Democratic messenger., 1893-01-14
PRICE, Sl.00 PER ANNUM.

DOdy ialls TIE soul VIII grow IN elaStlcity
till at death it will spring up like glad
dened child into the bosom of God.
Yea, III this ornithological study see
that Job says. His days fly as an eagle
that hasteth to lis prey" The speed OF
hungry eagle when it saw its prey a
score of miles distant was unimaginable.
1t went like thunderbolt for speed and
power. SO fly our days. Sixty minutes,
each worth a heaven. since we assembled
i'll this plac ave shot like lightning into
eternity. : he old earth is rent AMI
cracked under the swift rush of days and
months and years and ages. Swift as
an eagle tha hasteth to its prey" Be
hold the foy : Of the air. Have Won con-
sidercd that they have. as you and
have not. the power to change their eyes
SO that ono minute they may be tele-
scopic and the next microscopic, now
seeing some, hing a mile away and by
telescope cyesight, and then dropping to
its food ON the ground, able to see it
close by and with microscopic eyesighti
THE SWALLOWS AT THE TEMPLE.
But what a senseless passage of Scrip
ture that is until you know the fact,
which says. The sparrow hath found
house and the swallow nest for herself,
where she may lay her young. even thine
altars. o Lord of hosts. my king and my
God.' What has the swallow to do with
the altars of the temple at Jerusalemi
All. you know that swallows are all the
world over very tame, and in summer
time they used to fly into the windows
and doors of the temple at Jerusalem
and build n nest on the altar where the
priests were Offering sacrifices.
These swallows brought leaves and
sticks and fashioned nests ON the affairs of
the temple and Matched the young spar
rows in those nests. and David had seen
the young birds picking their way out
of the shell while the old swallows
watched. and no one in the temple was
cruel enough to disturb either the old
swallows or the young swallows, and
David burst ont in rhapsody, saying,
Tine swallow hath found nest for
herself. where she may lay her young,
even thine affairs. . Lord of hosts, my
king and my God!'
Yes. iii this ornithology of the Bible
find that God is determined to impress
upon us the architecture of birds nest
and the anatomy of a birds wing.
Twenty times does the Bible refer to
birds nest-"W here the birds max their
nest" AS bird that wandereth from
her nest" Though thou set thy nest
among the stars The birds of the air
have their nest" and so on. Nests in
the trees. nests on the rocks, nests on the
altars.
Why does God call us so frequently to
consider the birds nest: Because it is
one of the most wondrous of all styles
of architecture. and a lesson of provi-
dental care which is the most important
lesson which Christ in my text conveys.
Why. just look at the birds nest, and see
what is the prospect that God is going
to take care Of you. Here is the blue
birds nest under the caves of the house
Here is the brown thrasher's nest in
bush. Here is the bluejay's nest in the
orchard. Here is the grosbeak's nest ON
a tree branch hanging over the water. SC
as 10 be free from attack. Chic!iadee's
nest in the stump of an old tree. Oh.
birds how tn build their nest.
What carpenters. what masons, what
weavcrs, what spinners the birds are.
Out of what small resources they make
so exquisite home. curved, pillared,
wrcathed. Out of MOSES. out of sticks.
out of lichens. ont of horsehair, out
of spiders web. out of threads swept
from the door by the housewife, out
of the wool of the sheep from the
pasture field. Upholstered by leaves
actually sewed together by its own sharp
bill. Cushioned with feathers from its
own breast. Mortared together with the
gum of trees and the saliva of its own
tiny bill. Such symmetry, such adapta-
tion. such convenience. such geometry
of structure.
WHEN WE SHALL FLY.
Surely these nests We're built by some
plan. They did not happen just so. Who
drafted the plan for the birds nest:
God, And do YOU not think that if he
plans such a house for chaffinch, for an
oriolc. for bobolink, for a sparrow, he
will see 10 it that you always have a
home: ''Yc are of more value than many
sparrows." Whatever else surrounds
you, You can have what the Bible calls
the feathers of the Almighty" Just
think of a nest like that, the warmth Of
it, the softness of it, the safety Of it
1.-The feathers of the Almighty"
No fiamingo outflashing the tropical
sunset ever had such brilliancy of pin
ion; no robin redbreast ever had plumage
dashed with such crimson and purple
and orange and gold-''the feathers of
the Almighty" Do you not feel the
touch of them now on forehead and
cheek and spirit. and was there ever
such tenderness of brooding-''thef feath-
ers of the Almighty So also in this
ornithology of the Bible God keeps i'm
pressing us with the anatomy of birds
wing.
Over fifty times does the old Book al
lude To the wing-"Wings of dove"
Wings of the morning" Wings of the
wind. sun of righteousness with heal
ing in his wings Wings of the AL
mighty" '.All fowl of every wing"
What does il all mean: 1t suggests up
lifting 1t tells YOU of flight upward. 1t
means TO remind you that you yourself
have wings David cried out. "Oh. that
had wings like Il dove that might fly
away and bc ut rest. Thank God that
YOU have better wings than any dove of
longest or swiftcst flight Gagged now i'll
bars of flesh are those wings. but the day
comes when they will 5c liberated. Get
ready for ascension. Take the words of
the Old hymn. and to the tune unto which
that hymn is married sing,
Rise, my soul and stretch thy wing;
Thy better portion trace.
Up ont Of these lowlands into the heav-
ems of higher experience and wider pros
pcct. But how shall we rise? Only as
Gods holy spirit gives us strength But
that is coming now. Not rs condor
from Chimborazo peak, swooping upon
the affrighted valley, but as dove like
that which mt its soft brown winps