The Opelousas courier., 1892-12-31
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
THE BR OOKLYN DIVINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.

DAY SERMON.
TEXT THE stor5 in the heauen kno,cetE
her appointed times. aud the turtle, ana
the crane, and the StcntloW obSerra the tins
or their coming; but nY people knoU not thu
judgment of the Lord."-Jeremiah viii. Z
When God would set fast a 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 molds it into a bird. Ny text speaks
of four birds of beautiful instinct-the
stork, of such strong affection that it is
allowed Familiarity to come. in Holland an
Germany. and build its nest over the doord
way; the sweet dispositioned %turtledove-,
mingling in color white and black and
brown and ashen and chestnut; the crane
With Vo.ce ike the ciang of a tru mpet; the
swallow, swift as a dart, shot out of tbs bow
or heaven, failing, mounting. skimming,
saillng-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.
suppose it may nave been this very season
oesthe year-autumn-and the prophet out
of doors, thinking of the impenitence of the
head. D'A s'e'' cry o'e-
Now you know it is no easy thing for one
with ordinary delicacy of eyesight to look
into the deep blue of the MONDAY heaven,
but the prophet looks up, and there are
fiocks of storks and turtledoves and cranes
and swallows drawn out in long lines for
flight southwark. As is their habit, the
cranes had arranged themselves into two
lines, making an angela wedge splitting
the air with wild velocity-the old
crane, with commanding call, bidding
them onward, while the towns, and the
cities, and the continents slid under them.
The prophet, almost blinded from looking
into the dazzling heavens, stoops down and
begins to think howl much superior the bril-
are in sagacity about their safety than men
about theirs, and he puts his hand upon the
pen and begins to write, "The stork in the
heavens 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
If you were in the field to-day, in the
clump of trees at the corner of the field you
would see a cow 5ntion of birds, noisy as the
American congress the last night before ad.
journment, or as tbs English parliament
when some unfortunate member proposes
more economy in queens households con-
ventlon of birds all talking at once, moving
and passing resolutions on the subject OF
migration; some proposing to go to-mor-
row, some moving that they go to-day,
some moving that they go to Brazil, some
to Florida, some to the tablelands of Mexico,
but all unanimous in the fact that they must
go soon, for they nave marching orders
from the Lord, written on the first white
sheet of the frost and in the pictorial Of the
changingleaves
There is not a belted kingfsher, or a
chatflncb, or a fire crested wren, or a
plover, or a red legged partridge but exs
poets to spend the winter at the south, for
the apartments have already been ordered
for them in South America or in Africa,
and after thousands of miles of flight tEey
will stop in the very tree where they spent
last January. Farewell. bright plumagel
Until spring weather, away Fly on, great
band of heavenly musiciansi Strew the
continent with music, and whether from
northern fields, or Carolinian swamps or
Brazilian groves men see your wings or
hear your voice, may they bethink them
selves of the solemn words of the text, THE
stalk in the heaven knowth her appointed
times, and the turtle and the crane and the
swallow observe the time of their coming;
hut my people know not the judgment OF
the Lordf'
/ propose, so far as God may help me, this
morning, carry out the idea of the text, to
show that the birds of the air lave more sa-
gacity than men. And / begin by p~articu-
larIzing and saying that they mingle music
with their works. The most serious under
taking of a 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 plu-
mage RULED, 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.
1t is a good sign when you hear a work
man whistle. 1t is a better sign when you
hear him hum a roundelaY. 1t is a still
better sign when you hear him sing the
words of Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley.
A violin chorded and strung, il something
accidentally strike it, makes music, INT
suppose there is such a thing as having our
hearts so attuned by divine grace that
even the rough collisions of life will make
heavenly vibration. | do not believe that
the power of Christian song has yet been
fully tried, / believe that il you could rol
the "Old Hundred doxology through Wall
street it would put an eni to any financial
disturbance | believe that the discords,
and the sorrows, and the sins of the worit
are to be swept out by heaven born halle
luiahs.
Some one asked Haydn, the celebrate
musician, why he always composed sue
cheerful music. why" he SAID. II can
do otherwise. When l think of God m,
soul is so iuil OF Joy that the notes lea
and dance from my pen." | wish we NIGH
all exuIt meIodiously before the LORD
With God for our Father and Christ fo
our Saviour, and heaven for our homa, an
angels for future companions, and eternit.
for a lifetime, we should strike all the note
of joy. Going through the wilderness o
this world let us remember that we are Oh
thew way to the summary cine of heaven
and from the migratory populations hyin;
through this autumnal air learn always t.
keep singing.
Children OF the Heavenly King.
As ye journey sweetly sing;
Sing your Saviour's worthy praise,
Glorious in His works and ways.
Ye are travelling home TO Gol,
Inthe way your fathers trod;
They are happy now, and we
Soon their happiness shall see.
The church of Go never will bs q tri
umphant church until it becomes a singin.
church.
] go further and remark that the BIRDS oil
the air are wiser than we in the fact thai
in their migration they fly very high. Dur
ing the summer, when they are in tn
fields, they often come within reach of tn
gun, but when they start for the annua
hlsnt souehWaIu 1nsy taae tnsh pi"ce
midheaven and go straight as an arrow t
the mark. The longest rife that was eve
brought to shoulder nno reach them
Would to God that We were as wise as tn
stork and crane in our flight h~eavenward
We fly so low that we are within easy rang,
of the world, the flesh and the devil. W.
are brought down by temptations tina
ought not to came within a mile of reaching
us.
oh. for some of the faith OF George Mu!
Ter, of England, and Alfred Goodman, ono
of the church militant, now of the church
| friurnnhanti So moor is the tyna Of Diafv ii