Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-01-04
STAR OF BETHLEHEM.
81 Am the Bright and the Morning
Star"
Rev. DIR. T. De Witt Talmage's Christmas
sermon-Christ HeraIds the Dawn of
Heaven Upon Every Christians
Dying Pillow.

great audience assembled to partici-
pate in the Christmas services. Stand
ing before the organ, festooned with
Christmas greens, this sermon was de-
livered by Rev. DIR. Talmage after the
throngs bad sung The Star of Bethle-
hem Text, Revelation xxi. 16, 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
caravansarv 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 to make up for the damage it
did our race in furnishing the forbid
d n fruit. If that fruit wrought death
nong the nations. now all the natural
product shall become symbol Of bless
ing. The showering down of the wealth
Of the orchard viii 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
be taxed, and it's brightest star shall
be set as gem in the coronet in our
holy religion.
Have yOa ever seen the morning star
advaata@eo&slE II it was on your way
home from 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 infiu
ence 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 indescriba-
bic gladness. That star comes trem b.
ling as though with the perils of the
darkness, and yet bright with the an
ticipations of the day. 1t seems emo
tional with all tenderness, it's eyes
filled with the tears of many sorrows.
Il is the gem on the hand of the morn
ing thrust up to signal its coming.
Other stars are dim, like holy candles
In cathedral of silver beads counted
in superstitious litany, but this is a liv
ing 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
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 it's thrill is sent through all
B,.in
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
precedes 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 Immeasura BILE
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
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 seren-
AIDED 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 orbit, and brought
out another world and swung it in an
other orbit and brought ont all the
worlds and swung them in their partic-
ular orbits. They came like sheep at
the call of a shepherd. 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 ere
Rted the water. | 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
ROW why it was so easy for Him to
swing fish into Simon's net. He made
he fish. | 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. lie created
the body of Lazarus and the rock that
shut HIM in. Some suppose that Christ
came a stranger to Bethlehem. Oh, no.
he created the Shepherds and the
hocks they watched, and the hills
on which they pastured, and the
heavens that Overarched their heads
and the angels that chanted the cho
rus on that Christmas night That
hand which was afterward rallied Il
the cross was an omnipotent and crea
tive hand and the whole universe wa,
poised on the tip OF one of his fingers.
Before the world was Christ was. All
the world came trooping up out of the
darkness. and he greeted them, as 9
father greets his children, with good
morning" or a good night" Hail
Lord Jesus, morning star of the first
creation.
Again, Christ heralds the dawn OF
comfort in Christian soul. Sometimes
we come to passes in life where al
kinds of tribulations meet us. You are
building up some great enterprise. You
have built the foundation-the wall
Won = re inst a bOI1t 70 MT on the "a r,