Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-09-22


to be used in place Of a church. Thou
sands upon thousands found Christ In
the revivals OF the seventeenth century
under the preaching Of tho Puritans.
Thousands upon thousands found
Christ in the Methodist REVEALS of the
eighteenth century. Thousands upon
thousands found Christ In the first part
Of the nineteenth century. when
Charles G. Finney had such power over
sinners that dying blasphemer said.
Don't let Charles G. Fnney preach
my funeral sermon. or he will preach
my soul into heaven in spite Of my
own desires
Flight Of Doves.
The selection Of the figure Of a fight
Of doves is significant 1t Is, above
other things, n suggestion Of immense
multitudcs. But few people realize the
marvellous numbers and propagat1ng
powers OF the doves of olden times.
Bibcrg. tho ornithologist, estimated
that if common pair of domesticatcd
pigeons hatcbcd nine times year
which number of batchings is not eI-
traoriinary for an average pair OF
these birds and II these pigeons laid
two eggs at one time. and all the
flcdgcliugs which were hatchcd should
live ana hatch in turn, that single pair
Of pigeons would produce In four years
nearly fifteen thousand descendants.
The fecundity of the dove Is about rs
great rs the reproductive powers OF tho
English sparrow or the Australian
rabbit. The most graphic description
ever written of the innumerabe multi
tudcS of the doves was penned by
Alexander Wilson. the naturalist.
Statements made ny this scottish
American Traveller were Endorsed by
John Audubon. Among the ornitho-
logical authorities there can he no bet
tor Endorsement than this: mfr. Will
son wrote that down in Kentucky, in
n place which migrating doves used to
visit annually. their nultitudes We're
so great that they literally destroyed
whole forest regions. In this tract
about which he wrote the branches
of every 1rcc were flied with dove
nests wherever n nest could ne built.
had been constructed. Above the trees
the multitudcs Of the pigeons wings
were 50 great that their Tapping wings
sounded like the hoomings of a lorna
do So great was the noise of their
tapping wings that the horses Of the
farmers in that region oftcn became
unmana gcahle and could not be
driven. Near Frankfort, Ky. Alozan-
dor Wilson saw flock of migrating
doves The naturalist estimated that
this single flock was two hundred and
forty miles long and had an enrolment
of at least 2,230, 900 -272 birds
Isaiah describing the consecrated
worShipors fiocking TO the millennial
church could not have chosen a more
expressive figure These that fly as
cloud and ~ doves to their win
dows' The readers OF his time would
rpnli2N by 1t what countless throngs OF
mon he saw in prophetic vision hasten
ing into the kingdom OF God. MiErat-
ing doves Of old were so many In NUN
bers that Alexander Wilson said their
moving wings often formed a curtain
able To shut out the light of the sun
and changed midnoon into the twilight
of evening. The church of God Is now
great in membership, but. church mem.
hcrs. do you not look forward In holy
ecstasy to the time when the thou
sands who are Worshiping Christ now
shall be changed into the millions: Do
You not long for the millennial day
when Christ's disciples shall flock
through the church's doors in innuner-
nblc multitudes las the doves fly to
their windows:'
Men OF Living Faith.
The figure fs expressive not only OF
numbers. but OF spiritual qualities.
The church Of the future is not to have
padded roll. II is not to be composed.
Of lot OF members who. as the five
foolish virgins of Christ's parable.
lounged around and slept and had no
oil Tor their spiritual lamps. 1t Is not
t. be composed OF men and women
who occupy their church pews only on
Sunday and then when the honCdlc-
lion of the sermon is given turn ard
shut their pew doors and say: Good
~, religion. I must go home now. You
Just stay here for week. and next
sunday morning | will como back and
sec YOU ana pat You on the back for
/ VII hour again while the choir sings
sud the pastor prnys." But in that
thurch which Isaiah saw in prophecy
net only shall there be multituIes OF
WorshipcrS. but all these inultitudcs
h2ll be consccrnted wOrshpers. These
many worshipers Shall be men OF llv-
/ ny faith, TO whom the presence of God
s an abiding reality, influencing them
wherever they go and in every moment
II their lives. "A DR.. Josiah Strong
wrote In his opening chapter: "The su-
)rone need Of the world is real God;
not great perhaps. but the great
I'm; not a God OF yesterday or tomor-
'ow. hut Of today; not an absentee God.
put one who il precisely here; not n
'unday God, but an everyday God"
%uch shall be the spiritual quality OF
he muititudcS Of worshipers seen by
isaiah in tho symbol OF the flying
! loves
The symbol Of the dove is also sig.
liicaDt on account OF the habits and
disposition Of the bird II Is used as n
,imile for gcntleness and affection Tho
love always will he recognized from
lmorS all fpathero,I tribes as the most