The Bottineau pioneer., 1894-11-10

II Mankind Was m InstinItively Re-
ligious m the Fowls OF the Air. II
Would Escape the PinchinG Frost
Of Sins. w.
Brooklyn, N. Y Special. Rev. DR..
Talmage. who has left India and Is
now on his homeward journey, has Sc
lected rs the subject for his sermon to
day through the press, October
Thoughts" his text being Jeremiah WILL,
/: '1The stork in the heaven knoWeth
her appointed time; and the turtle ana
the crane and the swallow observe the
time of their coming; but my people
know not the Judgment Of the Lord,
When God would set fast beauti-
full thought, he plants it in tree. When
he would put it afloat, he fashions 1t
into a fish. When he would have 1t
gild the air, he molds 1t into bird. My
text bespeaks of four birds Of beautiful
instinct-the stOrk of such strong at
lection that It is allowed familiarity to
come, in Holland and Germany, and
build its nests over the doorway; the.
sweet dispositioned turtle e-dove, ming
ling 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 dart
shot out Of the bow of heaven, falling.
mounting. skimming, sailing-fOur
birds started by the prophet twenty
ive 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 this
very season Of the year-autumn-and
| he prophet out of doors, thinking of the
Iimpenitence 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 noon
day heaven; but the prophet looks up,
and there are focks Of storks, and tur-
tle-dOvess and cranes, and swallows,
drawn out In long lines for fight south
ward. AS is their habit, the cranes had
arranged themselves in two lines, max
ing IN angle, a wedge splitting the air
with wild velocity the old crane, with
commanding call, bidding them on
ward; while the towns, and the cities,
and the continents slid under them.
The prophet, almost blinded from look
Ing into the dazzling heavens, stOOps
down and begins to think how much
superior the birds are in sagacity about
their safety tAan men about theirs; and
he puts his hand upon the pen, and be-
gins to write: 1.-THE stork in the heaven
knOweth her appointed times; and the
turtle and the cranes and the 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 convention OF birds,
noisy as the American congress the last
night before adjournment, or as the
English parliament when some unfor-
tunate member Pr oposes more economy
in the queens household-a convention
of birds all talking at once, moving and
passing resolutions on the subject of
migration, some proposing to 60 to-mor-
row. some moving that they 60 to-day,
but all unanimous in the fact that they
must go soon, for they have marching
orders from the Lord, written on the
first white sheet of the frost, and in the
pictorial of the changing leaves. There
is not a belted kingfsher, or a chat
finch or a fire-crested wren, or a plover,
A-t
to spend the winter at the South, for
the apartments have already been Or
dered for them in South America, or in
Africa; and after thousands of miles
Of fight, they will stop in the very tree"
where they spent last January. Fare
well, bright plumage! Until spring
weather, away! Fly ON, great band Of
heavenly musicians! Strew the conti-
>nnt with r,1,1cio and xIx1, A.r,,,, Nav,
Ion Isle or Carolinian swamps or Bra
lillian groves, men see your wings, or
hear your voice, may they yet hethink
themselves of the solemn words Of the
text: '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 the Lord"
Birds Wiser Than Men,
propose, so, far as God may help
me. In this sermon. carrying out the
idea OF the text, to show that the birds
Of the air have more sagacity. than
men. And l begin by particularizing
and saying that they mingle music with
their work. The most serious, under
taking Of a birds life is this annual
fight southwark. Naturalists tell us
that they arrive thin and weary, and
plumage rufaed, and yet they 60 sing
Ing 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, and helps on with the jour
ney, dwindling thousand miles into
400. Would God that we were as wise
as they in iningling Christian song with
our everyday w9Fkl I believe there ID
such q thing as taking the pitch Of
Christian devotion in the morning, and
keeping it oil the day. I think we
might take some Of the dullest, heay-
lest, most disagreeable work of our life
and set it to the tune Of aAntioch'' Of
mount Risgah." .s.'.s '' =.
It is good sign when you hear a
workman whistle. 1t Is a better sign
when you hear him hum roundelay.
It is still better sign when you hear.
him sing the words 9f Isaac Watts, or
Charles Wesley. A violin chorded and
strung, Il something accidentally
strikes It, makes music, and / suppose
there Is such a thing as having our
hearts so attuned by divine grace that
even the rough collisions Of lite viii
makea heavenly vibration, i do not
believe that the power Of Christian
song has yet been fully tried. ! believe
that IL you could roll the "Old Hun
dred" dOxology through the street 1t
would put IN end TO any panic! I be-
lieve that the discords, and the sorrows,
and the sins of the world are to be
swept out by heayen-born hallelujahs.
Some one asked Haydn, the celebrated
musician, why he always composed
such cheerful music. why" he said,
Il can't do otherwise. When i think