Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-06-06
DR. TALMAGE ON THE ANCIENT
SACRIFICE OF BIRDS.
THE CORRIDOR OF JESUS
The Gospel Story Told by the Preach
er from a New Phase of the Old
Testament Record-Moral Drawn
from the Gagged Bird.

this sermon, presents the old Gospel
under another phase. Text: Leviticus
xiv, 81:
And the priest shall command that one
of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel,
over running water. AS for the living bird,
he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and
the scarlet and the hyssop, and shall dip
them and the living bird in the blood OF the
bird that was killed over the running wa
ter; and he shall sprinkle upon him that is
to be cIeansed from the leprosy seven
times, and shall pronounce him clean and
shall let the living bird loose into the open
field"
The Old Testament, to very many
people, is a great slaughter house
atrewn with the blood, and bones, and
horns, and hoofs of butchered animals
It offends their sight; it disgusts their
taste; it actually nauseates the stom-
ach. But to the intelligent Christian
the Old Testament is a magnificent
corridor through which Jesus advances.
As He appears at the other end of the
corridor we can only see the outlines of
His character; coming nearer we can
,descrv His features. But when, at last,
He steps upon the platform of the New
Testament, amid the torches of evan
gelists and apostles, the orchestras OF
Heaven announce Him with a blast of
minstrelsy that wakes up Bethlehem at
midnight.
There were a great many cages of
birds brought down to Jerusalem for
neutrality-suspicious. and pigeons, and
turtle doves. I can hear them now,
whistling, caroling, and singing all
around about the temple. When
jeper was to be cured of his leprosy, in
order to his cleansing two OF these
birds were taken; one of them was
slain over an earthen vessel of running
water-that is, clear, fresh water, and
then the bird was killed. Another bird
was then taken, tied to hyssop branch
and plunged by the priest into the
blood of the first bird; and then, with
this hyssop branch bird-tipped, the
priest would sprinkle the leper seven
times, then unite the bird from the
hyssop branch, and it would go soaring
into the heavens.
Now open your eyes wide, my dear
brethren and sisters, and see that that
first bird meant Jesus, and that the
second bird means your own soul.
There is nothing more suggestive
than a Gagged bird. In the down of its
breast you can see the glow of south
oern chimes; in the sparkle of its eye
you can see the flash of distant seas;
in its voice you can hear the song it
learned in the wildwood. It Is child
of the sky in captivity. Now the dead
bird of my text, captured from the
air, suggests the Lord Jesus, who came
down from the realms of light and
glory He once stood in the sunlight
of Heaven. He was the favorite of the
land. He was the Kings Son. When
ever a victory was gained or throne
set up, He was the first to hear it. He
could not walk incognito along the
streets, for all Heaven knew Him. For
eternal ages He had dwelt amid the
mighty populations of Heaven. No hol-
iday had ever dawned on the city when
He was absent. He was not like an
earthly prince, occasionally issuing
from a palace heralded by troop of
sclanking horse-guards. No; he was
greeted everywhere as a brother, and
all Heaven was perfectly at home with
Him.
But one day there came word to the
palace that an insignificant island was
in rebellion, and was cutting itself to
pieces with anarchy. l hear an angel
say: "Let it perish. The Kings realm
is vast enough without the island The
tributes to the King are large enough
without that. We can spare it" mot
So" said the Prince, the Kings son;
and see Him push out one day, under
the protest of a great company. He
starts straight for the rebellious island.
He lands amid the excavations of its in
habitants, that grow in violence until
the malice of earth had smitten Him,
and the spirits of the lost world put
their black wings over His dying head
and shut the sun out. The hawks and
vultures swooped upon this dove OF
the text, until head, and breast, and
feet ran bIood-until, under the hocks
and beaks of darkness, the poor thing
persisted. No wonder it was bird that
was taken and slain over an earthen
vessel of running water. 1t was child
of the skies. 1t typified Him who came
down from Heaven in agony and blood
to save our souls. Blessed be His glor1-
Gus name forever!
l notice also, in my text, that the bird
that was slain was clean bird. The
text demanded that it should be. The
raven was never sacrificed, nor the cor
morant, nor the vulture. It must be
clean bird, says the text, and it sug-
Rests the pure Jesus-the holy Jesus.
Although He spent His boyhood in the
worst village on earth, although bias
phemies were poured into His ear
enough to have poisoned anyone else,
He stands before the world a perfect
Christ. Herod was cruel, Henry VIII.
was unclean, but point out a fault of
our King. Answer me, ye boys who
knew Him on the streets of Nazareth.
Answer me, We miscreants who saw him
die. The skeptical tailors have tried
for 1900 years to find out one hole in
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