The Yale expositor., 1902-03-07
.TALMAGE'S SERMON.
FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATION PREcEDEs
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
rsxt Matthew NxIII. ST; Even as n
Hen GAthersth Her Chickens Uader
wIag. aud No Would Not"-christ a.
Refuge from Danger ana Temptations.

L
ployod in this discourse by DR.. Tai
mage Go show the comfort and protec-
ton that heaven affords 90 all trust
ting souls. The text Is Matthew kill
81. Even rs hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings and ye would
GOT"
Jerusalem was in sight as Christ
tame 10 the crest OF Mount Olivet. a
height OF zoo feet. Spread out before
bis eyes arc the pomp. the wealth, the
wickcdpess aud the coming destruction
OF Jerusalem. aud he bursts into tears
at the thought OF the obduracy OF a
place that he would gladly have saved,
and apoxtrophizes. saying. 20 Jerusa-
lem. jerusalem. how often would have
gathered thy children together. even ms
hen gathcroth her chickens under her
wings. aud ye would mott"
Why did Christ select hen and chick
ems as a slmile? Next 20 the Apostle
ness OF the comparison. think IL was
10 help all public teachers In the mat
ter OF illustration TO get down on their
stills and use comparisons that all can
understand. The plaincst bird on earth
Is the barnyard fowl. Musicians have
written out In musical scale the sons
Of lark and robin redbreast and night
ingale. yet the hen OF my text hath
nothlng that could be taken Tor cong,
but only cluck and cackle. Yet Christ
In the text uttered while looking upon
doomed Jerusalem declares that what
be had wished for that city was like
what the hen does 20. her chickens.
There is not much poetry about this
winged creature OF God mentioned IN
my text. but she is more practical and
more mothcrly and more suggestive oil
good ITHACA than many that iy higher
and wear brighter colors.
am In warm sympathy with the I'm
Ipretcntious old-fashioned hen because
like most OF VS.. she has 20 scratch for
living. She !ssows at the start the
lesson which most people OF good sense
are slow 10 iearn-that the gaining OF a
livelihood implies work and that sue
cesses 90 not lie on tho surface. but are
10 be upturned by positive and contin-
uous effort. The reason that society
and the church aGd the world are so
full OF failures. 30 full OF ioafers, 50
full OF dcadbeRtS. Is because people
are not wise enough 10 take the lesson
which the hen would teach them. that
II they would find for themselves and
Tor those dependent upon them any
lf,lt,r. d 49, shnss gRraFFh
Tor II. Solomon said. Go 10 the ant,
thou sluggard." soy. Go 20 the hen
thou sluggard. IN the Old Testament
God compares himself 20 tn eagle stir
ring up her nest. and In the New Tesla
uent the Holy Spirit a. compared 20 q
descending dove. but Christ in ser
mon that began with cutting sarcasm
Tor hypocritcs and ends with the parox-
ysm OF paihos in the text. compares
himself 20 hen.
One day Ia the country We saw sud
den CONSERVATION In the lohayior OF
old Dominica. Why the hen should be
so disturbed We could not understand.
We could sec nothing on the ground
that could terrorize. and we could
zee nothing In the air TO rufiie the
feathers Of the hen, but the loud
wild. affrlghted cluck which brought
all her brood at full run under her
feathers made US lock again around
and above us. when we saw that high
up and far away there was Z rapacious
bird wheeling round and round and
down and down. and. not seeing us as
we God In the shadow. Il came nearer
and lower until we saw its bcak was
curved from base 10 tip ind II had two
flames Of frc for eyes. and Il was n
hawk. But all the chickens were IN
der Old DomlnicK's wiags, and either
the bird OF prey caught n glimpse OF US
or not able 90 find the brood. hud-
died under wing. dPrted back into the
clouds. So Christ calls with great car
nestness 60 all the young. Why. VIVA,
Is tho matter? II is bright sunlight
ord there can lie no danger. Health &
theirs. y coed home Is theirs. Plenty
OF food s. theirs PrcSpoct OF long life
Is theirs. But Christ continues to call.
calls With more emphasis and urges
haste and says not a second ought 90
be lost Oh. 90 tell us what Is the
matter. Al. now see: there are hawks
OF temptation IN the air. there arc yul.
lures wheeling for their prey. there are
beaks OF death ready 20 plunge. there
are claws Of nliuremont ready 70
clutch. Now ] see the peril. Now
understand tho urgency. Now sec the
only safety. Woaid that Christ nigh,
this day take our aonz and daughters
into hts shelter as a hen gathoroth
her chickens under her wing"
The fact - that the most OF them
will aever mind tho shelter unless
while they are chickens. II e. n simple
matter OF .ac-urable statistics that
most OK thCse who 10 not come 20
Christ IN youth never cone az al.
Fathers. mothers. older brothers and
sisters and sabbath school teachers,
be quick aud UaIncrt ard praycrful
and importunaie crd get Tho chickens
under wing. May the Sabbath schools
of America ana Great britain withln
the next three morths sweep all thciT
scholars into tire Kingdom. Rencm-