The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1893-01-13

. ~ NAONl dOGD Will DiSltHltI,
in business, disappointment, bereave-
ment, is only Gods way of shaking us
out of our comfortable nest in orGer
that we may learn how to fly. You who
are complaining that you have no faith
or courage Of Christian zeal have had it
too easy. You never will learn to fly
in that comfortable nest.
Like an eagle, Christ has carried us
on his back At times we have been
shaken off, and when we were abouU to
| fall he came under us again and brou 1t
us out of the gloomy valley to the sun
ny mountain. Never an eagle brooded
with such love and care over her young
as Gods wings have been over u.s.
Across what oceans of trouble we have
gone in safety upon the Almighty wings!
From what mountains of sin we have
been carried and at times have been
borne up far above the gunshot of the
world and the arrow of the devil!
When our time on earth is closed on
these great wings of God we shall speed
with infinite quickness from earths
mountains to heavens hills, and as from
UUe 6dSlC > ClICuIG llIItieI bllt sun HI6u OI
the ground seem small and insignificant
as lizards on rock, so all earthly things
shall dwindle into speck, and the rag
ing river of death so far beneath will
seem smooth and CLASSY as Swiss lake.
1t was thought in ancient times that an
eagle could not only mott its feathers in
old age, but that after arriving to great
age it would renew it's strength and be-
come entirely young again. To this
Isaiah alludes when he says: "They that
wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength. They shall mount up with
wings of eagles" Even SO the Christian
in old age will renew his spiritual
strength. He shall be young in ardor
and enthusiasm for Christ, and as the
body fails the soul will grow in elasticity
till at death it will spring up like q glad
dcned child into the bosom of God.
Yea, in this ornithologic&l study see
that Job says, His days fly as an eagle
that hasteth to its prey" The speed Of
a hungry eagle when it saw its prey
score Of miles distant was unimaginable
1t went like thunderbolt for speed and
power. SO fly our days. Sixty minutes,
each worth heaven, since we assem- bled
in this place have shot like lightning into
eternity. The old earth is rent and
cracked under the swift rush Of days and
months and years and ages. Swift as
an eagle that hasteth to its prey" Be |
hold the fowls Of the aiyl Have you con-
sidered that they have, as you and | |
have not. the power to change their eyes
so that one minute they may be tele-
scopic and the next microscopic, now
seeing something a mile away and by
eyesight, and then dropping to
is food on the ground, able to see it
close by and with microscopic eyesight?
THE SWALLOWS AT THE TEMPLE.
But what a senseless passage of Scrip
;ure that is, until you know the fact,
which says, THE sparrow hath found
rouse and the swallow nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, even thine
lltars, 0 Lord of hosts, my king and my
9odT What has the swallow to do with
he affairs of the temple at jerusalem?
Ah, you know that swallows are all the
world over very tame, and in summer
ime they used to fly into the windows
nd doors of the temple at Jerusalem
nd build nest on the altar where the
,riests were offering sacrifices.
These swallows brought leaves and ]
ticks and fashioned nests on the affairs of I
he temple and Matched the young spar '
ows in those nests, and David had seen '
he young birds picking their way out I
f the shell while the old swallows
watched, and no one in the temple was
ruel enough to disturb either the old
wallows or the young swallows, and 7
David burst out in rhapsody. saying, 6
The swallow hath found nest for 6
erself, where she may lay her young, &
ven thine affairs, o Lord of hosts. my
ing and my Godr' :
Yes, in this ornithology of the Bible | i
nd that God is determined to impress t
pom us the architecture of birds nest c
nd the anatomy of a birds wing. t
'wenty times does the Bible refer to t
irds nest-"W the birds max their c
est" LAS bird that VANDERBILT from g
er nest" Though thou set thy nest C
mong the stars" THE birds of the air a
ave their nest" and so on. Nests in @
be trees, nests on the rocks, nests on the a
liars.
Why does God call us so frequently to L
onsider the birds nest? Because it is t
ne of the most wondrous of all styles b
architecture, and lesson of provi- b
entail care which is the most important e
esson which Christ in my text conveys. E
Why, Just look at the birds nest, and see t
That is the prospect that God is going a
D take care of you. Here is the blue Il
irds nest under the caves of the house. t
[ere is the brown thrasher's nest in a a
ush. Here is the bluejay's nest in the
richard. Here is the grosbeak's nest on
tree branch hanging over the water, so
9 70 be free from attack. Chickadee's C
est in the stump of an old tree. Oh, C
be goodness of God in showing the q
irds how TO build their nestl c
What carpenters, what masons, what t.
-eavers. what spinners the birds are! t
mt of what small resources they make a
, exquisite home, curved, pillared, 81
-reathed. Out of moses, out of sticks. b