Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-03-07
A GOODLY CEDAR.
CHRIST THE ONLY REFUGE FOR
PEOPLE OF EVERY SORT.

Brooklyn on Sunday. March e-TeSt.
Ezekiel xvii. 80.
BRooKLyN. March 6. The congre-
cation at the Brooklyn Tabernacle
this morning sang with fervor the
hymn beginning
Ny faith looks up to thee.
Thou Lamb Of Calvary.
DR.. Talmage's subject was the ref
rge offered by the Christian religion
10 the people of all ages and every
variety Of character His text was
Ezekiel xvii, 20. "A goodly cedar, and
under it shall dwell all fowl of every
wing"
The cedar Of Lebanon is a royal
tree II stands six thousand feet
above the level of the sea- A mis-
sionaly counted the concentric cir
cles. and found one tree thirty-fve
hundred years old long rooted,
broad branches. all the year in luxu-
riant foliage. The same branches
that bent in the hurricane that David
saw sweeping over Lebanon rock, to-
day over the head of the American
traveller.
This monarch Of the forest, with
its leafy fingers, plucks the honors of
q thousand years and sprinkles them
upon its own uplifted brow, as though
some great hallelujah of heaven had
been planted upon Lebanon and it
were rising up with all its long armed
strength to take hold of the hills
whence it came Oh, what a fine
place for birds to nest inl In hot
days they come thither-the eagle,
the dove the swallow, the sparrow,
and the raven.
There is to many Of us complete
fascination in the structure and habits
of birds. They seem not more Of
earth than heaven lever vacillating
between the two. No wonder that
Audubon, with his gun, tramped
through all of the American forests
in search of new specimens. Geol-
ogists have spent years in finding
the track of birds claw in the new
red sandstone. There is enough Of
Gods architecture in a snipe's bill or
grouse's foot to confound all the
universities. Musicians have, with
clefs and bars, tried to catch the
sound of the nightingale and robin.
Among the first things that child
notices is a swallow at tho caves;
and grandfather goes out with a
handful of crumbs To feed the snow
birds The Bible is full of ornitholog-
ical allusions. The birds of the Bible
are not dead and stuffed, like those
of the museum. but living birds. with
tiuttering wings and plumage. BE
kDld the fowls of the air. says
Christ. Though thou exalt thyself
as the eagle, and though thou set thy
nest among the stars, thence will !
bring thee down, exclaims Obadiah.
"Gavest thou the goodly wings unto
the peacoclss9" says Job.
David describes his desolation 10y
saying. II am like a pelican Of the
wilderness; am like an owl of the
desert; watch and am as a sparrow
alone upon the housetop. Yea, the
storIS in the heaven knoweth her ap
pointed time; and the turtle and the
crane and the swallow observe tho
time of their coming; but my people
know not the Judgment of the Lord
$50 says Jeremiah.
Ezekiel ia my text intimates that
Christ is the cedar. and the people
from all quarters are the birds that
lodge among the branches "Itsha'l
be a goodly cedar, and under il saan
dwell all fowl of every wing" Asia
Ezeliels time. so now Christ is a
goodly cedar, and 10 him are flying
all kinds of people. young and old.
rich and poorl mon high soaring ~
the eagle, those fierce MS the avon
and those gentle as the dove Va
fowl OF every wing"
THE YOUNG MAY COME
First, the young may come. or
the eighteen hundred and ninety
two years that have passed since
Christ came, about sixteen hundred
have been wasted 10y the good in mi
directed efforts Until Robert Rail .
came there was no oiganized effort
for saving the young. We spend oil
our strength trying Ia bend old trees
when little pressure would have
been sufficient FOR the sapling. We
lot men 60 down 10 the veAy bottom
Of sin before we try TO lift them up,
1t Is a great deal easierto keepa train
on the track than 30 get il ON when
Il is OF. The experienced rcinsman
checks the fiery steed at tho first
jump, for when he gets in fun swing,
the swift hoofs clicking tire from tho
pavement, and the bit between his
teeth his momentum is irresistible.
Il Is said that the young must DO
allowed 70 SOW their wild oats" l
have noticed that those who SOW
their wild oats seldom try 90 raise
any other kind OF crop There are
two opposite destiniea II you are
going 10 heaven, you had better take
The straight road and not try 20 60 20
Boston by the way Of New Orleans
What Is to he the history Of this null
filnde Of young people around me 20
dayl win take you BY the hand
aud show you a glorious sunrise. 1
viii not whine about this thing. nor
Rroan about it, bat come, young
hsen aud maidens, Jesus wants yon.
ais hand Is love; his voice is music;
his mnllo is heaven. Religion VIII
put no handouts GU your wrist, no
hoppIes on your feet. no brand on
your forehead