Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-06-17
Calnnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talnaee. d. ID.

sermon the loving care of God i'm deal
Ing with his children and the way i'm
which he fits them for the battle of life
are graphically described under the
simllitude OF the eagle and its young.
The text is Deuteronomy xxi. IL, "As
the eagle stirreth up her nest"
The war goddess has crowned the ca
gle monarch OF the air." His throne
IS the inaccessible cliff, his diadem the
noontide sun, his footstool the morn
ing clouds, his playground the vast ex-
panse OF infinite space. His keenness
OF eye, holiness of flight, sharpness of
claw, mercilesS destructiveness of beak,
cause him to be dreaded in mountain
Gus lands, as the huge jaws and pow
erful claws of the lion cause him to be
dreaded in the African forests.
But, though the eagle has been called
the monarch of the air. as the lion has
been called the monarch of the fields.
yet the eagle. like the lion, never had
royal pedigree. By that word royal
1 mean noble. brave and fearless an
cestry. The eagle is not of heroic
mold. He is n cringing. fawning, con-
temptible coward. Though he is a
raptorial bird and loves to banquet off
the quiverinE flesh of n newly slain
carcass, the blood which flows through
his own arteries is pumped from a era
ven heart. In terror this mighty wing
ed fiier will fee before the little king
bird, hardly larger than bedwarfed
English sparrow. Confined in a cage
with n small barnyard fowl, the do
mestic bird has been known to make
the eagle beg for mercy as a school
yard bully will whine before an out
ragged youth half his size.
Many regulations are undeserved al
together" once wrote an observant
naturalist. Let us not i'm this con-
nection trouble now about statesmen.
poets or authors, but take from natural
history familiar illustration, that OF
The eagle. The great strength of the
eagle enables il to prey upon creatures
that have no power of defending them
selves from his terrible swoop. but we
must not allow ourselves on this ac-
count. as our fathers did, to magnify
him into type of magnanimity and
courage. In true courage he is not
superior to most of the smaller hawks.
and certainly inferior to the falcons.
which will drive away this SO called
monarch of the air when he APP
Droaches too near their nests. So that.
really, when we remember what n
fame the eagle has always had for
magnanimity and for courage, it is
obvious. in view OF the facts. that he.
like many other birds and men. has
obtained n reputation which is unde-
served"
Eagle Protects His Young.
But, though the eagle is n .cowardly
bird In reference 10 his own life. no
sooner does he become Il parent than
he is transformed into daring. valiant
protector of his young. No sooner are
the dull white colored eggs deposited
In the nest which the twain have build
ed upon the tops of the dizzy heights,
or upon the ledge OF precipice. than
the parent birds are ready to protect
those nests ut any cost / remember
years ago seeing Il powerful picture
called THE One Strand" \ noun
taineer Of the faroif northeast had
been lowered over the side of a cliff TO
rob an eagles nest of its eggs. No
sooner was he lowered by rope over
the clln and dangling in midair. with
the surging sea hundreds OF feet be-
meath him beating its waves upon the
Jagged rocks, than the father and
mother birds saw the would be de,
stroyer OF their home. They started
Tor their enemy. Aye, ii was royal
battle-a battle for life. The eagles
Were circling about his head. The
sturdy mountalnecr was swinging his
knife round and round over his head.
But once he swung the knife too far.
The keen edge OF the blade cut the
rope, all but one strand. With horror
y stricken eyes he saw Ghat strand grad.
nally unravcliny. The whole scene
was so realistically portrayed that /
could almost hear the triumphant
screams OF the parental birds as their
human enemy was about 10 be dashed
upon the rocks below.
Yes, yes; parental affection trans
forms the craven bird into a fierce. IN
trepid champion, capable OF sublime
self sacrifice in defense OF its offspring.
Yet in our text we find him, in spite
OF that tender affection, disturbing
the young birds and turning them out
of their home. What does the Bible
mean by comparing this strange con-
duct with Gods providential dealing?
Why does God, as a loving Father.
treat his children in this seemingly
rough way as. the eagle bird pushes her
offspring? For you must remember
that we do not have to go entirely TO
this figure OF the eagle bird TO be
taught the lessons that Gods hand
sometimes smites loving blow, as
well as gives a loving caress. In the
epistle 20 the Hebrews we are taught
that chastisement is one of the proofs
God gives us OF his affection. Whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he re.
ceivetb." In his famous sermon upon
the mount Christ says there is bless
Ing In falling tears and in prosecutions
and in heartaches and in all afiiictior
as well as in smiles and perpetual sun
shine and iridescent joys.
- work Makes Character.
First, God, like the parental eagle
stirs up our nests In order that we
may learn how to depend upon our.
selves. as well as upon him. He
piunges Us into the abyss Of trouble in
order that we, as fiedgelings, may learn
TO NY on and up. He tumbies us down
so that we may soar higher than the
GINS upon which we are born, higher
than the mountains whose bald heads
are frozen amid perpetual SHOWS, and
higher than even the morning clouds
that have lowered over us in many
benedictions. He treats us just as a
true parent should always treat his
child. Some few weeks ago 1 was Wis
iring upon the ranch of wealthy man
In California. He turned and said to
me: mo young man ever amounts to
anything unless he is compelled to
work for his own mental and physical
and spiritual development. So firmly
do believe it is the mountain upon
the man and not the man upon the
mountain that brings man to the high
est Development for which God intend