Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-11-02
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Autumn Thoughts"

TEXT: "The stork in the heaven knoweth
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 a beautiful
thought, He plants it in tree. When He
would put it afoat, He fashions II into n fish.
When He would have it glide the air, He
nolds IT into bird. My text speaks of four
birds of beautiful instinct-the stork, of such
strong affection that it is allowed familarly
10 come in Holland and Germany and build
its nest over the doorway; the sweet
dfspOsiti0ned turtlelove, minglng in color
white and black and brown and ashen and
chestnut; the crane, with voice like the
clang of a trumpet the swallow, swift a
dart shot out Of the row Of heaven, falling,
mounting, skimming, sailinG-four birds
started by the prophet TWENTY-FIVE centuries
ago, yet flying on through the ages, with
,ousinG truth under glossy wing and In the
clutch of stout claw. l suppose it may have
oeeD in this very season of the year-autumn
and the prophet out of doors, thinking Of
he fmpenitence Of the people of his day,
1ears a great cry overhead.
Now, you know it is no easy thing for ono
With ordinary deliCaCy of eye-sight to look
nto the deep blue of MONDAY heaven, but
he prophet looks up, and there are tlocks
# stOrks and turtledoves and cranes and
Iwatiows drawn out in long limos for flight
rad arranged themselves in two lines. max
ng an angle, a wedge splitting the air with
Wild velocity, the old crane, with command
ng call, bidding them onward while
he towns, and tho cities, and the
continents slid under them. The
prophet, almost blinded from looking into
he dazzling heavens, stoops down and be-
gins to think how much superior the birds
ire in sagacity about their safety than men
are about theirs, and he puts his hand upon
he pen and begins to write, "The stOrk IN
The heaven knoweth his appointed times, and
he turtle, and the crane, and tho swallow
observe the time of their coming, but my
people know not the judgment Of the Lord"
If 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
he American Congress the last night before
| adjournment or as the English Parliament
when some unfortunate member proposes
moro economy in the Queens household,
| l convention Of birds all talking Mt once,
! moving and passing resolutions on the sub
| ieCt of migration, some proposing to go to-
| morrow. some moving that they go to-day,
| 1ut all unanimous in the fact that they must
! 70 sOOn for they have marching orders
rom the Lord written on the first white
sheet of the frost and in the pictorial OF the
| changing leaves.
There is not a belted kingf1sher. or a
chaf1inch, or a fire crested wren, or a p over,
| Or red legged partridge but expects to
! ypendtho winter at the South for the apart
| mcnts have already been ordered for them
| n South America or in AfricH, and after
| thousands of miles of flight 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 CONT
| ncnts with music. and, whether from
| CeyIon isle, or Caroiinian swamps, or
| Brazilian groves men see your wings or
! hear your voice. may they yet bethink them-
| selves of the solemn words OF the text. Tho
| 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 Oh
/ the Lord"
| propose so far n.- God may help me in
! this sermon carrying cut the idea of tho text
| to show that the birds Of tie air have more
sagacity than men. And [ begin by p@r-
/ ticuIarizing and saying that they min2le
music with their work. The most serious
! undertaking of birds life IS this an
| nual flight southwark. Naturalists tell US
! that they arrive thin and weary and plumage
| luffied, 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. |
! suppose their song gives elasticity to their
| wing ana helps on with the journey, dwind-
linz 1000 miles into 400. Would God that
we were as wise rs they in mtngiing Chris
tian song with our everyday work L be-
lieye there is such thing as taking the
! pitch OF Chr stian devotion In the morning
| and keeping it all the day. L think we
! might take some Of the dullest, heaviest,
| mos d:s agreeable work of our life and set 1t
| to t. tune Of "AntiOch' or 'Mount PIs-
! gab.
1t is 4 good sign when you hear a work
! man whistle 1t is Il better sign when you
| hear him hum a rOundelay. 1t is still bet
fer sign when YOU hear him sing the words
of Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley. ViolII
| chOr,!ed and strung, If something accident
ally strikes 1t, makes music, and suppoS
there is such a thing as having our hearts 81
attuned by divine grace that even the rouSf
collisions of life will make heaV
cnIv vibration. / do not believ
that the power Of Christian song has ye
been tullytr believe that If you coult
roll the cold Hundred' dOxology throug
the street it would put an end TO any panic
Ibelicve that the discOrIs, and the sorrows
and the sins of the world are TO be swept ou
by heaven-born halleutahs. Some one aske
Haydn, the celebrated musician, why he a
ways composed such cheerful music
why" he said. II can't do otherwise
When think of Goi, my soul is 50 full c
joy that the notes leap and dane
from my pen" 1 wish we Nigh
With God for our Father and Christ for ou
Saviour, and heaven for our home an
angels for future companions, and eternit
for a lifetime, we should strike all the note
of joy. Going through the wilderness {
this world let US remember that we are O
the way to a summcry cline of heaven. an
from the migratory populations fiyin
through this autumnal air learn always (
keep singing:
Children Of the Heavenly King,
AS ye journey. swccty sing.
Sing your SaviOur's worthy praise,
in
Ye are travelling home to God
In the way your fathers troI.
They are happy now, and we
Soon their happiness shall see.
The Church of God never will be II
umphant church until it becomes a singin
church.
go further and remark that the birds
the air are wiser than we in tho fact that
their migration they fly very high. Durin
the summer, when they are in the fields, the
often come within reach OF the gun, bI
when they start for the annual flight soutl
ward they take their places midheaven an
80 straight a mark. The longest riff
that was ever brought to shoulder cal
! not reach them. Would TO God that "
were as wise as the stork AMI crano in OF
flight heavenward! We fly so low that "
are within easy range of the world, the mes
and the devil. We are brought down b
temptations that ought not to come within
mile of reaching Us. Oh, for some OF ID
faith of George Muller of England and Attre
! Goodman, once of the church militant, no
of the church triumphant SO poor is IN
type of p;ety in the church OF God now thi
men actually caricature the idea that thel
is any such thing as a higher life. Mol,
never did believe in eagles. But my brett
rem because we have not reached the:
heights ourselves, shall we deride the ia
that there any such heights? A man w
once talking TO Brunei the famous eng
neer, about the length of the railroad fro
London to Bristol. The engineer SAID :,
is not yery great We shall have aft
awhile steamer running from England
New York" They laughed him to sc0r