The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-12-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sermon Des
.fyered In Washington.
Subject: "The Pageantry Of the
Woods"

TEXT. eve all do fade rs a Leaf.
Isaiah XIV, 6.
It Is so hard for US to understand religious
truth that God constantly reiterates. As the
schoolmaster takes a blackboard and puts
upon it figures and diagrams, so that the
scholar may not only get his lesson through
the ear. but also through the eye, 80 God
takes all the truths Of His Bible and draws
them out in diagram on the natural world.
Champellion, the famous Frenchmap, went
down into Egypt to study the hieroglyphics
on monuments and temples. After much
labor be deciphered them and announced to
the learned world the result Of his investiga-
tions. The wisdom, goodness and power Of
God are written in hieroglyphics all over the
earth and all over the heaven. God graut
that we may have understanding enough to
decipher them. There are Seriptural 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 it
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 birds voice unless he
has sat at summer evening tide at the edge OF
wood and listened to the cry OF the whip
poorwil.
There is to-day more glory In one branch
OF sumac than a painter could put on whole
forest OF naples. God hath struck into the
autumnal leaf glance that none see but
those who come face to face-the mountain
looking upon the man, and the man looking
upon the mountain.
For several autumus have made a tour
TO the far west, and one autumn. about this
time, saw that which shall never forget. l
have seen the autumnal sketches Of Cropsey
and other skilIful 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
up and down the sides of the great hills. and
by the banks OF the lakes there was an inde-
scriDable mingling of gold and orange and
crimson and saffron, now sooering into drab
and maroon, now flaming into solferino and
scarlet. Here and there the trees looked as
If Just their tins had blossomsd into fra. In
the morning light the forests seemed rs 1t
they had been TRANSPORTED. and in the even
ing hour they looked rs il the sunset had
burst and dropped upon the leaves. In more
sequestered spots. where the frosts bad been
hindered IN their work. we cav the first kim
ding of the flames of color in lowly sprig;
then they rushed up from branch to branch
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 as II, wounded at every pore, it 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 foaming stream, as though ii was
rushing to put out the confagratiou. II at
one end OF the woods commanding tree
would set up its crimson banner, the whole
forest prepared to follow. II Gods urn OF
colors were not infinite. one swamp that
saw along the Maumes would have exhausted
II forever. II seemed as IL the sea OF divine
glory had dashed its surf to the tiptop of the
Alleghenies, and then It had come dripping
down to lowest leaf and deepest cavern.
Most persons preaching from this text find
only in il a vein OF sadness. I find that I
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 in
tint and will for many days yet cling to the
bough waiting for the FIST OF the wind to
strike them. Suppose you that the pictured
leaf that you hold in your hand took on its
color in an hour, or in q day. or in a week?
No; deeper and deeper the flush, till all the
veins of its life now seem opened and bleed
ing away. After awhile, leaf after leaf, they
fall. Now those on the outer branches, then
those most hidden. Until the last spark OF
the cleaning forge shall have been
quenched.
So gradually We pass away. From day to
day We hardly see the change. But tho
frosts have touched US. The work of decay
is going on. Now slight cold. Now a sea-
son OF overfatigue. Now fever. Now
stitch in the side. Now neuralgia thrust.
Now rheumatic twinge. Now fall. Little
by little. Pain by pain. Less steady OF
limb. Sight not so clear. Ear not so alert.
After awhile we take a staff. Then. after
stead of bounding into the vehicle, VIC are
willing to DO helped in. At last the ocroye-
marian falls. Forty Yeas Of decaying. No
sudden change. No fierce cannonading OF
the batteries OF life, hut a fading away
slowly-gradually. As the leaf, as the leaf!
Again. like the leaf we fade, TO make room
for Others Next years forests VIII be as
grandly foliaged as this. There are o;her
generations of oak leaves to take the place
OF those which this autumn perish. Next
May the cradle OF the wind will rock the
young buds. The woods will be ali a.hum
with the chorus Of leafy voices II thu tree
In front Of your house, like Elijah, takes n
chariot of FIRE, lis mantle will fall upon
Elisha. II, in the blast OF these autumnal
batteries, 80 many ranks fall, there are re-
serve forces to take their places to defend
the fortress Of the hills. The beaters of
gold Leaf will have more gold Leaf to beat.
The crown that drops to-day from the head
of the oak will be picked up and handed
down for other kings to wear. Let the blasts
come. They only make room for other life.
So, when we go, others take our spheres.
We do not grudge the future generations
their places. We will have had our good
time. Let them come on and have their
good time. There is no signing among these
leaves to-day because other leaves are to foi-
low them. After a lifetime OF preaching,
doctoring. selling, sewing or digging, let us
cheerfuliy give way for those who come on
to do the preaching, doctoring, selling. sew
ing and digging. God grant that their life
may be brighter than ours has been. As We
get older do not let US be affronted II young
men and women crowd us little. We will
have had our day, and We must let them have
theirs. When our voices get cracked let US not
snarl at those who can MARBLE. When our