The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-12-29
CHRISTMAS SERMON.
THE TABERNACLE PULPIT FesTooN-
Ed WITH HOLIDAY GREET.

Rev. DIR. Talmage's Sermon ON Christ the
star-A Living, Speaking, Historic and
Evangeiistic Star A Discourse That
CLOVIS With Eloquence.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 24.-In the Brook
yn Tabernacle today great audience
assembled to participate in the Christ
mas services. Standing before the or
gan, festooned with Christmas greens,
This sermon was delivered by Rev. DR..
Talmage, after the throngs had sung
1.-The Star of Bethlehem. Text, Rev
elation xxi, 10, II 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 car
avansary 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
product shall become symbol of bless
ing. The showering down of the wealth
of the orchard will make us think of
him whom Solomon describes as the ap-
pie tree among the trees of the wood and
the flowers of tangled glen and cultured
parte1re shall be the dew glinted gar
land for the brow Of the Lord Jesus.
Yea, even the night shall be taxed, and
its brightest star shall be set as a 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 turn
ed over on your pillow in the darkness,
glancing out of the window, you know
nothing about the cheerful influence 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 thrill
ed through with indescribable gladness.
That star comes trembling as though
with the perils of the darkness, and yet
bright with the anticipations Of the day.
1t seems emotional with all tenderness,
it's eyes 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 cam
dies in cathedral or silver beads count
ed in superstitious Gtany, but this is a
living star, speaking star, a historic
star, an evangelistic star-bright and
brilliant and triumphant symbol of the
great Redeemer. The telegraphic oper-
ator puts his finger on the silver key of
the electric instrument, and the tidings
F fly across the continent. And so it seems
to me that the finger of inspiration is
placed upon this silver point in the
heavens, and its thrill through all the
earth. Behold, bring you good It'd
ings 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 a
time when there was no order, no sound
or 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 morn
ing. His voice was heard in the con-
cert when the morning stars serenaded
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 afterward crushed upon the cross
was thrust into chaos, and it brought
out one world and swung it in that or.
bit, 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 tho call of a shepherd. They
knew his voice, and he called them al
by their names. Oh, it is an interesting
thought to me to know that Christ haG
something to do with the creation.
see now why it was SO easy for him tc
change water into wine. He first ere
ated the water. | see now why it was
SO easy for him to cure the maniac. HI
first created the intellect. see now
why it was so easy for him to hush thu
tempest. He sank Gennesaret. SCI
how why it was SO easy for him tx
swing fish into Simon net. He mad,
the fish. | see now why it was 81
easy for him to give sight to tn
blind man. He created the optic
nerve. see now why it was S,
easy for him to raise Lazarus from tn
dead. He created the body of Lazarus
and the rock that shut him in. Som
suppose that Christ came stranger t
Bethlehem. Oh. no. He created tn
shepherds, and the flocks they watched
and the hills on which they pastured
and the heavens that overarched their
heads, and the angels that chanted tn
chorus on that Christmas night. Tha
hand which was afterward nailed t.
the cross. was an omnipotent and ere
stive hand and the whole universe wa
poised on the tip of one of his fingers
Before the world was Christ was. Al
1ie world came trooping up out of tn
darkness, and he greeted them, as ia
ther greets his children, with goo,
morning." or good night" Hail
Lord Jesus, morning star of the frs
creation.
Again, Christ heralds the dawn Q
comfort in a Christian soul. Sometime
we come to passes in life where al
kinds o. tribulations meet us. You ar
building mp some great enterprise. Yo
have built the foundation-the wall
you are just about to put on the car
stone. when everything is demolished
fou have harp all strung for sweetes
accord. ard some great agony crusht
it. There IS little voice hushed