The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-11-02

The season for the migration OF birds
was made the occasion for recent SER
mon at the Brooklyn tabsrnaole by DIR.
Talmage from the text, jeremiah viii,
Z: 1.-THE stork In the heaven lnoweth
her appointed time, and the turtle, and
the crane and the swallow observe the
time Of their coming; but my people
know not the judgment Of the Lord"
When God would set fast a beautiful
thought, He plants 1t in tree. When
He would put 1t afoat, He fashions 1t
into fish. When He would have 1t
glide the afr, He molds 1t into bird.
My text speaks Of four birds Of beauti-
full instinct-the stork, Of such strong
affection that 1t is allowed Familiarity
10 come, In Holland and Germany, and
build its nest over the doorway; the
sweet-dispositioned turtle-dove, min
Cling in color white, and brown, and
ashen and chestnut; the crane, with
voice like the clang Of trumpeti the
swallow, swift as q dart shot out OF the
bow Of Heaven, falling, mounting,
slkimming, 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. sup
pose It may have been this very season
of the year-autumn-and the prophet
out-of-doors, thinking Of the impeni-
tence Of the people Of his day, hears a
great cry overhead.
Now, you know 1t is no easy thing for
one with ordinary delicaoy OF eyesight
TO look into the deep blue Of the noon
day heaven; but the prophet looks up,
and there are focks Of storlSs, and tur-
tledoves, and cranes, and swallows,
drawn out in long lines for fight south
ward. AS is their habit, the cranes had
arranged themselves into two lines maxi
ing an angle, wedge splitting the air
with wild velocity, the old crane, with
commanding call, bidding them on
ward, while the towns, and the cities,
and the continents slid under them.
The prophet, almost blinded from look
ing 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 be-
gins to write: "The stork in the heav-
en- ltnoweth her appointed times; and
the turtle and the crane and the
swallow observe the time of their COM
ing: but my people know not the judg-
mani Of tho ord ~
II you were in the field to-day, 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 un-
fortunate member proposes more econ
omy in the queens households con-
vention of birds all talking ut once,
moving and passing resolutions on the
subject Of migration; some proposing
to go tomorrow, some moving that they
60 to-day, some moving that they so &c
Brazil, some to Florida, some TO the
table lands of Mexico, but all unani'
nous in the fact that they must go sool,
for 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 n belted
lingfsher, or chafiinch, or fire
cresten wren, or n plover, or red
legged partridge but expects to spea'
the winter at the south, for ths apart.
ments have already been ordered for
them In South America, or in Africa
and after thousands OF miles Of fligh
they will stop at the very tree wher'
they spent last January. Farewell
bright plumagel Until spring weather
awayl Fly on, great band OF heavenly
musicians Strew the continents with
music, and whether from northern
fields, or Carolinian swamps, or Brazil
ian groves men see your wings, or heaI
your voice, may they bcthink them
selves Of the solemn words Of the text
"The storlk in the heaven kuoweth he
appointed times; and the turtle and tn
crane and the swallow observe the tim
of their coming; but my people know
not the Judgment Of the Lord"
propose, 80 far as God may help m
this morning, carrying out the idea o
the text, to show that the birds Of tn
air have more sagacity thnn men. AM
begin by particulariz'ng end saying
that they mingle music with their work
The most serious undertaking OF
birds life Is this annual travel from tn
Hudson TO the Amazon, from tn
Thames TO the Nile. Naturalists tel
MS that they arrive there thin AM
weary, and plumago ruffled, and ye
they go singing all the way; the ground
helower line OF the music, the sky, tn
upper line Of the music, themselves, tn
notes scattered up and down between
l suppose their song gives elasticity I
their wing, and helps on with tn
Journey, dwindling thousand mile
into four hundred. Would God that W
were MS wise as they in mingling ChriI
tian song with our every day work.
believe there is such thing as takin
the pitch OF Christian devotion in tn
morning and keeping II all day. ! thin
we might take some Of tho dulles
heaviest, most disagreeable work Of ou
life and set II TO the tune OF "Antiocf
or "Mount Pisgah,"
II Is q good sign when you hear
workman whistle. IL IL q better sig
when you hear him hum roundelay
II IA still better sign when you hes
him sing the words Of Isaac Watts {
Charles Wesley. "A violin, ehorded an
~ tsnLL - In /. ~ H. - 4 LII.