The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1909-12-03
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR., w w w WILSON.
Theme: Divine Guidance.

her wings, taketh them, beareth them
on her wings; so the Lord alone did
lead him, and there was no strange
God with him." DR.. Wilson said:
1t was a supreme moment in the
history of Israel when Moses, their
law-giver and leader, was about to be
taken from them. Standing at the
base of the mountain, to whose sum-
nit God had called him and from
which he was to receive view of the
promised land, ere he was gathered
to his fathers, he collected the people
about him and proceeded to deliver
to them his farewell address, words
ever fraught with greatest interest to
the hearer. At the close of his ad-
dress he breaks forth in rapturous
song, one of the richest and sub
limest climaxes Of which is the one
of the text.
1t is supposed that the habits of
the eagle were noticed and studied
by Moses in his life in indian, and
that as he reviewed the history of
Gods people he realized that the one
was entirely apropos to the other.
While following her motherly instinct
she had with great care and labor
prepared her nest, gathering a tw1g
here and another there, a branch
from this spot and another from that,
each one requiring separate flight
to her distant and barren home, and
although she had with the material
furnished prepared it In the most
careful manner, twining and inter-
twining, inlaying and OVERLAPPING, pro-
viding for the comfort and con-
venience of her offspring, as we'll as
for the security of the same, no yes
sci ever being more securely anchored
amid the tempest than her nest
against the eddying storms which
swept her mountain home, yet when
her offspring reached sufficient size
and gathered strength enough to sally
forth and seek their own food, yet for
fear of falling, or Of hunger, inclined
to remain, the same talons and beak
that carefully provided the nest would
ruthlessly tear it asunder and make it
so positively uncomfortable that they
were compelled to fly or if they still
refused she would destroy the nest
altogether-no nest being deemed as
valuable as what it contained.
Just so with God in His dealing
with His people, Israel. There was
no resting place He did not provide
and none He did not disturb. His
tory repeats itself. The same is oc-
curing with US to-day. No sooner
are we comfortably fixed in any re-
spect than the disturbing hand of God
comes and tears up the nest and
throws US for our good, upon our own
resources, when, depending upon
them. assisted by Him, we develop a
greater hardihood. 1t is because of
this that governments change, for
tunes are wrecked, society is dis
turbed, homes are despoiled, and
even churches undergo the mutations
which are everywhere seen.
But not only does the eagle stir up
her nest and utterly destroy it, if
need be, to get her fedglings out of
it, thus placing them upon their own
resources, but she flutters over them
and rises above them, and by the
rapid motions of her own wings,
teaches them to use theirs. Sir
Humlhry Davy tells us that he once
saw a very interesting sight above
one of the crags Of Ben Nevis as he
was going in pursuit of black game.
Two parent eagles were teaching
their offspring, two young birds, the
maneuvres of fight. They began by
rising from the top of the mountain
in the eye of the sun. 1t was about
They at first made small circles and
the young birds initiated them. They
poised on their wings waiting until
they had made their first fight, and
then took a second and larger gyra-
ton, always rising toward the sun
and enlarging their circle Of fight, so
as to make a gradually ascending
spiral. The young ones still and
slowly followed, apparently flying
better as they mounted, and they
continued this sublime exercise, al
ways rising, until they became mere
Specks in the air, and the young ones
were lost, and afterTard the parents,
to his aching sight.
How like Gods treatment of Israel.
He not only stirred up their nest. but
hovered above them in the pillar of
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by
night, ever going before and leading
them on to newer and greater con-
quests, where they trusted in Him,
and to ignominious defeat where they
didn't. So God in Christ hovers over
and is ever near us.
Notice Him in childhood, how obe-
dent; in manhood, how Industrious;
in poverty and persecution, how pa
tient; in trials, how submissive; in
abuse, how forgiving; in death, how
triumphant; in His ascension with
open hands bestowing blessings on
a world which gave Him a manger
for a birthplace and a cross for
deathbed. He is in ali respects our
leader. He shows us how to go, and
goes before u.s. How can we hope to
succeed without Him?
traveller in mountainous coun-
e@1l
him description Of road, which he
did. But fearing that he would not
remember it he wrote it down, and as
he took the chart and started he
looked up the rugged rocks and be-
gan to despair, and folding the paper
he started back, when a voice was
heard, "Be of good cheer. Don't
despair. Follow me-"
We had oral descriptions at first of
the heavenly way. And they were
afterward put in writing, the Bible
being given us. But better than this,
which of itself alone is Inadequate,
Christ came Himself and calls to us
in our bewilderment, Don't be dis
couraged. Follow Me-"
And we can follow Him, as the
eaglets do their mother, from the
heaven, our final home.
She also caught them when about
to fall, which suggests timely as
sistance
; Not as many Rabbinical writer's
have said, actually carrying them on
her wings and shoulders to give them
ideas of fight, and to please them,
for of this we have no evidence, but
touching their breasts with her wings
and ever catching them when about
to fall to inspire them with confidence
and to rest them if tired and save
them if in danger, as one observed
the mother eagle do in one of the
deep gorges of the Himilayas.
Neither does God give us aerial or
other pleasure excursions through
this world, but designs that We shall
secure our pleasure, as He did, by
the faithful discharge Of every known
duty.