Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-12-01
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sua.
day Sermon.
subject; "A Hunting Scere."

] NtutSlS KIN. -.
A few nights ago 500 men encamped along
] the Long Island railroad so as TO be ready
/ for the next morning. which was the first
"Open day for deer hunting Between sun
rise and o'clock in the afternoon of that
/ day fifteen deer were shot On the 29th OF
/ October our woods and forests resOund with
/ the shock OF firearms and are tracked OF
! pointers and settlers because the quail are
! then lawful prize for the sportsman.
On certain day In all England you can
hear the crack OF the spOrtsman's gun,
/ because grouse hunting has begun. and
every man that can afford the time and am
/ munition and can draw bead starts for the
fields. NenOphOn grew eloquent in regard
/ to the art of hunting. In the far east peO-
| pie elephant mounted. chase the tiger. The
: American Indian darts his arrow at the buf-
/ falO until the frightened herd fall over the
| rocks. European mobiles are often found in
the fox chase and at the stag hunt. Francis
| was called the father OF hunting. Moses
| declares OF Nimrod. "He was mighty
/ hunter before the Lord" Therefore. in all
ages of the world. the imagery of my text
ought to be suggestive, whether it means "a
wolf after a fox or a man after lion.
Old Jacob, dying. is telling the fortunes
Of his children. He prophesies the devour-
ing propensities of Benjamin and his de-
SCtuldut>. WITH MS Olll Olu eyes ut HUNS
of and sees the hunters going ont to the
fields, ranging them all day, and at nightiall
coming home, the game slung over the
shoulder. and reaching the door Of the tent
the hunters beginto distribute the game. and
one takes a coney. and another a rabbit. and
another a roe. In the morning he shall de-
YOUR the prey. and at night he shall divide
the spoil Or it may be reference TO the
habits Of wild beasts that Stay their prey and
then drag it back to the cave or lair and di-
vide it among the young.
ItaSe my text. in the first place as de-
ssriptiye of those people who in the morn
ing of their life give themselves ~ to hunt
ing the world, but afterward, by the grace of
God. in the evening of their life divide
among themselves the spells Of Christian
character Thereare aged Christian men and
women in this house who ifthey gave test-
mOny. would tell YOU that in the morning OF
their life they were after the world as in
tense as a hound after a hare. or as a falcon
swoops upon gazelle. They wanted the
worlds plaudits AMI the worlds gains.
They felt that il they could get this world
they would have everything. Some of them
started out for the pleasures OF the world.
They thought that the man who laughed
lOllest was happiest. They tried repartee
ami cOnunirum and burlesque and madrigal.
They thought they would like to be Tom
Hoods or Charles Lambs or Edgar A. POes
They mingled wine and music and the spec
tacular They were wOrshipers OF the har-
lequin. and the Merry Andrew. and the but-
fOOD. and the jester Life was to them foam
and bubble and cachinnation and registering
and srimace. They were so full of glee they
could hardly repress their mirth even on SOL
emn occasions. and they came near bursting
out hlarously even at the burial because
a.. al, in ton,
or countenance Of the undertaken.
After awhile misfortune struck them hald
on the back. They found there was some
thing they could not laugh at. Under their
late hours their health gave way or there was
death in the house. OF every green thing
their soul was ex;ohatei They found out
that life was more than joke. From the
heart of God there blazed into their soul an
earnestness they had never felt before. They
awokc 10 their sinfulness and their immoral
ity. AMI here they sit at sixty or seventy
years Of age as appreciatiye OF all innocent
mirth as they ever were. but they are bent
on "a style Of satisfaction which in early life
they never hunted the evening Of their days
brighter than the morning. In the morning
they deyoured the prey, but at night they
divided the spoils.
Then there are others who started ont for
financial success. They see how timber the
rim of a mans hat is when he bows down
before some one transpcUOus. They felt
they would like to see how the world looked
from the window of $4,000 turnout They
thought they would like TO have the MORN
ing sunlight tangled in the headgear OF
dashing span. They wanted the bridges in
the park to res0unl under the rataplan OF
their swift hOo,s They wanted a gilded
baldric. and 20 they started on the dollar
hmm ft r.rna 1fr nj i
chased it down another Tney followed It
waen it burrOwed i'm the cellar They freed
it in the roo.
Wherever dollar was expected 70 be,
they Were They chased il across the ocean,
They chased it across the land. They stopped
not for the night Hearing that dollar. even
in the darkness thrilled them rs an AdroD-
dack sportsman Is thrilled at midnight by
looms laugh. They chased that dOllarto the
money vault. They chased it TO the Gov
eminent treasury They routed 1t from
under the counter All the hounds We're out
all the pointers and the settlers. They
Icapel the hedges for that dollar, and they
Grief ''HarS away 4 dollar A dollar
And whoa at last they came upon il and had
actually captured it their excitement was
like that OF a falconer vino has successfully
fang his first hawk.
In the morning OF their life. Oh. how they
devoured the prey But there came bet
ter time to their SOU They founi oIt that
an immortal nature cannot live on bsnS
stock. They took up a Northern Pacific
bond. and there was a hole in IL through
which they could look into the uncertainty
or all earthly treasures. They saw somt
Ralston. living at the rate Of 900 month.
leaping from a San Francisco wharf because
he could not continue TO live at the same
ratio. They saw the wien and parGlytic
bankers who had changed their souls into
molten gold stamped with the image OF the
earthly. earthly. They saw some great souls
by ayarice turned into hOmunculi. AMI they
said to themselves. Il will seek after higher
treasure.
From that time they did not care whether
they walked or rode if Christ walked with
them nor whether they lived in manson
or in a hut ifthey dwelt under the shadow
Of the Almighty; nor whether they were
rObed in French brOadclOth or in hOmespun
If they hadthe robe Of the Savours right
eOusness nor if they were sandalled with
morocco or calfskin if they were shOd with
the preparation Of the Gospel. Now you see
peace on their cOuntenance. Now that man
saws ''What a fool | was TO be enchanted
with this world. Why. have more satisfac-
ton in five minutes in the service OF God
than had in all the first years Of my life
Wul-e Was gdiuIttlu-. L Ike luis tNrH'uN
OF my day great deal better than did the
morning. In the morning ! Greedily de-
voured the prey but now it is evening. aud
/ am glorousy dividing the spoil
My frien Is this world is a poor thing 10
hunt. II is hellthfu TO go out in the woods
and hunt. II rekindes the luster OF the eye.
1t strikes the brown OF the autumnal leaf in
TO the cheek. 1t gives to the rheumatic limbs
the strength to leap like roe. Christopher
North's pet gun. the muckle-mOud Meg. 60
Ing of in the summer in the forest had its
echo in the winter time in the eloquence that
rang through the university halls OF Edin-
burgh 1t is healthy TO 90 hunting in the
fields. but tell you that it is belittling and
beiwarling and belaming for man to hunt
this world The hammer comes down on the
guncap, and the barrel explo1es and kills
you instead OF that which YOU are pursuing.
When you turn out to hunt the world. the
world turns out to hunt you. and as many a
sportsman aiming his gun at a paDthers
heart. has gone down under the striped
claws so while you have been attempting
to devour this world the world has been de-
vOuring you. So it was with Lord ByrOa.
So it was with COeridge. SO it was with
Catherine OF Russia. Henry II. went out
hunting 'pr this world. and its lances struck
fhrouOh mis- haarr Eranoie I afned nj tho