The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-11-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Autumn Thoughts"

IExT: 1.-THE stork in the heaven knowett
her appointed time. and the turtle, and the
crane, and the swallow observe the time OF
their coming, but my people know not the
judgment OF the Lord. Jeremiah viii.,7
When God would set fast beautiful
thought. He plants It in a tree. When He
would put It af1oat, He fashions il into 1sb.
When He would have it glide the air. He
molds it into bird. My text speaks of tour
birds OF beautiful instinct-the stork, of such
strong affection that 1t Is allowed familiarly
to come In Holland and Germany and build
IT'S nest over the doorway; the sweet
d1spositioned turtledove, minSling in color
white and black and brown and ashen and
chestnut; the crane, with voice like the
clang Of a trumpet the swallow. swift as q
dart shot out OF the bow OF heaven, falling,
mounting, skimming, sailing-four birds
started by the prophet TWENTY-FIVE centuries
ago, yet flying on through the ages. with
rousing truth under glossy wing and in the
clutch Of stout claw. suppose It may have
been In this very season Of the year-autumn
and the prophet out Of doors, thinking OF
the tmpenitence Of the people of his day,
hears great cry overhead.
Now, you know it Is no easy thing for one
with ordinary delicacy Of .eye-sight to look
into the deep blue of MONDAY heaven, but
the prophet looks up, and there are focks
OF storks and turtledoves and cranes and
swallows drawn out In long lines for flight
southwark. AS Is their habit, the cranes
bad arranged themselves In two lines, maxi
ing an angle, wedge splitting the air with
ing can, bidding them onward while
the towns, and the cities, and the
continents slid under them. The
prophet, almost blinded from looking into
the dazzling heavens, stoops down and be-
gins to think how much superior the birds
are In sagacity about their safety than men
are about theirs, and he puts his hand upon
the pen and begins to write, "The storE In
the heaven knoweth his appointed times, and
the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow
observe the time Of their coming, but my
people know not the judgment OF the Lord"
II you were in the field to-day, In the
clump of trees at the corner Of the field, you
would see a convention Of birds, noisy as
the American Congress the last night before
adjournment or as the English Parliament
when some unfortunate member proposes
more economy in the Queens household,
q convention of birds all talking at once,
moving and passing resolutions on the SUBJ
ject Of migration, some proposing to go to-
morrow, some moving that they 90 to-day,
but all unanimous In the fact that they must
20 soon, for they have marching orders
from the Lord written on the first white
sheet Of the frost and in the pictorial fthe
changing leaves.
There Is not belted kingfsher, or
chafanch, or fire crested wren, or plover,
or red legged partridge bat expects to
spendthe winter at the South, for the apart
ments have already been ordered for them
in South America or in Africa, and after
thousands of miles Of Hight they will stop In
the very tree where they spent last January.
Farewell, bright plumage! Until spring
weather, away! Fly on, great band OF
heavenly musicians! Strew the conti-
nents with music, and, whether from
Ceylon isle, or Carolinian swamps, or
Brazilian groves men see your wings or
selves Of the solemn words ofthe text, s'The
( stork In the heaven knoweth her appointed
times, and the turtle, and the crane, and the
swallow observe the time Of their coming,
but my people know not the judgment Of
fhe Lord"
propose 50 far as God may help me In
this sermon carrying out the idea Of the text
to show that the birds OF tie air have more
sagacity than men. And begin by par
dcularizing and saying that they mingle
music with their work. The most serious
undertaking OF q birds life Is this an
nual flight southwark. Naturalists tell US
that they arrive thin and weary and plumage
runaed, and yet they go singing all the way,
the ground the lower line OF the music, the
sky the upper line Of the music, themselves
the notes scattered up and down between.
wing and helps on with the journey, dwind-
+ ling 1000 miles into 400. Would God that
we were as wise as they in mingling Chris
tian song with our everyday work! be-
neve there Is such thing as taking the
pitch Of Christian devotion in the morning
and keeping 1t all the day. I think we
might take some Of the dullest, heaviest,
most disagreeable work Of our life and set 1t
to the tune Of "Anttoch" or "Mount Pts
8ah.'
+ II Is good sign when you hear work
man whistle. It Is better sign when you
hear him hum roundelay. It is still bet
ter sign when you hear him sing the words
/ OF Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley. A violin
ohorded and strung, II something accident
| ally strikes It, makes music, and I suppose
there Is such thing as having our hearts 30
collisions Of life will make a heav-
emily vibration. I do not believe
that the power OF Christian song has yet
been fully tried. I believe that II you could
rollthe "old Hundred" doxology through
the street 1t would put an end to any panic.
Ibelieve that the discords, and the SORROWS,
and the sins Of the world are to.be swept out
by heavsn-born halleluiahs. Some one easked
naydn, the celebrated musician. why he al
.'Why," he said, II can't do otherwise.
When think Of God, my soul is so full Of
Joy that the notes leap and dance
from my pen" I wish We might
all exult melodiously before the Lord.
With God for our Father and Christ for our
Saviour, and heaven for our home and
angels for future companions, and eternity
for q lifetime, we should strike all the notes
OF Joy. Going through the wilderness OF
3fhfa xpor1d 1pf no ranoamhar that or.
the way to summery cline of heaven. and
from the migratory populations flying
through this autumnal air learn always to
keep singing:
Children OF the Heavenly King,
As ye journey, sweetly sing.
Sing your Saviour's worthy praise,
r. Glorious In His works and ways.
Ye are travelling home to God
In the way your fathers trod.
They are happy now, and We
Soon their happiness shall see.
The Church of God never will be a tri.
umphant church until it becomes a singing
church.
Igo further and remark that the birds OF
the air are wiser than we In the fact that In
their migration they fly very high. During
the summer, when they are In the fields, they
often come within reach OF the gun, but
when they start for the annual flight south
ward they take their places midheaven and
20 straight as a mark. The longest rife
= That was ever brought to shoulder can.
not reach them. Would to God that we
were as wise as the stork and crane In our
nignr neavenwardl We ny so low that we
= are within easy range Of the world, the flesh
md the devil. We are brought down by
temptations that ought not to come within a
mile Of reaching US. Oh, for some of the
aith Of George Muller OF England and Alfred
Cookman, once Of the church militant, now
bf the church triumphantl So Door is the