Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-09-25

Sometimes the mother bird goes away
from the nest, and it seems very strange that
she should leave the callow young. She
plunges her beak into the bark of the tree,
and she drops into the grain field and into the
chaff at the barn door, and into the furrow
of the pillow boy. Meanwhile, the birds in
the nest shiver and complain and call and
wonder why the mother does not come back.
All, she has gone for food. After a while
there is a whirr Of wings, and the mother bird
stands on the edge of the nest, and the little
ones open their mouths, n the food is
dropped in; and then the old bird spreads out
her feathers n all is peace. SO, sometimes,
God leaves us, He goes off r. get bread for
our soul, ana unen ne comes back arGer a
while to the nest and says, sOpen thy mouth
wide and l win fill il, y and He drops into it
the sweet promise of His grace, and the love
Of God Is shed abroad and we are under his
wings-the broad wings of the Almighty.
Yes. they are very broad There is room
under those wings for the sixteen hundred
millions of the race. You say; u not get
the invitation too large, for there is nothing
more awkward than to ave more guests
than accommodations" / know 1t. The
seamen's friend society is inviting all the
sailors. The tract society is inviting all the
destitute. The Sabbath-schools are inviting
all the children The missionary society Is
inviting all the hecthen. The printing
presses OF the Bible societies are going night
and day, doing nothing but printing invita-
ions to this great gospel banquet. And are
you not afraid that there win be more guests
than accommodations Mol All who have
been invited will not half fill up the table of
Gods supply. There are chairs for more.
There are cups for more. God could with
one feather OF His wing cover up all those
who nave come, and when He spreads out
both wings they cover all the earth and all
the heavens.
Ye Israelites, who went through the Rod
Sea, como un1erl Ye multitudes who have
gone into glory for the last six thousand
years, come underi Ye hundred and forty
four thousand, and the thousands OF thou
sands come underl Ye flying cherubim
and archangel, fold your pinions, and come
underl And yet there is rooml Ayl II God
would have all the space under the wings
occupied he must make other worlds, and
people them with other myriads, and have
other resurrection and Judgment days, for
broader than all space, broader than thought.
wild as eternity, from tip to tip are the
wings of the Almighty OH under such
provisions as that can you not ~rejoicei Come
under, We wandering, ye weary, We troubled,
we SHINING, ye dying soulsl Come under the
wings OF tho Almighty. Whosoever viii
come let him come. However ragged, how
ever wretched, however abandoned, how
ever woe begone, there is room enough under
the wings-under the broad wings OF the
Almighty Oh. what a gospel 50 glorious,
so magnificent in its provisionl love 70
preach IL. II is my life 10 preach it. 1t Ia
my heaven 10 preach II.
l remark, further, that the wings under
which Ruth came to trust were strong wings
The strength Of a birds wing-of a sea fowls
wing for example-you might guess it from
the fact that sometimes for five, six or seven
days ID seems to fly without resting. There
have been condors in the Andes that could
overcome an OK or a stag. There have been
eagles that rave picked up children and
swung them to the top of the cliffs. The
flap OF an eagle's wing has death in it to
everything il strikes. There are birds whose
wings are packed with strength lofty, 10 lift
10 destroy. So the wings of God are strong
wings. Mighty to save. Mighty TO destroy.
Ipreach Him--''the Lord, strong and mighty;
the Lord, mighty in battlep He Tapped
His wing, and the antediluvian world was
gone. He tapped His wing, and Babylon
laneum was buried. He tapped His wing,
and the Napolonic dynasty ceased.
Before the stroke of that pinion a fleet Is
nothing. An army is nothing. An empire
is nothing. A world is nothing. The uni
verse is nothing. Kiug-eternal, omnipo-
tent-He asks no counse from the thrones
of heaven. He takes not the archangel into
his CADllEis AAO VAIN RAAC W a 80
chariotS for they are tho winds. Mono 10
load His batteries, for they are the lightnings.
None TO tie the sandals OF His feet for they
are the clouds. Mighty 10 save. Our enemies
may be strong, our sorrows violent our sins
may be great. But quicker than an eagle
ever hurled from the crags a hawk or raven
will the Lord strike back our sins and our
temptations IL they assault US when we are
once seated on the eternal rock Of His saliva
ton. What a blessed thing it is to be de-
Tended by the strong wing OF the Almighty
Stronger than the pelican's wing, stronger
than the albatross wing, stronger than the
condor's wing are the wings OF the Almighty.
Ihave only one more thought to present
The wings under which Ruth had come to
trust were gentle wings. There is nothing
softer than a feather. You have noticed
when a bird returns from flight how gently
it stoops over the nest. The young birds are
not afraid Of having their lives trampled out
by the mother bird; the old whippoor-will
drops into its nest of leaves, the oriole into
its casket OF bark, the humming bird into its
hammock of moss-gentle as the light. And
50, says the psalpist, He shall cover thee
with His wing. Oh, the gentleness OF Godl
But even that figure does not fully set forth;
for l have sometimes looked into the birds
nest and seen a dead bird-its life having
been trampled out by the mother bird. But
no one that ever came under the feathers OF
the Almighty was trodden on.
Blessed nestl warm nesti Why viii men
stay out in the cold TO be shot of temptation
and to be chilled by the blast where there is
divine shclterf More beautiful h any
flower / ever saw are the hues Of a birds
plnmage. Did you ever examine III The
blackbird, floating like a fake OF darkness
through the sunlight; the meadow lark, with
head of fawn aud throat Of velvet and
breast of gold; the rel HAmingo, aging over
the southern swanps like sparks from the
forge of the setting sun; the pelican, white
and black-morning and night tangled in its
wings-give but a faint idea of the beauty
that "a down over the soul whom on it
drop the feathers OF the Almighty.
Here fold your weary wings. This IS the
only safe nest. Every other nest will be dc
stroyed. The prophet says so: Though
thou exalt thyself like the eagle and set thy
nest among the stars yet will ! bring thee
down, saith the Lord Of Hosts Under the
swift wings, under the broad wings under
the strong wings under the gentle wings Of
the Almighty find shelter until these calam-
titles are overpast. Then when you want 10
change nests It viii only be from the valley
Of earth to the heights OF heaven; and instead
Of 'sthe wings of a dove" for which David
longed. not knowing that in the first mile OF
their flight they would give out 0 win be
conducted upward by the Lord God OF Israel