The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-11-10
THEY FLY SO UTHW'A ARD.

THEY FLY SOJTHW ARD.
Inn. TALMAuE TAKES THE BIRDS
FOR HIS TEXT,
Lessons That Mankind May Learn
From Them--Wherein Birds Of
the Air Have More SaRaclty
Than NJ an.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Special. The
hutter OF bright colored leaves which,
every wind blows from the trees in the
avenues around the Tabernacle, re-
minded the thousands who entered
its doors that winter was approach
ing. DIR. Talnage, turned the impress
sion to account in his sermon, which
was on the text, jeremiah viii, Z:
''The stork in the Heaven knoweth her
appointed time; and the turtle dove,
and the crane, and the swallow OBJ
serve the time OF their coming; but my
people know not the Judgment Of the
| Lord.
! When God had set fast q beautiful
thought, he plants it in a tree. When
he would put it afoat, he fashions it
into a fish. When he would have it
glide the air, he moulds it into a bird.
| My text speaks of four birds OF a beau
tiful 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 dispo-
sitioned turtle dove, mingling in color
white, and black and brown, and
ashen, and chestnut; the crane, with
voice like the clang Of q trumpet; the
swallow, swift as dart shot out of
the bow OF heaven, falling, mounting,
skimming, sailing-four birds started
by the prophet rs centuries ago, yet
flying on through the ages, with rous-
ing truth under glossy wing and IN the
clutch Of stout claw I suppose it
may have been this very season OF the
year-autumn-and the prophet out
OF doors, thinking of the impenitence
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 eye
sight to look into deep blue of the
monday heaven; but the prophet
looks up, and there are focks of
storks, and turtle doves, and cranes,
and swallows drawn out in long lines
for flight southwark. AS is their hab-
it, the cranes had arranged themselves
into two lines making an angle,
wedge splitting the air with wild veloc-
ity, the old cranes, with commanding
call bidding them onward; while the
towns, and the cities, and the conti-
nenrs slid under them. The prophet,
almost blinded from looking into the
dazzling heavens, stoops down and be-
gins to think how much superior the
birds are in sagacity about their safe
ty than men about theirs; and he
puts his hand upon the pen and begins
to write: '"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"
I propose, SO far as God may help
me, this morning, carrying out the
idea of the text, to show that birds of
the air have
MORE SAGACITY THAN MEN.
And I begin by particu]arizing and
saying that they mingle music with
their work. The most serious under
taking Of a birds life is this annual
travel from the Hudson to the Anna
zon, from the Thames to the Nile /
Naturalists tell us that they arrive
there thin, and weary, and plumage
ruf1ed, and yet they go singing all the
way; the ground, the 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 a Thousand miles into four
hundred. Would God that we were as
wise as they in mingling Christian
song with our every day work! be-
lieve there is such thing as taking
the pitch Of Christian devotion in the
morning, and. keeping it all the day.
/ think we might take some of the
dullest, heaviest, most disagreeable
work of our life, and set it to the tune
Of Antioch or Mount Pisgah.'
1t is a good sign when you hear a
workman whistle. It is a better sign
when you hear him hum roundelay.
It is s. still better sign when you hear
him sing the words Of Isaac Watts or
Charles Wesley. AYiolin chorded and
strung, if something accidentally
strike it, makes music, and suppose
there is such a thing as having our
hearts go attuned by divine grace,
that even the rough collisions OF life
will make heavenly vibration. / do
not believe that the power OF Chris
tian song has yet been fully tried. I
believe that il you could roll the
cold Hundred" doxology through
Wall street it wouldput an end to
ANY. FINANCIAL DISTURBANCE!
Isbelieve that the discords, and the
SORROWS ard the sins OF the world are
to be swept out by heaven born hal
lelujahs. Some one asked Haydn, the
celebrated musician, why he always
composed such cheerful music.
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