Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-09
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT rALMAGE. DID,,
Pastor Of Jefferson Ps~k Presby.
terrain Church. Chices

Chicago, July 5.-Under the lonely
and familiar simiitude of II rYn.
yard fowl the preacher illusir.. he
divine love and protecting care ,u... III
circle all who give to the Heavenly
Father chfidlike trust and confidence
The text Is Matthew XIII. 81, AS n
hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings"
This commercial age is brutally I'M
poetic. 1t has even carried Its shocking
innovations into the barnyard. We are
now trying to hatch our eggs not into
broods, but by the wholesale. We
would change n hens nest into n big
square wooden box and call it an ncu-
bator. We would have the oil lamp Of
the incubator do the work of tho fcath-
cred breast and the outstrctched wing.
We would have the wire screen dis
place the sharp pointed bill of tho
barnyard mistress vehemently plung-
Ing right and left In defense of her
young. We would do this in spite OF
the inalicnable rights of the hens,
whose maternal affections are being
crushed by this modern custom. The
man. eager above all things to make
money, has not the patience to iiatru to
protests from man or bird against his
methods. AS John Ruskin, in som" re-
spects the most aesthetic mind England
over produced wrote page after rage
in denunciation of the constituencies
vandalism Of the mere money maker
who would plaster over the beautiful
palisades of nature with hideous ad-
vertiSements and with tho manufac-
turer's wheel churn ripping, singing,
laughing stream tunbling out of the
green reservoir Of the woods into
mudhole, so everywhere the astonished
would be sitting hens are cuckng
their Indignation. They practically say
to the robbers Of their eggs. which had
been carefully hidden away in the hay
loft or under the manager of the empty
stall. You have no right to place this
indignity upon us" But in reply ava
rlcious commercalism says: 80 hen
we can make more money by Matching
with your small nest. You provide US
with the eggs, and our incubators will
do the rest"
This controversy, however does not
concern us in dealing with the slmile
Christ used in our text. At the time
Christ uttered those words the barn
yard knew nothing of this modern in
novation Of the incubator. Chickens
still found their natural shelter under
the wings of the hen, and our Lords
hearers perfectly understood the mean
Ing of his illustration. SO common
was the sight of hen gathering her
chickens under her wings that every
one would recognize the truth Christ
meant to teach when he used the hens
wing as a symbol Of divine love. Thus,
as Jesus wept over the sinful inhab-
itants of Jerusalem, In the words Of
my text l would try to intcrp.r, that
divine love in the language of t,.p barn
yard. l realize its force and beauty
all the more because l am preparing
this sermon within the echoing sound
Of the barnyard king calling to his
harem to awaken at the first peep Of
the day, also within the sound Of the
voice of the hen clucking TO her little
ones to come under the protection of
their mothers wing.
Life Giving Wing.
Gods wing Is n spiritual life giving
wing. The warm feathers of the
mother bird are absolutely essential
for the development of the lives of her
young. If it were not for the old
hens wing her chickens would freeze
to death during the spring nights.
They would sometimes be drowned IN
less her wing, as a waterproof cover
ing, was placed over them. They would
die from lack Of warmth, even as lit
tie baby would die unless the mother
every night tucked him up in his crib
or Struggled him up by her warm side
in bed. Heat is life. Cold is denth.
The hens wing Is something more than
n mere poetic figure. 1t means that its
warmth not only matches out the eggs,
but also by lis heat develops the little
chickens after they are Matched. Post
natal care for the child in the making
of man Is just as important as right
prenatal conditions.
Gods wing is absolutely essential for
the development of spiritual child
The Bible distinctly says, "Ye must be
born again" That means. Eye must
be God production as well as q man
production" | am the physical child
of my earthly parents. That does not
necessarily imply that am a spiritual
child OF God. But some day out in the
cold, damp, destroying storm Of sin
determine to creep under Gods S,ir.
1tual, life giving wing. AS soon a.
am under that shelter feel the G.yine
life begin to creep into my life, | learn
10 love my Heavenly Father and see
him as he is. b.ar him telling me
what I ought TO DO and say. As a hui
man being by placing his hand upon
an electric battery Immediately feels
thrill as the galvanlc currents circle
through his body, the physical body
and the mind and the dormant spirit
all feel the warmth and the glow and
the creative and developing power of
Gods wing as soon as we place our
selves in the receptive mood within the
radius of the divine touch.
Gods Work Alone.
Let me illustrate this thought by a
simple story: Many years ago n party
of rollicking sailors left Charlestown
navy yard for days dissipation They
tramped along toward Boston, stopping
FIRST at one saloon, then another, unit;
all were hilarious with drink. FiraIlv