Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-03-18
REV. Or. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT. "RELIGION's REFUGE"

shal d.0eH all Jot0l Of every tOing."-Eze-
kiel xvii, o.
The cedar OF Lebanon is a royal tree. Il
stands six thousand fgeet above the level of
the sea. A missionary counted the concen-
tric circles and found one tree thirty-five
hundred years old long rooted, broad
branches, all the year in luxuriant foliage.
The same branches that bent in the hurrl.
cane that David saw sweeping over Leb-
anon, rock to-day over the head OF the
American traveller. This monarch OF the
forest, with its leafy fingers plucks the hon
ors OF thousand years and sprinkles them
upon its own uplifted brow, as though some
great hallelujah of heaven had been planted
upon Lebanon and 1t were rising up with all
It's long armed strength to take hold Of the
hills whence IL came
Oh, what fine place for birds TO nest in I
In hot days they come th,ther-the eagle,
the dove, the swallow, the sparrow and the
raven. There IS to many OF us a complete
fascination in the structure and habits of
birds. They seem not more o, earth than
heaven-ever vacillatlng between the two
No wonder that Audubon, with his gun,
tramped through all Of the American for
ests In seal ch Of new specimens biologists
have spent years in finding the track o. a
birds claw in the new red sandstone. There
Is enough OF Gods architecture in a snpe's
bill or a grouse's foot to confount all the
universities. Musicians have, with clefs and
bars tried to catch tho sound Of the nightin-
gale and robin. Among the first things that
child notices is a swallow at the caves, and
grandfather go's out with a handful OF
crumbs to feed the snow birds
The Bible is foil OF archaeological allu-
sions. The birds OF the Bible are not dead
and stuffed, like those Of the museum but
living birds with iutteriug wings ami p!u-
mage. behold the fowls of the air. saws
Christ Though thou exalt thyset as the
eagle, and though thou set thy nest among
the stars, thence will | bring thee down.
eIclaims Obadiah. 'Gavest Thou the gooily
wings unto the peacocSp says Job. David
describes his desoation by saving, 81 am
like pelican OF the wilderness; | am like
an owl Of the desert; watch aud am as
sparrow alone upon the housetop" "Yea,
the stork in the heaven knoweth her ap-
pointed time; and the turtle, and the crane,
and the swallow observe the time Of their
coming; but my people know not the judg-
ment OF the Lord'-so says Jeremiah.
Ezekiel in my text intlmates that Christ
Is the cedar, and the people from all quar-.
tiers are the birds that lodge among the
branches. at shall be a gooily cedar, and
under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing"
As in EZekiels time SO now-Christ is a
goodly cedar, and to Him are flying all kinds
Of people-young and old. rich ami poor,
men high soaring as the eagle those fierce
as the raven, and those gentle as the dove.
"All fowl Of every wing
First, the young may come. or the eigh-
teen hundred and ninety-two years that
have passed since Christ came about SIX
teen hundred have teen wasted by the good
in misdrected efforts. Until Robert Raikes
came there was no organized effort for saw
ing the young. We spend all our strength
trying TO bend old trees when a little pres
ure would have been sufficient for the sap
ling. We let meu go down 70 the very bot
tom Of sin before We try TO lift them uD. 1t
is great deal easier to keep a train on
the track than to get it on when it is of.
The experienced reiusman checks the fiery
steed at the first jump, for when be gets in
full swing, the swift hoofs clicking fire from
the pavement and the bit between his teeth
his momentum is irresistible.
1t is said tnat the young must be allowed
to SOW their wild oats" | have noticed
that those who SOW their wild oats seldom
try to raise any other KIND of crop. There
are two opposite destines. II you are going
TO heaven, you had better take the straight
road, and not try to go to Boston by way OF
New Orleans What IS to be the history Of
this multitude of young people arouul me
today l will taGe you by the hand aud
show you glorious sunrise. | will not
whine about this thing, nor groan about it,
but come, young men aud maidenS Jesus
wants you. His hand is love, His voice is
music, His smile is heaven. Religion will put
no handouts on your wrist, no hoppleS on
your feet, no brand on your forehead,
Invent through the heaviest snowstorm |
have ever known 10 see n dying girl. Her
cheek on the pillow was white as the snow
on the easement. Her large, round eye nai
not lost any of its luster. Loved ones stood
all around the bed trying to mold her back.
Her mother could NOT give her up, and one
nearer to her than either father or mother
was frantic with grief. | said: Fanny,
how do YOU feel!" "Ohr she said happy,
happy MIR. Talmage, tell all the young
folks that religion will make them happy"
As came out of the room, louder than all
the sobs and wailings of grief, | heard the
clear, sweet, glad voice of the dying girl,
''Good night; we shall meet again on the
other side of the river" The next Sabbath
we buried her. We brought white flowers
and laid them on the coffin. There was in
all that crowded church but one really happy
and delighted face, anu that was the face OF
Fanny. Oh, wish that now my Lord Jesus
would go through this audience ami take al
these flowers OF youtl aud garland them on
His brow. The cedar is fit refuge for birds
of brightest plumage and swlftest wing.
See, they fly! they ay "An fowl OF every
wing"
Again, l smark that the old may se1ne
You say, Suppose a man has to go O
crutches; suppose be is blind; suppose he i
| deaf; suppose that nine-tenths of his life ha
been wasted" Then answer: Come wit
crutches. Come old men, blind and deal
come to Jesus II you would sweep you
hand around before your blind eyes, the frs
thing you would touch would be the eros,
| 1t is hard for an aged man or woman to hav
grown old without religion. There taste
gone. The peach and the grape have los
their flavor. They say that somehow frui
does not taste as it used to. Their hearin
gets defective, and they miss a great def
that is said in their presence.
Their friends have all gone and everybod
seems so strange. The world seems to g
away from them and they are left all alone
They begin TO feel in the way when yo
come into the room where they are, and the
move their chair Dervously and say, a hop
am not in the way" Alas that father anr
mother should ever be in tho way. Whe
YOU were sick and they sat up all night rock
ing you, singing to you, administering u
you, did they think that you were in tn
wayi Are you tired OF the old peopief d.
you snap them up quick AM sharp2 Yo
will be cursed to the bone for your iHgrat
tude and unkindnesSl
On, how many dear old folks Jesus ha
put TO sleepl How sweetly He has close,
their eyes How gently folded their arms
How He has put His hand on their sien
hearts and said: REST now, tire pilgrim
1t is oil over. The tears will never star
again. Hush! hushr SO He gives His be
loved sleep. | think the most beautiful oh
ject on earth is an old Christian-the hail
wnlte, not with the froSCs % winter, but tn
blossoms OF the tree of life | never fee
sorry for Christian old man. Why fe,
sorry for those upon whom the glories @
the eternal world are about to burstS The
are going to the goodly cedar. Thoug
their wings are heavy with age. God sha
renew their strength like the eagle, and the
shall make their nest iu the cedar. "a
fowl of every wing"
Again, the very bad, the outrageousl
sinful, may come. Men talk of the grace {