The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-11-01
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIsiNE'S SUN,
DAY SERMON
Subject: "Autumn Thoughts"


their coming, but my people know not the
Judgment of the Lord. Jeremiah WILL, Z.
When God would set fast beautiful
thought. He plants it in tree. When he
would put It a1oat He fashions 1t into hsn
When He would have 1t glide the air, He
mods it into a bird. My text speaks OF four
birds of beautiful instinct-the stork, OF such
strong affection that it is allowed Familiarity
10 come in Holland and Germany and build
its nest over the doorway; the sweet
dispositioned turtledove, mingling in color
white and black and brown and ashen and
chestnut the crane, with voice ike the
clang of trumpet /; the swallow, swift as
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. l suppose 1t may have
been in this very season of the year-autumn
and the prophet out of doors, thinking OF
the impentence of the people OF dis Gay,
hears great cry overhead.
Now, you know it is no easy tning ior one
with ordinary delicacy of eye-sight to look
into the deep blue of MONDAY heaven, but
the prophet looks up, and there are HOOKS
OF storks and turtledoves and cranes ana
swallows drawn out in long lines for flight
southwark. AS is their habit, the cranes
had arranged themselves in two lines. max
ing an angle, wedge splitting the air with
wild velocity, the old crane, with command
ing call 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 stork 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.
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 unfortunate member proposes
more economy in the Queens household,
a convention of birds all talking at once,
moving and passing resolutions on the SUBJ
iect of migration, some proposing to go to-
morrow. some moving that they go to-day,
but all unanimous in the fact that they must
90 soon, Tor tiny have marching orders
from the Lord written on tine first white
sheet of the frost and in the pictorial OF the
changing leaves.
There is not a belted kingfisher, or
chaffinch or a fire crested wren, or plover,
or red legged partridge but 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 flight they will stop in
the very tree where they spent last January.
Farewell, bright pumage! Until spring
weather, away Fly on, great band OF
heavenly musicians Strew the CONT
nents with music, and, whether from
Ceylon isle, or Carolinian swamps, OF
Brazilian groves men see your wings OF
hear your voice, may they ct bethink them
selves 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 oil
the Lord"
propose so 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
ticularizing and saying that they mingle
music with their work. The most serious
undertaking of a birds life is this an.
nual flight southwark. Naturalists tell us
that they arrive thin and weary and plumage
ruf1ed, 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 and helps on with the journey, dwind-
ling 1000 miles into 400. Would God that
we were as wise as they in minging Chris
tian song with our everyday work l be-
lieve there is such thing as taking the
pitch OF Christian devotion in the morning
and keeping it all the day. l think we
might take some of the dullest, heaviest,
most disagreeable work of our life and set 1t
to the tune of ''Antoch" or "Mount Pts
gah.'
1t is good sign when you hear a work
man whistle. 1t is a 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. violin
chorded and strung, if something accident
ally strikes it. makes music, and 1 suppose
there is such thing as having our hearts so
attuned by divine grace that even the rough
collisions of lie will make a heav-
emily vibration. l do not believe
that the power of Christian song has vet
been July tried. believe that ii you could
roll the sold Hundred" doxology through
the street it would put an end TO any panic.
L believe that the discor S, and the sorrows
and the sins of the world are to be swept out
by heaven-borD halleluiahs. Some one as ked
Haydn, the celebrated musician. why he al.
ways composed such cheariul music
why" he said. 81 can't do otherwise.
When think OF God, my soul is so full OF
JOY that the notes leap and dance
from my pen" 1 wish we might
With God for our Father and Christ for our
Saviour, and heaven for our home and
angels Tor future companions, and eternity
for lifetime, we should strike all the notes
of JOY. Going through the wilderness OF
this world let us remember that we are on
the way to a summary 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, sweetiy sing.
Sing your Saviour's worthy praise,
Glorious in His works and ways.
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 he n fri.
umphant church until it becomes a singing
church.
90 iurther and remark that the birds of
the air are wiser than we in the fact that ia
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'fiigh, south
ward they take their places midheavan an,l
go straight as a mars The longest rifle
that was ever brought to shoulder can.
not reach them. Would to God that we