Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-01-11
--A.A Ur BETHLEHEM.
- Am the Fright and the Morning
Star"
Rev Dr. t. De Witt Talmage's Christmas
sermon hrist Iieralds the Dawn of
heaven Ipon Every Christians
Lying Fii.ow.

Ps'N~ IA litS III lplEldS services SJaQd-
ing before the organ. festooned with
Christmas greens, this sermon was de-
llvered by Rev. DIR. Talmage. alter the
thrcngs la sung 1.-The Star of I.ethle-
hem. Text. Revelation xii IS, u
am the bright and the morning star
This is hristinas eve Our attention
and the attention of the world is drawn
to the star that pointed down 10 the
caravansary where Christ was born.
hut do not let US forget that Christ
himself was a star. TO that luminous
fact my text calls us
ltsesms as if the natural world were
anxious to make up Tor the damage il
did our race in furnishing the forbid
den fruit. II that fruit wrought death
among he nations, now all the natural
product shall become a symbol Of bless
ing. The showering down of the wealth
Of the orchard Will make us t"inl1 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 sta shall
be set as a gem in the coronet in our
holy religion.
Have you ever seen the morning star
advantageousIy If it was on your way
home from a nights carousal. yon saw
none of its beauty. II 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
oat at sea, have gazed at that star and
been thrilled through with indescriba-
BILE gladness. That star comes t~emb-
ling as though with the perils of the
darkness, and yet bright with the an
ticipations of TIE day. 1t seems emo
tional with all tenderness, its eyes
filled with the tears of many sorrows.
1t 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 liv-
ing star, a speaking star, a historic
star, an evangelistic star-bright and
brilliant and triumphant symbol of the
great Redeemer. The Geographic oper-
ator puts his finger on the silver key of
the electric instrument and the things
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 is sent through all
the earth. Behold, | bring you good
tidings of great joy which shall be to
all people. Behold, l 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. 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 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 out all the
worlds and swung them in their partic-
ular orbits. They came like sheep at
the call of 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 cre-
ated the water. see now why it was
so easy for Him to cure the maniac He
first created the lHtellcCb 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. 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 |
hut HIM In. Some suppose that Christ |
came a stranger to Bethlehem. Oh, no.
He created the shepherds, and the |
focks they watched, and the hills
on which they pastured, and the
heavens that overarched their heads, |
and the angels that chanted the cho-
rms on that Christmas night That
hand which was afterward nailed to
the cross. was an omnipotent and crea-
hive hand and the whole universe was
IL. 49,. - ana IF his