Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-01-12
AT THE TABERNACLE.
WISDOM MAY BE LEARNED FROM THE
FOWLS OF THE AIR.

WISDOM MAY BE LEARNED FROM 7 HE
FOWLS OF THE AIR.
DR.. Talmage Discourses with Beautiful
Eloquence on the Many Lessons Taught
by the Birds-Every Species Native to
Palestine Ii Mentioned In the Scriptures.
BROOKLYN, Jan. S.-Dr. Talmage this
morning continued the course of ser
mons begun a few Sabbaths ago. Hav-
tng preached about the Astronomy of
the Bible; or. God Among the Stars,
and the Chronology of the Bible; or,
God Among the Centuries" this morn
ing be GiScourSed on the ''Ornithology
of TIE Bible: or, God Among the Birds,
The text was Matthew. Vi. 26. Behold
the fowls OF the air.
There is silence now in all our Janu-
ary forests. except as the winds whistle
through the bare branches. Our north
ern woods are deserted concert halls.
The organ lofts in the temple of nature
are hymnless. Trees which were full of
carol and chirp and chant are now wait
ing for the coming back Of rich plumes
and warbling voices solos. duets, quar-
tets, cantatas Ind Te Deums But the
Bible is full of birds at all seasons. and
prophets and patriarchs and apostles and
Christ himself employ them for moral
and religious purposes. My text is an
extract from the sermon on the mount.
and perhaps it was at a moment when
fock OF birds flew past that Christ waved
his hand toward them and said. Behold
the fowls of the air. And so IN this
course of sermons on God everywhere
preach to YOU this third sermon concern
ing the Ornithology of the Bible: or, God
Among the Birds.
GODS MESSENGERS IN NATURE.
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 orni-
thology we have no option The divine
command is positive when it says in my
text. Behold the fowls of the air. That
is. study their habits Examine their
colors. Notice their speed. See the hand
of God in their construction. 1t is easy
for me to obey the command Of the text,
for w.s brought up among the race Of
wings and from bovhood heard their
maths at sunrise and their vespers at
sunset
Their nests have been to me fascina-
ton. and my satisfaction is that never
robbed one of them any more than
would steal child from cradle, for
bird is a child of the SKY. and its nest is
the cradle. They are almost human. for
they have their loves and hates, asfini-
ties and antipathies. understand JOY and
grief have conjugal and maternal in
s,inct. wage wars and entertain jeal-
ousies have Il language OF their own and
powers of association. Thank God for
birds and skies full of them! 1t is use
less to expect to understand the Bible
unless we study natural history.
Five hundred and ninety-three times
does the Bible allude to the facts of nat
ural history and do not wonder that it
makes 50 many allusions pathological.
The skies and the cave-ns of Palestine
are friendly to the winged creatures. and
so many fy- and roost and nest and hatch
in that region that inspired writers do
not have far to 80 to get pathological
illustration of divine truth. There are
over forty species of birds recognized in
the Scriptures.
Oh. what variety of wings in Pales-
tine. The dove, the robin, the eagle, the
corrnoraat or plunging bird. hurting it
self from sky 70 wave and with long
oeak clutching its prey; the thrush,
which espl cially dislikes a crowd; the
partridge: the hawk. bold and ruthless,
lowering head to windward while watch
ing for prey; the swan. at home among
the marshes and with feet so constructed
it can walk on the leaves OF water plants;
tn raven. the lapwing. malodorous and
IN the Bible denounced as inedible,
though it has extraordinary headdress;
the sto1k; the ossifrage, that always
had habit of dropping on stone the
turtle it had lifted and SO killing it
for food. and on one occasion mistook
the bald head Of Eschvlus. the Greek
poet. for white stone, and dropped a
turtle upon it. killing the famous Greek;
the cuckoo. with crested head and Grim
son throat and wings snow tipped, but
too lazy 10 build its own nest, and so
having the habit OF depositing its eggs
in nests belonging TO other birds; the
bluejay the grouse. the plover. the mag
pie. the kingisher. the pelican. which is
the caricature of all the feathered crea-
ton: the owl. the goldfnch. the bittern.
the harrier. the bu:bul. the osprey: the
vulture. that king Of scavengers. with
neck covered with repulsive down instead
of attractive feathers: the quarrelsoIne
startling: the swallow, flying mile a min
ute and sometimes ten hours in success
sion: the heron. t.4equail. the peacock. the
ostrich. the lark. the crow. the kite, the
bat the blackbird and many others. with
all colors. all sounds. all styles of fight,
all habits. all architecture OF nests leav-
ing nothing wanting in suggestiveness.
They were at the creation placed all
around on the rocks and in the trees and
on the ground to serenade Adams ar
rival They took their places on Friday,
as the first man was made on Saturday.
Whatever else he had or did not have,
be should have music. The first sound
that struck the human ear was birds
voice.
TRUE SCIENCE IS RELIGIOUS.
Yea. Christian geology-for you know I
there is Christian geology as well as
an infdel geology-Christian geology
comes in and helps the Bible show what
we owe to the bird creation. Before the
human race came into this world the
world was occupied by reptiles and by
all sorts of destructive monsters-mil- |
lions of creatures. loathsome and hide /
Gus. God sent huge birds TO clear the
earth of these creatures before Adam and
Eve were created The remains of these
birds nave been found imbedded in the
rocks. The skeleton of one eagle has
been found twenty feet IN height and
fifty feet from tip of wing to tipof wing.
Many armies of beaks and claws were
necessary to clear the earth Of creatures
that would have destroyed the human
p c-.I l.