Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-12-29
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
TALMAGE breaches A CHRIST
MAS SERMON.
Christ the Star That Lights the Human
Race to "a Glorious Destiny-"I Am
the Bright and the Morning Star"
Rev. 22:I6.

audience assembled to participate in
the Christmas services. Standing be-
fore the organ, festooned with Christ
mas greens, this sermon was delivered
by Rev. DIR. Talmage, after the throngs
had sung: THE Star of Bethlehem"
Text, Rev. 22:16, 81 am the bright and
the morning star"
This is Christmas eve. Our attention
and the attention of the world is drawn
to the star that pointed down to the
caravansary where Christ was born.
But do not let us forget that Christ
himself was star. To that luminous
fact my text calls us.
1t seems as if the natural world were
anxious to make up for the damage it
did our race in furnishing the forbid
den fruit. If that fruit wrought death
among the nations, now all the natural
products shall become a symbol of
blessing The showering down of the
wealth of the orchard will make us
think of him whom Solomon describes
as the apple tree among the trees of
the wood; and the flowers of tangled
glen and cultured parterre shall be the
dew-glinted garland for the brow of
the Lord Jesus. Yea, even the night
shall be taxed, and its brightest star
shall be set as gem in the coronet of
our holy religion.
Have you ever seen the morning star
advantageously? If it was on your
way home from a nights carousal, you
saw none of its beauty. If you merely
turned over on your pillow in the dark
ness, glancing out of the window, you
know nothing about the cheerful in
fuence of that star. But there are
many in this house tonight who. in
great passes of their life, some of them
far out at sea, have gaZed at that star
and been thrilled through with in
describablc gladness. That star comes
trembling as though with the perils
of the darkness, and yet bright with
the anticipation of the day. 1t seems
emotional with all tenderness. its ewes
filled with the tears of many sorrows.
1t is the gem on the hand of the
morning thrust up to signal its com
ing. Other stars are dim, like holy
candles in cathedral or silver beads
counted in superstitious litany; but
this is a living star, a speaking
star, an historic star, an evan.
gelistic star-bright, and brilliant.
and triumphant symbol of the great
Redecmer. The telegraphic operator
puts his finger on the silver key of the
electric N = IN an1 h.,
fly across the continent; and so it
seems to me that the finger of inspira-
ton is placed ppon this silver point in
the heavens, and il thrills through all
the earth: Behold, bring you good
tidings of great JOY which shall be to
all people. Behold am the bright and
morning star" The meaning of my
text is this as the morning star pre-
cedes and promises the coming of the
day, so Christ heralds the natural and
spiritual dawn.
In the first place Christ heralded the
coming of the creation. There was
time when there was no order, no
sound Of beauty. No wing stirred.
No word was uttered. No light sped.
AS far as God could look up, as far
down, as far out, there was nothing.
Unreasonable solitude. Height and
depth, and length, and breadth of
nothingness. Did Christ then exist?
Oh, yes "By him were all things
made that are made; things in heaven
and things in earth and things under
the earth" Yes, he antedated the
creation. He led forth Arcturus and
his sons. He shone before the first
morning. His voice was heard in the
concert when the morning stars
serenadcd the advent of our infant
earth, when, wrapped in swaddling
clothes of light, it lay in the arms of
the great Jehovah. He saw the first
fountain laid He saw the first light
kindled. That hand which was after
ward crushed upon the cross was
thurst into chaos, and it brought out
one world and swung it in that orbit:
and brought out another world and
swung it in another orbit; and
brought out all the worlds, and swung
them in their particular orbits, They
came like sheep at the call of q shep-
herd. They knew his voice, and he
called them all by their names. Oh, it
is an interesting thought to me to
know that Christ had something to do
with the creation. see now why it
was so easy for him to change water
into wine; he first created the water.
l see now why it was so easy for him
to cure the maniac; he first created
the intellect. / see now why it was so
easy for him to hush the tempest; he
sank Gennesaret. / see now why
it was so easy for him
to swing fish into Simon's net; he
made the fish. l see now why it was
so easy for him to give sight to the
blind man; he created the optic nerve.
see now why it was so easy for him
to raise Lazarus from the dead; he
created the body of Lazarus and the
rock that shut him in. Some suppose
that Christ came stranger to Bethle-
hem Oh, no! He created the shep-
herds, and the fiocks they watched,
and the hills on which they pastured,
and the heavens that overarched their
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