save ono broken stop-the vox humana of the human race, the dis loyal world. Now you know that, how ever grand the instrument may be, if there be one key out of order it spells the harmony. And Christ must mend 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 yet be accordant. Isle of Wight, larger in comparison with the British empire than our island of 0 world as compared with Christ's vast domain. If not, why that celestial escortl If not, why that sen- inel with blazing badge above the car avansary? If not, why that midnight watchman in the balcony of heavena
 Astronomy surrendered that night to Christ. This planet for Christ. The solar system for Christ. Worlds ablaze and worlds burned out-all worlds for Christ Intensest microscope cannot see the one side of that domain. Far thest reaching telescope cannot find the other side of that domain. But will tcn you how the universe is bound | od io 6n1,ndoA fho north o1a6