The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-27

assembled 10 participate in the Christ
mas services. Standing before the or
gan, festooned with Christmas greens,
this sermon was delivered by the Rev.
Or. Talmage after the throngs had sung,
1.-The Star of Bethlehem" Text Rev
Citations xxi. 16. Il am the bright ana
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 cara
vansary where Christ was born. But do
not let us forget that Christ himself was
a star To that luminous fact my text
calls us.
1t seems as if the natural world were
anxious 10 make up for the damage it
did our race in furnishing the forbidden
fruit. II that fruit wrought death
among the nations, now all the natural
products shall become a symbol of bless
ing. The showering down OF the wealth
of the orchard will make us think Of
Him whom Solomon describes as the APP
pie tree among the trees of the wood,
and the flowers OF tangled glen and cul-
tured 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 a gem
in the coronet of our holy religion.
The MorninE star.
Have you ever seen the morning star
Rdyantageously? If It was on your
way home from a nights carousal. you
saw none of its beauty. II you merely
turned over on your pillow in the dark
ness. glancing out of the window. You
oh n in
huence 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 understandable
gladness. That star comes trembling as
though with the perils OF t ne
darkness and yet bright with the an
ticipation of the day. 1t seems emo
tional with all tenderness, its eyes filed
with the tears Of many SORROWS. 1t is
the gem on the hand of the morning
thrust up to signal its coming.
Other stars are dim. like holy candles
in cathedral, or silver beads counted
in superstitious litany. but this is a
living star. speaking star. "A historic
star, and evangelistic star-bright and
brilliant and triumphant symbol of the
great Redeemer. The Geographic opera
tor puts his finger on the silver key OF
the electric instrument and the tidings
fly across the continent, and so il seems
10 me that the finger of inspiration is
placed upon this silver point in the
heavens, and it thrills through all the
earth: Behold, 1 bring YOU good It'd
ings Of great joy. which shall be to all
people Behold, j am the bright and
morning star. The meaning of my text
IS this. As the morning star precedes
and promises the coming OF a 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
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 Arcuturus and his sons. He
shone before the first morning. His
voice was heard in the concert when the
morning stars serenaded the advent Of
our infant earth, when. wrapped in swad-
ding clothes Of light. il lay in the arms
0f the great jehovah He saw the first
fountain laid. He saw the first light kin
died. That hand which was afterward
crushed upon the cross was thrust into
chaos, and it brought cut one world and
swung 10 in that orbit; and brought am
other world and swung il in another or
bit, and brought out all the worlds and
swung them in their particular orbits
They came like sheep at the call Of a
sheperd. They knew his voice and He
called them all by their names.
Oh. IL is an interesting thought 10 me
20 know that Christ had something to
do with the creation. / see now why
st was so easy for Him 70 change water
into wine; He first created the water
] see now why il was so easy for Him
10 cure the mania; He first created the
intellect I see now why il was so EASY
for Him TO hush the tempest: He sank
Gennesaret 1 see now why IL was so
easy for Him to swing fish into Simon's
net; He made the fish. / see now why
IL was so easy for Him 10 give sight to
the blind man: He created the optic
nerve.
/ see now why it was so easy for Him
10 raise Lazarus from the dead: He
created the body of Lazarus and the
rock that shut him in Some suppose
that Christ came a stranger to BethIe-
hem on, no. He created the shepherds
and the fiocks they watched, and the
hills on which they pastured and the
heavens that overarched their heads
and the angels that ehanted the chorus
on that Christmas night That hand
which was afterward nailed TO the cross
was an omnipOtent and creative hand.
and the whole universe was poised on
the tip OF one of His fingers Before the
world was, Christ All the worlds
came trOOpng up out Of the darkness,
and He greeted them. as a father greets
his children. with Good morning,
or Good night" Hail, Lord Jesus.
morning star of the first creation!
Comfort for Christians.
Again, Christ heralds the dawn of COM
fort in a Christian soul Sometimes we
come to passes in lite where all kinds of
calculations meet US. You are building
up some great enterprise. You have
built the foundation-the wall. You are
just about 10 put on the capstone. when
everything is demolished You have
harp all strung for sweetest accord. and
some great agony brushes it. There is
a little voice hushed in the household
Blue eye closed. Color dashed out of
the cheek The foot still Instead Of
the quick feet in the hall. the heavy
tread Of those who march to the grave
On. what are people 70 do amid all these
sorroWs.
Some sit down and mourn Some bite
their lips until the blood comes. Some
wiring their pale hands some fan on
their faces. Some lie on their backs
helpless and look up into what seems to
them an Implying heaven Some pull
their hair down over their eyes and look
through with a fiend's glare Some
with both hands press their hot brain