The Portland daily press., 1892-11-05
BIRD MIGRATION.
DR.. Talmage breaches a Sermon
Appropriate to the Occasion.
The Birds of the Air More Sagacious Than
Men-They Mingle Music with Their
Work-The Church Will Never
be Triumphant Until 1t Be-
comes a Singing Church.

was MADE the occasion Tor a recent SER
mon at the Brooklyn tabernacle by DIR.
Talmage from the text, jeremiah viii.
Z: 'sThe 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 a 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 beautl-
full instinct-the stork, of such strong
affection that it is allowed Familiarity
to come, in Holland and Germany, and
build it's 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 a 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. sup
pose it may have been this very season
of the year-au tumn-and the prophet
iout-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 fiocks of storks, and tur-
tledoves, and cranes, and swallows,
drawn out in long lines for flight south
ward As is their ha bit, the cranes had
arranged themselves into two lines max
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-
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 a convention of birds,
noisy as the American congress the
last night before adjournment, or as
the English parliament when some I'M
fortunate member proposes more econ
envy in the queens household 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 go to
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 belted
kingfisher, or chafinch, or a fire.
oresten wren, or plover, or red
legged partridge but expects to spend
the winter at the south, for the apart
ments have already been ordered for
them in South America, or in Africa;
and after thousands of miles of fight
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 swamps, or Brazil
ian groves men see your wings, or hear
your voice, may they bethink them
selves of the solemn words of the text:
1.-THE stork in the heaven knoweth her
appointed times; 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"
propose, SO far as God may help me
this morning. carrying out the idea OF
the text, to show that the birds of the
cir have more sagacity than men. And
] begin by particularizing and saying
that they mingle music with their work.
The most serious undertaking of
birds life is this annual travel from the
Hudson to the Amazon, from the
Thames to the Nile Naturalists tell
us that they arrive there thin and
weary, and plumage rufied, and yet
they go singing all the way; the ground,
Nhe lower line of the music, the sky, the
upper line of the music, themselves, the
notes scattered up and down between.
/ suppose their song gives elasticity TO
their wing. and helps on with the
journey, dwindling thousand miles
into four hundred. Would God that we
were as wise as they in mingling Chris
tian song with our every day work! I
believe there is such thing as taking
the pitch of Christian devotion in the
morning and keeping it all day. I think
we might take some of the dullest,
heaviest, most disagreeable work of our
life and set it to the tune of Antioch
or ssMount Pisgah."
1t is good sign when you hear
workman whistle. 1t is a better sign
when YOU hear him hum roundelay.
1t is still better sign when you hear
him sing the words of Isaac Watts or
Charles Wesley. A violin, chorded and
strung, if something accidentally strikes