The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-09-22
BREAD
For all Famine Stricken HUI
manity.
Kneaded on Calvary, and Baked in
. the Fires of the Cross.
No Sugar-Plums and COnfectiOn-
cry of Sentimentalism,
But Plain, HOmely, Unsweetened, Yet
hife-Sustaining Bread.
Sermon Preached In Brooklyn Tabernacle
on Sunday, September II, 1881, by
Rev. T. Dewitt TaImage.
But Plain, HOmely, Unsweetened, Yet
hife-Sustaining Bread.
subject: "BREAD.n

4
fine flour be sold for shekel, and two
measures of barley for a shekel, in the
gate of Samaria. Then lord on whose
hand the king leaned answered the
man of God and said: Behold, If the
Lord would make windows in heaven
might this thing be?' And he said Be
hold thou shalt see it with thine eyes,
but shalt not eat thereof And so it fell
out unto him; for the people trode upon
him in the gate, and he died"
In this season Of severe drought, and
when the consequent fires have left in
Michigan two Thousand families COM
pletely destitute and many of the lar
vests have failed, it will not be inappro-
pirate to speak of bread. Around Sa-
maria is drawn the fiery girth of Assyr-
ian vindictiveness. Siege is laid to the
city, and soon famine, most ghastly and
horrible, appears, In the modern bonn
bardment of a city there is a grandeur
mingled with the terror. The toss and
burst of bOmbshell kindles the eyes of
the artist, while the citizens perish.
But there is no imagining the desOla-
tiOn of city approached by an Old-time
siege through years of starvation.
The Judgment day only can reveal
the anguish endured when Hamilcar
besieged Utica, and Titus Jerusalem.
When the great Hannibal sought to
capture city, 50 great was the hunger
and destitutiOn that mouse was sold
for two hundred pence. In one of the
ancient sieges the soldiers gnawed their
left arms in hunger, while with the
right arm they fought. Alas for Sama-
ria! What crowd of hOllOw-eyed and
staggering wretches filled the streets
crying for breadl So great was the scar
city of food that an ass's head was sold
for $25. Mothers cooked their children
and fought for the disgusting frag-
ments. And still hunger pinched and
drank up the life of the great city, and
lifted its wOlfish howl in the market
place, and shOvelled its victims into the
grave. And still the Assyrian host held
the town within its fold, tightening its
embrace of death and banqueting on
the agOnies of the wasting city. In the
midst of all this Elisha in the name of
God said: Tomorrow the famine
will be gone, and you will get
peck of flour for five shillings."
A nObleman, who was the conf
Dental friend of the king, stood by and
laughed at the idea. He said; IF a win
dOwshutter could be opened in the sky
and lot of corn pitched out you might
expect it. Hal ha! you silly prophet.
You cannot fool mep The prophet re-
piled to the taunt by saying: Behold
thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but
shalt not eat thereof" There are four
lepers at the gate of the city; they say
What shall we do? If we go into the
city we shall die of the leprOsy or of the
famine. If we go toward the besieg-
ing Assyrians, the probability is that
they willcutus to pieces. The best thing
we can do is to throw ourselves upon
our enemies" As night begins to come
down over the hills, casting funeral
shadows upon the dying city, and in
the surrounding country, adding dark
ness to desOlatiOn, the four lepers start
for the Assyrian camp. Coming up to
where the Assyrians had been, the lep-
ers find nothing but fOrsaken encamp-
ment. At what they supposed the sound
Of chariOts, and of horses, and
of marching hosts, the Assyrians
had fled, scattering canteens and
blankets along the highways. The
horses and asses of the enemy are still
tied. The tents are standing. Walk in,
hungry lepers, and partake of the feast
that the .Assyrian nOblemen prepared
for themselves Help yourselves to all
these Injuries | Eat the fruits Pour
the wine Gather up the gold and sill
yer and costly garments
Word is sent to Samaria that the
siege is lifted, Like voice from God
the news went through the city. The
gates were opened and out rushed the
famine-struck people. Thousands of
dying wretches lifted up their heads
from the streets and gave a ghastly
smile as it was told them that bread was
coming and that prices had gone down,
until peck of fine -four was sold for
five shillings, There was one word
caught up and flung over the city and
country. 1t came from the poor mans |
cot and rich mans palace, from city |
gate and temple tower. 1t was sounded |
by the clapping hands of children and
by the tremulOus accents of old age. |
1t went up in shouts, and |
song, and laughter, and Thanksgiving. |
A plain word, but it thrilled through |
fainting hearts, and flushed the pale |
cheeks, and lighted the glazed eyes, and
bounded from the white lips, snd filled
all the air with light and gladness; and
that word was "bread." All that vast
population got the advantage of the fall |
in price, save one man, and that was
the nObleman who had scOffed at Elisha, |
In the the wild rush of the people out of |
the gate of the city the scOffing noble
man was run over and trampled to
death; and so Elisha's word proved true;
Behold thou shalt see il with thine |