The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-16

mon at the Brooklyn tabernacle by DR..
Talmage from the text, jeremiah viii,
7: "The stork in the heaven knoweth
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 beautiful
thought, He plants it in tree. When
He would put it afloat, He fashions it
into fish. When He would have it
glide the air, He molds it into bird.
My text speaks of four birds of beauti-
full instinct-the stork, of such strong
affection that it is allowed Familiarity
to 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 a trumpet; the
swallow, swift as dart shot out of the
bow of Heaven, falling, mounting,
Swimming, 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. l sup
pose it may have been this very season
of the year-autumn-and the prophet
out-of-doors, thinking of the impenl-
tence of the people of his day, hears a
great cry overhead.
Now, you know it is no easy thing for
one with ordinary delicacy of eyesight
to look into the deep blue of the noon
day heaven; but the prophet looks up,
and there are tiocks of storks, 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, a 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- knoweth 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-
ment of the Lord"
If you were in the field to-day, in the
clump of trees at the corner of the field,
you would see q 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 household--a con
vention of birds all talking at once,
moving and passing resolutions on the
subject of migration; some proposing
to go tomorrow, some moving that they
go to-day, some moving that they so tc
Brazil, some to Florida, some to the
table lands of Mexico but all unani
nous in the fact that they must go soon,
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 u belted
lingtiSher, or chaffinch, or q fire
.cresten wren, or plover, or red
legged partridge but expects to spend
the winter at the south, for the apart
ments have already been ordered foi
them in South America, or in Africa
and after thousands of miles of fligh
they will stop at the very tree where
they spent last January. Farewell
bright plumage! Until spring weather
away! Fly on, great band of heavenly
musicians. Strew the continents with
music, and whether from northern
fields, or Carolinian swanps, or Brazil
ian groves men see your wings, or heal
your voice, may they bethink them
selves of the solemn words of the text
THE stork in the heaven knoweth heI
appointed times; and the turtle and tn,
crane and the swallow observe the tint
of their coming; but my people know
not the Judgment OF the Lord"
propose, 50 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 than men. AnC
begin by particularizing and 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
| 80 no thn,r +bnra tb;,,
weary, and plumage rufiied, and We
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
| suppose their song gives elasticity t,
their wing, and helps on with tn,
journey, dwindling a thousand mile
into four hundred. Would God that w
were as wise as they in mingling Chris
tan song with our every day work!
believe there is such thing as taking
the pitch of Christian devotion in tn
morning and keeping it all day. ] thin
, we might take some of the dulles,
, heaviest, most disagreeable work of GU
t life and set it to the tune of Antioch
: or Mount Pisgah."
( 1t is good sign when you hear
/ workman whistle. 1t is better sign
when you hear him hum a roundelay
1t is still better sign when you hea
t him sing the words of Isaac Watts O
Charles Wesley. violin, chorded an
S strung. if something accidentally strike
e it, makes music, and suppose there i
: slch a thing as having our hearts so al
. tuned by divine grace that even tn
r rough collisions of lie will make