Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-01-20
REV. DR.. TAlMhGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECr: "Gop AMONG THE BIRDS, ~

| forests, except as the winds whistle throu yh
the bare branches Our northern wood.
are deserted concert halls. The organ loft,
In the temple OF nature are hvmnless. Trees
which were full OF carol and chirp and chant
are now waiting for the coming back OF
rich plumes and warblinp voices, solos,
duets, quarteteS cantatas and Te Deums
But the Bible Is full OF birds at all seasons,
and prophets and patriots and apostles, and
| Christ Himself, employ them for moral and
religious purposes. Ny text is an extract
from the sermon on the mount, and perhap aps
1t was at q moment when a flock OF birds
hew past that Christ waved His hand toward
them and said, "Behold the fowls Of the air n
And so In this course OF sermons on God
everywhere preach to you this third ser.
mon concerning the Ornithology of tho
Bible: or, God Among the Birds.
Most OF the other sciences you may study
or not study as YOU please. Use your own
| judgment, exercise your own taste. But
about this science Of ornithology we have
no option. The divine command Is positive
when II says In my text, Behold the fowls
Of the air. That is stuiy their habits
Examine their colors Notice their speed =.
Bee the hand OF Col in their construction
II Is easy for me TO obey the command OF
the text, for was brought up among the
raae Of wings and from boyhood heard their
mathis at sunrise and their vespers at sun.
set
Their nests have been TO me fascination,
and my satisfa cton Is that never robbed
one OF them any more than | would steal
child from cradle, for bird Is child OF
the sky, and its r"-. Is the cradle. They are
almost human, for they have their loves and
hates, afiiDities and antipathies understand
JOY and grief, have conjugal and maternal
instinct, wage wars and entertain jealousies
ha va a In ~ hniF .,I -
association. Thank God for birds and skie.
full OF theml 1t is useless to expect to un {.
derstand the Bible unless we study natural
history.
Five hundred and ninety.three times does
the Bible allude to the facts of natural his
tory, and do not wender that II makes 50
many allusions pathological. The skies
and the caverns of Palestine are friendly to
the winged creatures, and so many fly and
roost and nest and hatch In that region that
inspired writers do not have far TO 20 TO get
pathological illustration OF divine truth.
There are over forty species Of birds recox-
nized in the Scriptures.
Oh, what a variety OF wings In PALESTINE !
The dove the robin. the eagle, the cormo.
rant or plugging bird, hurling itself from
sky to wave and with long beak clutching
It's prey; the thrush, which especially dis.
likes a crowd; the partridges; tho hawk,
bold and ruthless lowering head to wind.
ward while watching for prey, the swan, at
home among the marshes and with feet 80
constructed II can walk on the leaves Of wa.
ter plants; the raven, the lapwing, malodor'
ous and In the Bible denounced as inedible,
though II has extraordinary heAddress;
tho stork; the ossifrage, that always
bad habit OF dropping on a stone the turtle
1t had lifted and so killing IL for food, and
on one occasion mistoo1 the bald head Of
Esch yluS the Greek poet, for a white stone
and dropped a turtle upon II, killing the
famous Greek; the cuckoo, with crested
head and crimson throat and wings snow
tipped, but too lazy to build It's own nest,
and so having the habit OF depositing its
eggs In nests belonging to other birds; the
bluejay, the E 1use. the ployer, the magpie,
the kingfisher, the pelican, which is the carl.
cature Of all the feathered creation; the owl,
the goldhnch, the bittern, the barrier, the
bulbul, the osprey; the vulture, that king OF
scavengers with neck covered with repulsivs
down instead OF attractive feathers ;the,quar
relsome startling; the swallow, q ying mite
minute and sometimes ten hours In success
sion, the heron, the quail, the peacock, the os.
trich, the lark, the crow, the kite, the bat,
the blackbird and many others, with all
colors, all sounds, all styles OF flight, all
habits, all architecture OF nests, leaving
we're at the creation placed all around on
the rocks and in the trees and on the ground
to serenade Adams arrival. They took
their places on Friday. as the first man was
made on Saturday. Whatever else he had
or did not have, he should have music. The
first sound that struck the human ear was
birds voice.
Yea, Christian geology--for you know
there 10 Christian geology as well as an in
6del geology-Christian geology comes In
and helps the Bible show what US owe TO
The bird creation. Before the human race
came into this world the world was occupied
monsters millions Of creatures loathsome
and hideous. God sent huge birds TO clear
the earth OF these creatures before Adam
and Eve were created. The remains OF these
birds have been found imbedded 10 the
rocks. The skeleton Of one eagle has been
found twenty feet In height and hfty feet
from tip Of wing to ZIP OF wing. Many ar
mics Of beaks and claws were necessary to
clear the earth Of creatures that would have
destroyed the human race with one clip.
like TO find this harmony OF revelation and
science, and to have demonstrated that the
God who made the world made the Bible.
Moses the greatest lawyer Of all time and
q great man for facts, had enough senti'
mert and poetry aud musical taste TO well
come the illuminated wings ami the voices
divinely drilled into the first chapter OF
Genises How should Noah, the old ship
carpenter, 600 years OF age, find out when
the world was fit again for human residence
after the universal freshet' A bird Will
tell, and nothing else can. No man can
come down from the mountain TO invite
Noah and his family out to terra hrma, Tor
the mountains were submerged. As "a bird
IL L... tnf
world, now a bird will help the human race
back to the world that had shipped sea
that wbelmed everything.
Noah stands OH Sunday morning ut the
window Of the ark, In his hand cooling
dove 20 gentle, 80 innocent, 90 ahectionate,
and he said: "Now. my little dove, fly away
over these waters, explore and come back
and tell US whether 1t is safe 10 land.' After
long flight II returned hungry and weary
and wet, and by Its looks and manners said
TO Noah and his family: The world is not
ht for you to disembark' Noah waite
week, and next Sunday morning he let the
dove fly again for a second exploration, and
Sunday evening IL came back with leaf
that bad the sign OF just having been
pluckeJ from living fruit tree, and The
bird reported the W Irld would do toierably
well for bird 10 live In, but not yet suih'
ciently recovered for human residence.
Noah waited another week, and pext Sut.
day morning he sent out the dove on the
third exploration, but IL returned not for II
found the world so attractive now II did not
want to be cagei again, and then the
emIgrants from the antediluvian world
landed. IL was bird that told them when
to take possession OF the resusctatet planet
30 the human race we're saved by blrFs
wing, for, attempting TO land too soon, tney
would have perjshed.
Aye, here comes whole flock OF doves.
rock doves, ring doves, stock dovss-anf
they make Isaiah think OF great revival'
and great awakenings when souls ny for
shelter like q fock OF pigeons swooping "
the opening OF O pigeon coop, aud he cries
out "Who are these that hy a. doves tc
their windowsT David, with Saul afteI
him, and flying from cavern 70 cavern. com
psres himself TO desert partridge, birt
| which especially hauots rocky places. anc
boys and hunters 10 this day take after
vxith stloks for fha Yarfrtdua rtna ratho