Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-03-12
REV. DR.. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: Religions Refuge"


The cedar of Lebanon is a royal tree. 1
stands SIX thousand feet above the level O
the sea. A missionary counted the concen
trio circles and found one tree thirty-fiv,
hundred years old - long rooted; broa,
branches all the year id luxuriant foliage
Ihe same branches that bent in the hurrl
cane that David saw sweeping over I,eb
anon rock to-day over the head of tn:
American traveller. This monarch of the
forest, with its leafy fingers, plucks the hon
ors OF thousand years and sprinkles them
upon its own upifted brow. as though some
great hallelujah of heaven had been planted
upon Lebanon and 1t were rising up with all
lts long armed strength to take hold of the
hills whence it came.
Oh, what fine pace for birds to nest in
In hot days they come tn ther=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-ever vacillating between the two.
No wonder that Audubon, with his qua.
tramped through all of tue American fer.
ests IN Ich of new specimens Geologists
have spent years in finding the track OF a
birds claw in the new red sandstone. There
Is enough of Gods architecture in a snips's
bill or grouse's foot to confound all the
universities. Musicians have with cIefs and
gale aud robin. Among the first things that
a child notices is swallow at the caves and
grandfather goes out with handful of
crumbs to feed the snow birds
The Bible is full of OrnithoIogical alI,1-
sions. The birds Of the Bible are not dead
and stuffed Ike those of the museum, but
living birds, with fluttering wings and plu-
mage. behold the fowls of the air." says
Christ. Though thou exalt thyself as the
fhOnpb fhOI1 ar
the stars, thence will bring thee down."
exclaims Obadiah. "Gavest Thou the goodly
wings unto the peacock% says Job. David
describes his desolation by saving, 81 am
like pelican of tina wilderness: l am like
an owl of the desert; l watch and am as a
sparrow alone upon the housetop." YEA,
the stork in the heaven knoweth her aps
pointed timeI and the turtle, aud the crane,
and the swallow observe the time of their
Ginning; but my people know not the iddg-
tnent OF the Eord"-so says Jeremiah.
Ezekiel in my text intimates that Christ
is the cedar, and the people from all quar-
tiers are the birds that lodge among the
branches ut shall be a goojiy cedar, and
under it shall dwell all fowl OF every wing"
As i'll EZekieis time, so now-Christ is
goodly cedar, and to Him are flying all kinds
of people~-young and old, rich and poor,
men high soaring as the eagle, those fierce
as the raven and those gentle as tho dove;
Al fowl OF every wingn
First, the young may come. OF the eigh-
teen hundred and ninety two years that
have passed since Christ came, about six
teen hundred have been wasted by the good
in misdirected 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 little pres.
ure would have been sufficient for the SAP.
ling. We let men GO down to the very bot
tom of sin before we try to lift Them tip. II
is d great .dsal Easier I'd keep a train oh
the track than to get it on when it is off.
The experienced reinsman checks the fiery
steed at the first jump, for when he 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 that the young must be allowed
TO sow their wild oats" ] have noticed
that these who sow their wild oats Seldom
Try to raise any other kind of crop. There
are two opposite dostinies If 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 around me
to-day? L will taSe you by the hand and
show you glorious sunrise. / will not
whine about this thing, nor groap about it,
but come, young men aud niaidehs 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
yourfeet no brand on your forehead.
Invent through tae heaviest suowstorm /
have ever known to see dying girl. Her
CHEEK on the pillow was white as the snow
on the easement. Her large, round eye had
not lost any of lite luster, Loved ones stood
all around the bed trying to hold her back.
Her mother could not give her up and one
nearer to her than either father or mother
was frantic with grief, l saidt Fanny,
how do YOU feelS" "On~ she said, 'happy;
happy Mi, 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 Che 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, and that was the face OF
Fanny. Oh, l wish that now my Lord Jesus
would go through this audience and take all
these flowers of youta and garland them on
His brow. The cedar is fit refuge for bird;
of brightest plumage and swiftest wing
See. they fly they fiyl "All fowl of everJ
wing
Again, remark that the old may come
You say, Suppose a man has to go OF
crutches, suppose he is blind suppose he i,
DEAR suppose that tine-ten of his life has
been wasted" Then answer: Como witt
crutches., Come old men, blind and deaf
come to Jesus. If you would sweep YOU,
hand around before your blind yes, the first
thing you would touch wotld be the cross
1t IS hard for an aged man or woman to have
grown old without religion. There taste is
gone. The peach and the grape have lost
their flavor. They say that somehow fruit
does not taste as it used to. Their hearing
gets detective, and they miss great dea
that is said in their presence.
Their friends have all gone and everybody
seems 50 strange. The world seems to ga
away from them and they are left all alone,
they begin to feel in the way when vol
come into the room where they are and they
move their chair nervouslY aud say. 81 hope
am not in the way" Alasi that father and
mother should ever be in the way, When
you were sick and they sat up all night roc5-
ing you, singing to you, administering to
you, did they think that you were in tas
way? Are you tired of the old peopie2 Do
you snap them up quick and sharp? You
VIII be cursed to the bone for your inRratis
tude and unkiuduess
Oh, how many dear old folks Jesus has
put to sleepl How sweetlv He has closs5
their eyesl How gently folded their arms
How He has put His hand OH their silent
hearts and said: REST now; tire pilgrim.
LIZ is all over The tears will never start
again. Hush! hushw So He gives His be-
loved sleep. | think the most beautiful OBJ
Ject on earth is an old Christian-the hair
white, not with the frosts of winter, but the
blossoms OF the tree of life | never feel
sorry for a Christian old man. Why feel
sorry for those upon whom tae glories of
the eternal world are about to burst2 They
are going to the gooily cedar. Though
their wings are heavy with age God shall
renew their strength like the eagle, and they
shalt make their nest in She cedar. cali
fowl of every wing"
Again, the very bad, the outrageously
sinful, may come. Men talk of the grace of
God as though it vera SO many wards long
and SO many yards deep. People point to
the dying thief as an encouragement to the
sinner. How much better it would be to
point to our own case aud say, "lf Go1 save
US He can save anybody There may be
those here VINO never had one earnest word
said to them about their souls. Consider
me as putting my hand on your shout Ter
and looking in your eye, God has been good
thatS He has been very hard nj me-"
Where did you come from" 'Hone"
Then you have home. Have you ever
thanked God for your home: Have you
children YES" "Have you ever thanked
God for your children? Who keeps them
safe? Were you ever sickf' YES" "W ho
made you well? Have you been feed every
day? Who feeds you? Put your hand on
your pulse. Who makes it throbs listen
to the respiration of your lungs. Who helps
you to breathe? Have You a Bible in the
mouse, spreading bsfore you thu future life?
Who gave you that Bi5le?n
Oh it has been story of goodness and
mercy all the way through. You have been
one Of Gods pet children. Who fendled you
and caressei you AMI Low ed you, And when
you went astray and wanted to come bacS,
did he ever refuse? l know of father who,