Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-11-11
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
TIE Eminent Divine's Sunday
Discourse.

TIE Eminent Divine's Sunday
Discourse.
Subject 'The Paxeantry OF the
Woods"
TEXT: we all do fade as Q lsaf."-
Isaiah XIV, 6.
1t is 50 hard for US to understand religious
truth that God constantly retterates. Az the
schoolmaster takes . blackboard and puts
upon It figures and diagrams, 50 that the
scholar may not only get his lesson through
the ear. but also through the eyo, 40 God
takes all the truths Of His Bible and draws
them out in diagram on the natural world.
Champellion, the famous Frenchman, went
down into Egypt to study the hieroglyphics
on monuments and temples. After much
labor he deciphered them and announced to
the learned world the result Of his investiga-
tions- Tho wisdom, goodness and power OF
God are written IN hieroRlyphics all over the
earth and all over the heaven. God grant
that we may have understanding enough to
decipher them. There are Scriptural pass
ages, like my text. which need to be studied
In the very presence OF the natural world.
Those know but little of the meaning Of
the natural world who have looked at 1t
through the eyes OF others, and from book or
canvas taken their impression. There are
some faces so mobile that photographers
cannot take them, and the face OF nature has
such a flush and sparkle and life that no hu-
man description can gather them. No one
knows the pathos Of a birds voice unless he
has sat at tsummer evening tide at the edge OF
q wood and listened to the cry of the whip
poorwill.
There is to-day more glory in one branch
OF sumac than painter could put on whole
foroaf ~ aOd hath Strnck jnfO fh0
autumnal leaf a glance that none see but
those who come face to sace-the mountain
looking upon the man, and the man looking
upon the mountain.
For several autumns have made a tour
to the ia west, and one autumn, about this
time, saw that which I shall never forget. 1
have seen the autumnal sketches OF Cropsey
and other sktllful pencils, but that week
saw a pageant 1000 miles long. Let artist
stand back when God stretches His canvas!
grander spectacle was never kindled be:
fore mortal eyes. Along by the rivers, and
by the banks OF the lakes there was an indie
scripable mingling Of gold and orange and
crimson and saffron, now sObering into drab
and maroon, now flaming into soifertno ana
scarlet. Here and there the trees looked as
II lust their tips had blossomed into fire. In
the morning light the forests seemed ash
they had been transf1gured. and In the even
ing hour they looked "a IL the sunset had
burst and dropped upon the leaves. In more
ssquestered spots. where the frosts had been
hindered In their work, We saw the 1rst K1n-
/ ding of the flames Of color in lowiy sprigs
then they rushed up from branch to branen
until the glory of the Lord submerged the
forest. Here you would find tree Just
making up its mind to change, and there one
looked az IT, wounded at every pore, 1t stood
bathed in carnage. Along the banks OF Lake
Huron there were hills over which there
seemed pouring cataracts OF fire. tossed up
and down and every whittier by the rocks
Through some of the ravines We saw occa-
| sionally a foaming stream. as though 1t was
rushing to put out the conf1agration. III af
| one end of the woods a commanding tree
/ would set mp its crimson banner, the whole
| forest prepared to follow. II Gods urn o.
| colors were not infinite, one swamp that ]
walong the Maumee would have exhausted
II forever. 1t seemed as II the sea OF divine
glory had dashed its surf to the ttptop OF the
Alleehenies, and then II had come dripping
down TO lowest leaf and deepest cavern.
Most persons preaching from this text find
| only in il a vein of sadness. L find that
have two strings to this gospel harp-a
| string OF sadness and a string OF Joy In
finite.
1--WE all do fade as Leaf
/ First.-Like the foliage. We fade gradu
ally. The leaves which week before last felt
| the frost have day by day been changing II
tint and will for many days yet cling to the
bough waiting for the fist of the wind tc
strike them. Suppose you that the pictured
! leaf that you hold in your hand took on 1t:
color in an hour, or In day, or In week
No; deeper and deeper the flush, till all tht
veins of its life now seem opened and bleed
fall. Now those on the outer branches, theI
those most hidden, ntil the last spark o
the cleaning forge shall have beer
quenched.
So gradually we pass away. From day Il
day We hardly see the change. But tn
frosts have touched US. The work OF deca.
is goinapn. Now slight cold. Now sea
son Of 6verfatigue. Now fever. Now
stitch in the side. Now neIralgic thrust
Now a rheumatic twinse. Now fall Littl
by little. Pain by path. Less steady o
limb. Sight not SO clear. Ear not SO alert
After awhile We take a staff. Then, afte
much resistance, we come to spectacles. In
stead Of bounding into the vehicle, We ar
willing to be helped in. At last the octoge
marian falls. Forty years Of decaying. n
sudden change. No fierce cannonading o
the batteries Of life, but q fading away
sIowly-gradually. As the leaf, as the Leaf
Again, like the leaf We fade, to make room
for Others. Next years forests will be
grandly foliaged as this. There are othe
generations Of oak leaves to take the plac
OF those which this autumn perish. Mex
Nav the cradle Of the wind will rock tn
youne buds. The woods will be all a.hun
with the chorus OF leafy voices. II the tire
in front Of your house, like Elijah, takes
chariot of IRE, Its mantle will fall upol
Elisha. If, In the blast OF these au,umna
batteries, % many ranks fall, there are re
serve forces to take their places to defen
the fortress of the hills. The beaters O
gold leaf will have more gold leaf to beat
The crown that drops to-day from the hes
Of the oak will be picked up and handle
down for other kings to wear. Let the blast
come. They only make room for other life
So, when We 60, others take our sphere:
We do not grudge the future generation
their places. We will have had our goo
time. Let them come on and have the1
good time There Is no signing among the-
leaves to-day because other leaves are TO TO
low them. After lifetime Of preaching
doctoring. selling, sewing or digging, let U
cheerfuliy give way for those who come
to do the preaching. doctoring, selling. sew
ing and digging. God grant that their III
may be brighter than ours has been. As
get older do not let US be affronted II youn
men and women crowd us little. We wi
have had our day. and we must iet them nay
theirs When our voices get cracked let US N
sparl at those who can warble. When OF
knees are stiffened, let us have patience wit
those who go fleet as the deer. Because OF
leaf is fading do not let us despise the III
frosted. Autumn must not envy the sprinI
Old men must be patient with boys. ID
Guthrie stood up in Scotland and SAT-
sYou need not think I am old because m
hair is white. I never was SO young as II
now." l look back to my childhood da,
and remember when in winter nights in Il
sitting room the children played the blithe
and the gayest Of all the company we
father and mother Although reachir
} fourscore years of age, they never got old
, Again, as with the leaves, we fade and ff
, amid m yriads OF others. One cannot cou
the number of plumes which these frosts a
plucking from the hills. They will strew
the streams, they will drift into the cavern
they will soften the wild beasts lair and
the eagles eyrie.
All the aisles of the forest will be cover
with their carpet and the steps Of the hi
! glow with a wealth of color and sha
that will DEFY the looms of Administer. Wh
Urn could hold the ashes of all these e
, leaves? Who could count the hosts that bu
/ nm thia funeral pyre of the mOnntainsI