The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-07
BIRDSOF EVERYFEATHER
REV. TALMAGE breaches ON A
TEXT FROM EZEKIEL.

TEXT FROM EZEKIEL.
The Refuge offered By the Christian
Religion to People of All Ages and
Every Variety of Chsracter-The
Cedar OF Lebanon and It's Spreading
Branches.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, March 6.-The congre>
cation at the Brooklyn tabernacle this
morning sang with fervor the hymn Begin
ming
MY faith looks up TO thee,
Thou Lamb Of Cavalry.
DR.. Talmage's subject was the ref,re
offered by Uhe Christian religion to people
of al ages and every variety Of character.
His text was Ezekiel xviii. %, "A goodIy
cedar and under it shall dwell all fowl Of
every wing"
The cedar of Lebanon is a royal tree. 10
stands six thousand feet above the level OF
the sea. A missionary counted the con-
centric circles and found one tree thirty
FIVE hundred years old-long rooted. broad
branches, all the year in luxuriant foliage.
The same branches that bent In the hurri-
cane that David saw sweeping over Leba-
nor, rock to-day over the head OF the Amer
ican traveller. This monarch of the forest.
$500 80 Ap@Ay hAbOASs fAdNhS tbc uDuOTb OK
thousand years ana sprlnkles them upon
its own uplitted brow, as though some greas
hallelu1ah OF heaven had been planted upon
Lebanon. and it were rising up with all its
lonR-armed strength TO take hold of the
hills when 1t came o! what a fine place
for birds TO nest inl In hot days they come
thither-the eagle, the dove, the swallow.
the sparrow and the raven. There IL 10
many OF Us a complete fascination in tho
structure and habits of birds. They Seem
not more of earth than heaven-ever vaciI-
lating between the two. No wonder that
Audubon, with his gun, tramped through
all OF the American forests in search Of
new specimens. Biologists have spent
years In finding the track OF birds claw in
the new red sandstone. There is enough Of
Gods architecture in a snipes bill or a
grouse's foot to confound all the universities.
Musicians have, with clefs and bars, tried
to catch the sound Of the nightin-
gale and robin. Among the first things
that q child notices is a swallow at the
caves and grandfather goes out
with handful OF crumbs to feed the snow
birds The Bible is full of ornithologicaI
illusions. The birds OF the Bible are non
dead and stuffed. like those of the museum.
but living birds, with 1uttering wings and
plumage. behold the fowls Of the air."
says Christ. Though thou exalt thyself as
the oagle, aud though thou set thy nest
among the stars, thence will bring thee
down." exclaims Obadiah. "Gavest thou
thee goodly wings unto the peacocksP' says
job. David describes his desolation BY say
ing, II am like a pelican Of the wilderness:
am like an owl OF the desert; | watch and
am as sparrow alone upon the housetop."
Yea tho stork in the heaven knoweth her
appointed time; and the turtle aud the
crane, and the swallow observe the time Of
their coming; but my people know not the
| Judgment of the Lord"-so saws Jeremiah
Ezekiel In my text intimates that Christ
Is the cedar, and the people from all quar-
ters are the birds that lodge among the
branches. 1T shall be goodly cedar, and
under it shall dwell all fowl of every win e."
As in Ezekiels time, so now-Christ IS n
goodly cedar and to him are flying all kiuds
OF people-young and old rich and poor,
men high-soaring as the eagle, those fierce
as the raven, and those gentle as the dove,
"All fowl OF every wing"
First, the young may come OF the
eighteen hundred and ninety-two years
that have passed since Christ came, abouo
sixteen hundred have been wasted by the
good In misdirected effortSs Until Robert
Ha1kes came. there was no organized effort
for saving the young. We spend all our
strength trying to bend old trees, whensa
little pressure would have been suflcienG
Tor the sapling. We let men go down to
the very bottom OF sin before we try to
lift them up. 1t is a great deal easier to
keep train on the track than to get it on
when IL Is of. The experienced reinsmars
checks the fiery steed at the fret Jump for
when he gets In full swing, the
swift hoofs clicking fire from tnel
pavement, and the BIT between his
teeth, his momentum is irresistible. It is
said that the young must be allowed to
SOW their wild oats." have noticed THAI
those who SOW their wild cats seldom try TO
raise any other kind OF crop. There are
two opposite destinies. II you are going
TO heaven, you had better take the straighu
road, and not try to go to Boston by the
way of New Orleans. WHAT is to be the
history OF CHS multitude Of young people
around me to-dayl | will take you by the
hand and show you glorious sunrise r
will not whine about this thing, nor groan
about 1t: but come, young men and maidens,
Jesus wants you. His hand is love; his
voice is music; bis smile is heaven sReligion
Will put no handcuffs on your wrists. no
hopples on your feet no brand on your fore
head.
went through the heaviest snow storm
have ever known to see a dying girl Her
cheek on tho pillow was white as the snow
on the easement. Her large round eye had
not lost any Of its iuster. 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. / said, Fanny,
how do you feelg' "O" she said. '.happyt
happy Mr.. Talmage. tell all the young folks
that religion will make them happyn Asr
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 the rIver.n The next Sabbath
we buried her. We brought white flowers
ana 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. o. wish that now my
Lord Jesus would 90 through this audience.
and take all these flowers OF youth and gar.
land them on his brow. The cedar is a fiS
refuge for birds Of brightest plumage and
swiftest wing. See, they flyl they hyi "All
fowl OF every wing
Again: ! remark that the old may come.
You say, Suppose a man has to 90 on
crutches; suppose be is blind, suppose be is
deaf suppose that nine-tenths OF his life
has been wasted.n Then / answer. Come
with crutches; come, old men, blind and
deaf. come 10 Jesus Ii you would sweep
your hand around before your blind eyes,
the first thing you would touch would be
the cross. It is hard for an aged man or
woman to have grown old without religion.
Their taste Is gone. The peach and tho
grape have lost their flavor. They say that
somehow fruit does not taste as it used to.
Their hearing gets defective, and they miss
a great deal that Is said in their presence,
Their friends have all gone and everv-