Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-11-10
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMAeE DRAWS A LESSON
FROM THE MIGRATORY BIRDS.

Warned by Divine Instinct They Stretch
Their Wings Toward the South, but
Man in the Pride of His Intellect Dis
regards Greater Warning.
BROOKLYN. Oct. 30.-The flutter of bright
colored leaves which every wind blows
from the trees in the avenues around the
Tabernacle reminded the thousands who
entered its doors this morning that winter
is approaching. Dr.. Talmage, with his
usual tact, turned the impression to &C.
count in his sermon, which was on the
text, Jeremiah viii, Z, THE storE in the
heaven knoweth her appointed times, and
the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow
observe the time Of their coming; bat my
people know not the judgment of the Lord"
When God would set fast a beautiful
thought he plants it in tree. When he
would put it aaoat he fashions it into a
fish. When he would have it glide the air
he molds it into bird. Ny text speaks
of four birds of beautiful instinct-the
stork, of such strong affection that it is
allowed familiarly to come, in Holland and
Germany, and build its nest over the door
way; the sweet dispositioned turtledove,
mingling in color white and black and
brown and ashen and chestnut; the crane,
with voice like the clang of a trumpet;
the swallow, swift as a dart shot out OF
the bow of heaven, falling, mounting,
skimming, sailing-four birds started by
the prophet twenty-five centuries ago, yet
flying on through the ages, with rousing
truth under glossy wing and in the clutch
Of stout claw. 1suppose it may have been
this very season Of the year-autumn-and
the prophet out of doors, thinking of the
impeDitence Of the people of his day, hears
great cry overhead.
THE PROPHETS OBSERVED NATURE.
Now you know 1t is no easy thing for
one with ordinary delicacy Of eyesight to
look into the deep blue of the monday
heaven, but the prophet looks up, and
there are f1ocks Of storks and turtledoves
and cranes and swallows drawn out in
long lines for flight southward. AS is their
habit, the cranes had arranged themselves
| into two lines, making an angela wedge
splitting the air with wild velocity-the
old crane, with commanding call, bidding
| them onward, while the towns and the
| cities, and the continents slid under them.
The prophet, almost blinded from looking
into the dazzling heavens, stoops down
and begins to think how much superior
the birds are in sagacity about their safety
than men about theirs, and he puts his
hand upon the pen and begins to write
'"The stork in the heaven knoweth her ap.
pointed times, and the turtle, and the crane,
and the swallow observe the time of their
coming; but my people know not the iudg-
ment of the Lord"
If you were in the field today, in the
clump of trees at the corner of the field
you would see convention of birds, noisy
as the American congress the last night
before adjournment, or as the English
| parliament when some unfortunate Nom.
ber proposes more economy in the queens
households convention of birds all talk.
ing at once, moving and passing resolutions
on the subject of migration; some propos
ing to go tomorrow, some moving that
they go today, some moving that they &C
| to Brazil, some to Florida, some to the
tablelands of Mexico, but all unanimous
in the fact that they must go soon, fol-
they have marching orders from the Lord
written on the first white sheet Of the
frost and In the pictorial of the changing
leaves.
There is not belted kingfisher, or q
chafTinch, or fire crested wren, or 1
plover, or q red legged partridge but ex
poets to spend the winter at the south, fol
the apartments have already been ordered
for them in South America or in Africa
and after thousands of miles of fight they
will stop in the very tree where they spent
last January. Farewell bright plumage
Until spring weather, away! Fly on, great
band of heavenly musiciansl Strew the
continents with music, and whether from
northern fields, or Carolinian swamps, OF
Brazilian groves men see your wings Oh
hear your voice, may they bethink them
selves Of the solemn words of the text
"The stork in the heaven knoweth her ap
pointed times, and the turtle, and the
crane, and the swallow observe the time O.
their coming; but my people know not thu
Judgment of the Lord"
MAKING MUSIC AS THEY FLY.
/ propose, so far as God may help me
this morning, carrying out the idea Of tn,
text, to show that the birds OF the air hav,
more sagacity than men. And begin b,
particularizing and saying that they min
gle music with their work. The most seri
Gus undertaking of birds life is this an
nual travel from the Hudson to the Anna
zon, from the Thames to the Nile. Natu
ralists tell us that they arrive there thil
and weary and plumage ruffled, and ye
they go singing all the way; the ground
the lower line of the music; the sky, tn
upper line of the music; themselves, tn,
notes scattered up and down between.
I suppose their song gives elasticity t.
their wing and helps on with the journey
dwindling a thousand miles into four hun
dred. Would to God that we were as wis
as they in mingling Christian song with ou
everyday work! / believe there is such
thing as taking the pitch of Christian de
votion in the morning and keeping it al
the day. think we might take some O
the dullest, heaviest, most disagreeabl
work of our life and set it to the tune o
antioch" or "Mount Pisgah."
It is a good sign when you hear work
man whistle. 1t is better sign when yol
hear him hum roundelay. 1t is a still
better sign when you hear him sing tn
words of Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley
A violin chorded and strung, if something
accidentally strike it, makes music, and
suppose there is such thing as having
our hearts SO attuned by divine grace tina
even the rough collisions of life will max
heavenly vibration. l do not believ
that the power of Christian song has We
been fully tried. believe that if yol
could roll the "Old Hundred" doxolog
through Wall street it would put an en'
to any financial disturbance l believ
that the discords, and the sorrows, and th
sins of the world are to be swept out b.
heaven born halleluiahs.
Some one asked Haydn, the celebrates
musician, why he always composed sucl
cheerful music. why" he said, 81 cam
do otherwise. When I think of God M
soul is so full of joy that the notes lea
| opd douca from INV non wish wa mich