The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-03
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: THE Deer Hunt"


TEXT: "As the hart panteth after the
,cuter brooks, so panteth my soul fter Thee,
God. Psalm, xiii l.
David, who must sometime have seen q
deer hunt, points us here to a hunted stag
making for tho water. The fascinating
animal called in my text the hart, is the
same animal that in sacred and profane
literature is called the stag, the roebuck, the
hind, the gazelle, the reindeer. In Central
| Syria in Bible times there were whole pasture
! fields of them, as Solomon suggests when he
says: ~ charge you by the binds of the
field" Their antlers jutted from the long
grass as they lay down. No hunter
who has been long in John Browns
track" will wonder that in the Bible they
were classed among clean animals. for the
dews, the showers, the lakes washed them as
longed for venison, Esau shot and
brought home a roebuck Isaiah COM
pareS the sprghtliness Of the restored
cripple Of millennial time to the long
and quick jump Of the stag, saying:
s'The lame shall leap as the hart" Solo
mon expressed his disgust at hunter
who having shot deer is too lazy
to cook it, saying: 1.-THE slothful
man roasteth not that which he took in
hunting" But one day David, while far
from the home from which he had been
driven. and sitting near the door of lonely
cave where he had lodged, and on the banks
Of pond or river, hears a pack of hounds in
swift pursuit. Because of the previous silence
Of the forest the ciangor startles him. and he
says to himself: 81 wonder what those dogs
are after" Then there is a cracking
in the brushwood, and the loud breath
ing OF some rushing wonder Of the woods,
and the antlers Of deer rend the leaves
OF the thicket, and by an instinct
which all hunters recognize, plunges into
pond or lake or river to cool its thirst, and
at the same time by its caracity for swifter
foaming barriers. David says to himself:
"Aha, that is myself! Saul after me, Alb
SALON. after me, enemies without number
after me, am chased, their bloody muzzles
at my heels, barking at my good name,
barking after my body, barking after my
soul. Oh, the hounds, the hounds. But
1k hss spahed no the Wser Il puss s he
lips and nostrils into the cool wave that
washes TIE lathered fanks, and it swins away
from the fiery CANNES. and 1t is free at last
Oh, that I might find in the deep, wide lake
OF Gods mercy and consolation escape from
my pursuers! Oh, for the waters of life and
rescue! As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, 0
God"
Ihave just come from the Adirondacks and
the breath of the balsam and spruce and
pine is still On me. The Adirondacks are
now populous with hunters, and the deer are
being slain by the score. Talking few days
ago with hunter, thought would like to
see whether my text was accurate in its al
lusion, and as heard the dogs baying little
way of and supposed they were on the track
Of reindeer, I said to the hunter in rough
corduroy: "Do the deer always
make for the water when they are
pursuedm He said: 20, yes, Mister, you
see they are a hot and thirsty animal, and
they know where the water is, and when they
hear danger in the distance they lift their
antlers and snuff the breeze and start for the
Racquet. or Loon or Saranac; and We get
into our cedar she'll boat or stand by the
runway with rifle loaded ready to blaze
away My friends, that is one reason why
I like the Bible so much-its illusions
are so true to nature. Its partridges
are real partridges, its ostriches
real ostriches, and its reindeer real
reindeer. do not wonder that this ant 'ored
sparkle and his cheek glow and his reSpira-
tion quicken. To say nothing Of its useful
ness, although it is the most useful Of all
game. its flesh delicious, its skin turned into
human apparel, its sinews fashioned into bow
strings, its antlers putting handles on cut
lery, and the shavings Of its horns, used as
restorative. taken from the name Of the hart
and called hartshorn. But putting aside its
usefulness, this enchanting creature seems
made out Of gracefuness and elasticity.
What an eye. with liquid brightness as if
gathered up from hundred lakes of sunset!
The horns, q coronal branching into every
possible curve. and after it seems done, ad-
yancing into other projections of exquisite
ness, tree of polished bone, uplifted in pride,
or swung down for awful combat. It is veloci-
ty embodied. Timidity iropersonated. The en-
chantment of the woods Eve lustrous in life
and pathetic in death. The splendid animal
q complete rhythm Of muscle and bone, and
color, and attitude. and locomotion, whether
couched in the grass among the shadows, or
living bolt shot through the forest, or
turning at bay to attack the hounds, or rear
trapper. 1t is splendid appearance that
the painters pencil fails to sketch. and only
q hunters dream on a pillow of hem
lock at the foot of ST. Regis is
able to picture When twenty miles from
any settlement it comes down at eventide to
the lakes edge to drink among the lily pods,
and, with its sharp-edged hoof, skaters the
crystal of Long Lake, it is very picturesque.
But only when, after miles Of pursuit, with
heaving sides and lolling tongue, and eyes
swimming in death the stag leaps from the
cliff into Upper Saranac, can you realize
how much David had suffered from his
troubles, and how much he wanted God when
be expressed himself in the words OF the text:
'As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after Thee o God"
Well, now. let all those who have coming
after them the lean hounds of poverty, or the
black bounds of persecution, or the spotted
hounds OF vicissitude, or the pale hounds OF
death, or who are in any wise pursued, fly to
the wide deep, glorious lake Of divine solace
and rescue. The most of the men and women
whom happen to know, at different times, if
not now, have had trouble after them, sharp
muzzled troubles, swift troubles, all
made the mistake Of trying to fight
them Somebody meanly attacked you,
and you attacked them; they deprecated
YOU, you deprecated them; or they over
reached you in a bargain, and you tried, N
Wall street parlance, to get corn r on them;
OF yon have had bereavement, aud instead
of being submissive, you are hgntlng that
bereavement; you charge on the doctors VINO
failed to effect cure; or you charge on care
lessness OF the railrold company through
which the accident occurred; or YOU are
worry and sco'd and wonder why
you cannot be we'll like others.
and you angrily charge on the neuralgia or
the laryngtis or the ague or the sick head
ache. The fact IS you are deer at pay. In
stead Of running to the waters Of divine con-
snlation. and shaking your thirst and cooling
your body and soul in the good cheer OF the
Gospel, and swimming away into mig ghty
deeps Of Gods love. you are fighting whole
kennel Of halriers. A few days ago
l saw in the Adirondacks q dog ly-
ing across the rold, and he seemed un-
able to get up, AMI I said to some
hunters near by: "Whnt is the matter with
that dog"' They answered.: "a deer hurt
him ,, And | sa " that ha had q oreaE Swollen