Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-09
WORD OFeTHE LORD
Wisdom May Be Learned From
the Fowls Of the Air.
ALSO The FISHES OF THE SEA
d.. Talz.ss DiscouIsss With Beautiful
Esoqusncs on the Many Lessons
Taught By inc B1dx


mooKLyx. Jan. 8.-Dr. fzlmage this
morning continued the course OF ser
ualns begun = few Sabbaths ago. Hav-
izg preached about tbs Astronomy Of
ths Bible, or, God Among the Stars"
and ths Chronology Of the Bible; OK.
God Among tho Centuries" this morn
ing no clscoursed on the ssOrnithology
Of ths Bibls; or. God Among the Birds
Tho taxi was Matthew, vi, 20, Behold
tbs fowls Of the arr
There i silence now in al our Janu-
nry forests. except rs the winds whistle
through ths bare branches. Our north
ern woods are deserted concert halls.
The organ lofrs in the temple Of nature
are hymniess. Tees which were full Of
caroi and ehirp and chant are now wait
ing for the coming back OF rich plumes
and warbling voices. solos. duets, quar-
tets, eantasss and TIE Deums But the
Bible Is fan 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 il WAS at moment when a
dock OF birds few past that Christ waved
his hand toward them and said, behold
the fowls OF tho airg' And so IN this
course Of sermons on God everywhere
preach 20 Won this third sermon concern
ing the Ornithology of the Bible; or, God
Among the Birds
GODS MEssESGzRS IN NArgRx
Most ~ 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 - positive when il saws in my
text. Behold the fowls of the ARR That
IL, study their habits. Examine their
colors. Notice their speed. See the hand
Of God in their construction II is easy
for me TO obey the command Of the text,
for was brought up among the race OF
wings and from boyhood 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 a cradle. for a
bird is q child OF the sky. and its nest is
the cradle. They are almost human, for
they have their loves and hates, afiini-
ties and antipathies, understand joy and
grief, have conjugal and maternal in
stinct. wage wars and entertain jeal-
ousies. have a language Of their own and
- 0Eor,L Cd fc~
birds and skies fun OF theml 1t is use
less 10 expect 10 understand the Bible
unless we study natural history.
Five hundred and ninety-three times
does the Bible alluds to the facts of nat
ural history. and I do not wonder that il
makes SO many allusions pathological
The skies and the csverns Of Palestine
are friendly TO the winged creatures, ane
% many fiy and roost and nest and hatcf
in that region that inspired writers dc
not have far TO go 10 set ornithologica
illustration of divine truth. There are
over forty species Of birds recognized IL
the Scriptures.
On, what a varsity Of wings In Pales
tine, The dove. the robin. the eagle. the
cormorans or plunging bird, hurting it
self from sky TO waye and with long
beak ciutching its prey; the thrush
which especially disaikes a crowd; the
partridge; the hawk. bold and ruthless
lowering head to windvard while watch
ing for prey; the swan, at home among
thsmarshss and with feet so constructed
it can walk On the leaves of water plants
the raven. the lapwins. malodorous anC
IN the Bible denounced as inedible
though IL has extraordinary headdress
tho stork. tho ossifrage. that always
had habit Of dropping ON stone the
tur.lo it had lifted and SO killing i
for food and on one occasion mistool
the bald head of Eschylus, the Greel
poet. for a white stone, and dropped |
turtls upon it. killing the famous Greek
the cuckoo. with crested head and Grim
son throa. and wings snow tipped, bu
too lazy TO build its own nest, and 81
having the habit of depositing its egg
In nests belonging 10 other birds; tn
bluejay. the grouse. the plover, the mag
PIE. tho kingfshsr, the pelican, which i
the csricaturs Of all the feathered crea
ton: the owl. tho goldinch. the bittern
thssharrier. tho buibui, the osprey; tn
vulturc. that king Of scavengers. witt
neck covered with rspulsive down instea'
OF attractive feathers: the qusEreison
starring. tie swallow. 4 ing mile n min
ute and sousetin ten hours ia success
sion. the heron. the quail. the peacock. tn
ostrich. the lark. she crow, the kite. tn
bat. the btackbird and many others. wit
al coiors. AL sounds. al styles Of fight
al habits. all architecture Of nests. leav
ing nothing wsnting in sUgyestiveness
They wers at The creation placed al
around on the rocks and in the trees an
on the ground % serenade Adams Al
rival They sook their places ora Friday
~ the first man was made on Saturday
Whatever else he had or did not havs
h. should have Innsic. The first SCUM
that struck the human ear was bird
voice.
TIT SCIENCE ~ Kxrsafous.
Tea. Christian geology you kno'
there is a Cariztian geology as well q
al inaael geglQgy-Chrisiisn geoiog
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