Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-11-13
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington Divine's
Sunday Sermon.
SubJects sThe Pageantry OF the
WO0dG."

tu6 car, Uut disO luIOuRu NlO OJOb ~ wv
takes all the truths OF His Bible and draws
them out In diagram on the natural world.
Champelion, the famous Frenchman, went
down into Egypt to study the hleroglyphics
on monuments and temples. Alter much
labor he 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 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 II
through the eyes Of others, and from book OF
canvas taken their impression. There are
some faces so mobile that photographer
cannot take them, and the face OF nature haf
such q flush and sparkle and life that no hu.
man description can gather them. No one
knows the pathos OF birds voice unless hi
has sat at summer evening tide at the edge Of
wood and listened to the cry OF the whip
poorwiD.
There is to-day more glory in one branch
Of sumac than painter could put on a wnois
forest of naples. God hath struck into tht
autumnal leaf glance that none see pul
those who come face to face--the mountal7
~-S'--
upon the mountain.
For several autumns have made tonr
to the far west, and one autumn, about this
time, saw that which shall never forget !
have seen the autnmnal sketches OF CropseI
| and other skillful pencils, but that week |
saw a pageant 2OC0 miles long. Let artist
| stand back when God stretches HIS canvas!
| A grander spectacle was never kindled be-
fore mortal eyes. Along by the rivers, end
| up and down the sides OF the great nils, ana
| by the banks Of the lakes there was en- 1nde'
scriDable mingling OF gold and orange ana
crimson and saffron, now SOLDERING into orao
and maroon, now fl ming into solferlno and
scarlet. Here and there the trees looked as
| If lust their tips had blossomed into fire. In
the morning light the forests seemed as II
they had been TRANSPORTED. and In the even
ing hour they looked as If the sunset had
burst and dropped upon the leaves. Id more
seuuester spots, where the frosts had peen
hindered IN their work, we saw the hrst KIN
ding of the flames OF color in loWly sprlgi
then they rushed up from branch to Dranco
until the glory Of tho Lord submerged the
forest. Here you would find tree JUST
making up its mind to change, and there one
looked as If, wounded at every pore, II $1,000
bathed in carnage. Along the BANKS OF LaXo
Huron there were hills over which there
and down and every whittier by the rocks.
Through some Of the ravines we saw occa-
sionally foaming stream, AZ though 1t was
rushing to put out the confagration. Ii at
one end OF the woods commanding tree
would SET I'D lis crimson banner, the whole
forest prepared to follow. II Gods urn OF
colors were not infinite, one swamp that !
waIong the Maumee would have exhausted
II forever. II seemed as ii the sea OF divine
glory had dashed its surf to the tiptop OF the
Alle0henies, and then it had come dripping
down TO lowest leaf and deepest cavern. :,
Most persons preaching from this text ma
only in it vein OF sadne7s. l find that !
have two strings to this gospel harp--a
string OF sadness and stnnS oI Joy III
finite.
ave ali do fade as leaf."
First.-Like the foliage, We fade gradu.
ally, The leaves which week before last 1elt
the frost have day by day been changing ID
tint and will for many days yet cllng to the
Dough 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 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 lear, lney
fail, Now those on the outer branches, then
those most hidden ntil the last spark OF
the cleaning forge shall have been
quenched.
So gradually VIC pass away. From Gay 70
day We hardly SEQ the change. But tne
frosts have touched us. The work Oh decay
Is going on. Now slight cold. Now sea-
son of overfatigue. Now fever. Now q
stitch in the side. Now neuralgia thrust.
Now rheumatic twinge. Now afall. Little
by little. Pain by pain. Less stea y o.
limb. Sight not so clear. Ear not 50 alert.
After awhile we take q staff. Then, after
much resistance, we come to specracles. In
stead OF bounding into the vehicle, VIC are
willing to be helped in. At last the octoze
na N falls. Forty years OF decaying. nc
sudden change. No fierce canDonading o.
the batteries of life, but fading away
slowly-gradualy. AS the leaf, as the leaf
Again, like the leaf we fade, to make room
for others. Next years forests Will be a
grandly foliaged as this. There are G, mel
generations of oak leaves to take the place
of those which this autumn perish. Mex
May the cradle OF the vino. VIII rock snt
Young buds. The woods will be all a.hun
with the chorus OF leafy voices. II the fret
in front Of your house, like Elijah, takes
chariot OF fire, its mantle will fall upon
Elisha. IT, in the blast Of these autumna
batteries. so many ranks fall, there are re
serve forces to take their places 10 defenc
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 heaf
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 lie
So, when we go, others take our spheres
We DO not grudge the future generation
their places. We will have had our goot
time. Let them come on and have thei
good time. There is no signing among the;'
leaves to-day because other leaves are to 10.
low them. After lifetime OF preaching
doctoriug, selling, sewing or digging, let u
cheerfuliy give way for those who come OF
to do the preaching, doctoring, selling, sew
Ing and digging. God grant that their III
NAV be brighter than ours has been. AS W
get older 90 not let US be sffronted youn!
men and women crowd US little. we VII
have had our day, and we must let them nav
theirs. When our voices get cracked lei us no
snarl at those who can waro.e. When GU
knees are stiffened, let us have patience VIII
those who 90 feet as the deer Because GU
leaf is fading do not let us desplse the un
frosted. Autumn must not envy the spring
Old men must be patient with boys. Dr
Guthrie stood up in Scotland and sald
"You need not think am old tecause m.
hair is white. | never was so young as IN
now" 1 look back to my childhood day
and remember when in winter nights in tn
sitting room the children played the blithes
and the gayest Of all the company Wer
father and mother. Although reaehin
fourscore years Of age, they never got old
Again, as with the leaves. we fade and ia
amid nyriads Of others. One cannot coun
the number of plumes which these frosts ar
plucking from the hills. They will strew a
The streams, they will drift into the cavern'
they will soften the wild beasts lair and II
the eagles eyrie.
All the asles of the forest Will be covere