The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-17
GODS CARE FOR THE BIRDS
REV. ". ". M'LANE'S PLEA FOR THE
 FEATaERED SONGSTERS.

Earnest. Eloquent Protest.
 The sermon of Rev. Dr. McLane, printed in full below, should be read by every one who takes pleasure in birds and believes that their needless destruc- tion for ornamental purposes is cruel and should be stopped. The sermon was delivered at Plymouth church yes- terday morning; subject, Birds vs. Bonnets." It is as follows:
 ''If a birds nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether there be young ones or eggs. and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young. But thou shalt in anywise let the dam go.s and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee and that thop mayst prolong thy days" Deut. 22, 6 and z.
 The Jews say: "This is the least of all the commandments" But the prom ise of reward for it's observance is precisely the same as that of the fifth commandment which enjoins obedience to parents. He who will keep the least commandment, out of regard for Gods will also keep the greatest commands ment. Jesus says: "Whosoever shall break one of the least commandments and shall teach men so he shall be call- ed the least in the kingdom of heaven:f but whosoever shall do and teach them I,o ShoI ho in 1es kingdom of heaven Love Is the ful~ f1llment of the divine law and he who loves birds as we'll as men and God, thereby fulfilling the least as well as the greatest commandment is great in the kingdom of love which is the king dom of heaven.
 The religion of Israel whose ritual consisted of sacrifices which demanded the taking of animal life may seem tU us to have been rude in form and lack ing in refinement of feeling. But we | must remember that a pastoral people would take the life of sheep and cattle, and in sacrifices, except in a few in- stances, only part of the victim was consumed by fire and the remaining larger part was used for food. Sacrifice l in which life was offered to God, tended rather to increase the sense of the sac- redness of life as the gift of God which was only to be taken away in recogni- Ition of his will. The laws of Israeli though permitting customs now con- demned, were great advancement up- on the custom of society in those times, and continually tended to cultivate fll~ mane sentiments. The life, the person, | the property of men were carefully guarded. Life was sacred. Injury re- ceived might be repaid in. kind, but vengeance was prohibited. The slave was secured in certain rights; the hire- | ilng was not to be oppressed. Domestic animals also were protected from the greed and cruelty of men. The oxl should not be muzzled when treading out the corn; the mother and her young. | should be treated with kindness; the l first born of the flock and herd, whicIt really sanctified all the rest, were to ba | the Lords. Tn the text we find this di-l vine law of love and tender care extend-i ed even to the birds of the air whose breeding love and protection of their young was made a type of the infinite 1 love and universal care of God for His people whom He would gather and shelter as a bird gathers and shelters her young under her wings The idea, of Gods care for the mother bird an6 her brood is beautifully illustrated by the custom of oriental nations which al- lowed the nests of birds to remain irf temples and sanctuaries as though they had placed themselves under the protection of God To this custom thet psalmist refers when he says: "Yea, the, sparrow hath found an house and tha l swallow a nest for herself where shd may lay her young even Thine altars. O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God.'s There the tiniest bird might sing:
 I'm only 6. little sparrow,
 A bird of low degree;
 l My life is of little value,
 But the dear Lord cares for me-
 The command of the text has regard to that maternal love which would make it possible for a breeding bird to be caught when she would otherwise fly away and escape; and it has regard also to the sacredness of life which would never be destroyed wantonly, for l the mother bird should be spared that the race might be continued. The eggs or the young could be taken from the l fleSL lOT use UT lO Dt hepI Dy Illttil, UuG l there should be no needless destruction of life. Surely the law of Jesus, who never repealed moral precept or prin- ciple, but always deepened and widened the law to the fullness of it's spirit, would reaff1rm this gracious command of IsraePs Law-Giver.
 This is world in which one living 1 creature feeds upon another and in which life is continually being destroy ed But as death is an inevitable part of the present order of animal life, that sudden death which comes by killing may be more preferable and more pain- less than the lingering death by dis ease. In the lower orders of creation | life is commonly taken only for food, | the lower form is sacrificed for the preservation of the higher form of life. Man alone among animals, has assum- | ed the lordship of creation, and has l claimed that all creatures have been made with reference to him, and that
 he can take life at his will. This is a. violation of the natural laws of the anil | nal kingdom and of the principles of | the kingdom of heaven. Nature, which
 has endowed man with an instinct of