Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-06-18
CalnnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID.

mo- with his children and the way In
which he fits them for the battle OF Ire
are graphically described under the
simllitude of the eagle and its young
The text is Deuteronomy xxxii, IL, "As
the eagle stirreth up her nest"
The war goddess has crowned the ea-
gle monarch Of the air" His throne
is the inaccessible cliff, his diadem the
noOntide sun, his footstool the morh-
ing clouds. his playground the vast ex-
panse of infinite space. His keenhess
of eve, boldness of fight, sharpness OIL
claw. merciless destructiveness OF DeaK,
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 caiied
the monarch of the air, as the lion mas
been called the monarch of the nelds,
VET the eagle, like the lion, never nad
royal pedigree. BY that word 'royai
| mean a noble, brave and fearless an
cestry. The eagle is not OF heroic
mold, He is a cringlng, fawning, con-
temptlble coward. Though he Is u
raptorial bird and loves to banquet OIL
the duivering flesh Of newly siam
carcasa, the blood which flows through
his own arteries is pumped from era
ven hoart. In terror this mighty wing
cd flier will fee before the little king
bird, hardly larger than bedwarleh
English sparrow. Confined In cage
with a small barnyard fowl, the DO
mesti,? bird has been known to make
the eagle beg for mercy as schooi
yard bully will whine before an out
ragged youth half his size.
MANY regulations are undeseryed al
together" once wrote an observant
naturalist. LET us not in this con-
nectlon 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 it to prey upon creatures
that have no power of defending them
J 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 ano
courage In true courage he Is mo-
sunerior 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 ap
proaches too near their nests. So that
really. when we remember what
fame the eagle has always had 10
magnanimity and for courage, II
like many other birds and men, -
obtained a reputation which Is unde
served"
EnrIe Protects His Young.
But. though the eagle Is cowarui
bird in reference to his own lie, IL
sooner does he become parent tina
he is transformed into daring, vallan
protector of his young. No sooner ar
the dull white colored eggs deposlte
= IN the nest which the twain have built
cd upop the tops Of the dizzy height
or upop the ledge Of precipice, ina
the parent birds are ready to prote'
those nests at any cost l rememD'
wears ago seeing a powerful pictul
called "The One Strand" A moul
taineer of the faroff. northeast ia
been lowered over the side OF CHI
rob an eagles nest Of its eggs.
sooner was he lowered by a rope oV
the cliff and dangling in midair, WI
the SURFING sea hundreds OF feet 0
meath him beating its waves upon u
Jagged rocks, than the father al
!. mother birds saw the would De u
strover of their home. They start
- for their enemy. Aye, it was roy
battle-a battle for life. The eael
were circling about his head. i
sturdy mountaineer was swinging
knife round and round over his hea
Rut once he swung the knife TOO Il
The keen edge of the blade cut
rope, all but one strand. win nori
stricken eyes he saw that strand gr'
uallv unraveling. The whole see
was so realistically portrayed tha'
could almost hear the trlumph'
screams of the parental birds as ID
human enemy was about to be uasl
upon the rocks below.
Yes yes; parental affection ira
forms the craven bird into nerce,
.... trepid champion, capable of subj
self sacrifice in defense Of its onspri
,r Yet in our text we find him, IN 81
Of that tender affection, disturb
the Young birds and turning them
Of their home. What does the ID
mean by comparing this strange
duct with Gods providential deal
WHY does God, as a loving fatl
treat his children In this seemil
roueh way as the eagle bird pushes
offspring? For you must remen
that we do not have to 60 entirei.
this figure of the eagle bird 10
taught the lessons that GODS ID
sometimes smites a loving piow'
well as gives a loving caress. IN
epistle to the Hebrews we are 'a'
RI | In". 90 hiO offection. "W
the Lord loveth he chasteneln'
scourgeth every son whom lie
celveth." In his famous sermon
the mount Christ says there is a 0
9. ing in falling tears and in persecu'
and in heartaches and in all alnl'
as well as in smiles and perpetuai
shine and iridescent joys.
m Work Makes Character
First. God like the parental e
stIrs up our nests in order tha'
NAV learn how to depend upon
Q selves, as well as upon did,
plunges us into the abyss OF trouf
order that we, as fledgelings, may
to fly on and up. He tumbles us
MN so that we may soar higher thal
cliffs upon which we are Dorn' d
than the mountains whose baiu
are frozen amid perpetual SHOWS
h;obo- tLoD aven the morning c