The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-27
THE STRUGGLE FOR BREAD.
Another Sermon by Rev. DR.. Dewitt Tai
mage On the Question Of the Time.
The Ravens of Gods PrOvidence-Th Infnity
of Divine Resource-Be Not Dependent
Some Providential Savings.

Some Providential Savings.
On Sunday, June 90 DR.. Talmage preached in
Brooklyn Tabernacle, taking as his text:
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the
morning, and bread and flesh in the EVENING" Kings
xvii, b.
Dr. Talmage said:
The ornithology of TIE Bible is very inter
esting study. The stork, which knoweth her
appointed time; the common sparrows, teaching
the lesson of Gods providence; the ostriches of
the desert, by careless incubation illustrating
the recklessness of parents who do not take
enough pains with their children; the eagle,
symbolzing riches which take wings and
fly away; the pelican. emblemizing
solitude; the bat, fake of the
darkness; the nighthawk, the essifrage,
the cuckoo, the apwing, the osprey, by the COM
mand of God in Levitcus, flung out of the
worlds bill of fare. l would like to have been
with Audubon as he went through the woods
with gun and pencil, bringing down and sketch
ing the fowls Of heaven, his unfolded portfolio
thrilling all christendom What wonderful
creatures of God the birds are-some of them,
this morning, like the songs of heaven let loose.
bursting through the gates of heaven. Consider
their feathers which are clothing and conveyance
at the same time; the nine vertebra of the neck,
the three evelds to each eye, the third eyelid and
extra curtain for graduating the light of the sun
Some OF these birds scavengers and some
of them orchestra Thank God for the gulrs
whistle, and the lark's carol, and the twitter of
the wren, called by the ancients the king of
BIRDS because, when the fowls of heaven went
into contest as to who could fly the highest,
and an eagle swung nearest the sun, wren on
the back of the eagle, after the eagle was ex-
hansted, sprang up much higher, and so was
called by the ancients the king of birds. Con-
slider those Of them that have golden crowns and
crests, showing them to be feathered imperiais
And listen to the humming birds serenade in
the ear of the honey suckle Look at the belted
kngfsber striking like dart from sky to
water Listen to the voice of the owl, giving
the keynote to all croakers. And behold the
condor among the Andes, battling with the rein
deer. / do not know whether IN aquarium or
aviary is the best altar from which to worship
God.
The great question with the vast majority of
people to-day is not ''home rule, but whether
there shall be any home to rule not one of tariff.
but whether they shall have anything to tax.
The great question with the vast majority of
people is: Glow shall support my family9
How shall meet my notes. How shall! pay
my rent2 How shall give food. clothing aaa
education to those who are dependent upon mea'
On, if God would help me to day to assist you in
the solution of that problem the hsppast man in
this house would be your preacher. have gone
out on cold morning with expert sportsmen to
hunt for pigeons have gone out on the mead
ows to hunt for quail; have gone out on the
marsh to hunt for reed birds: but this morning
am out for ravens.
Notice in the first place in the story of my
text, that these winged caterers came to Elijah
directly from God. II have commanded the ra
vens that they feed tnee," We find God saying in
an adjoining passage They did not come out of
somc other cave. They did not just happen to
alight there God freighted them, Goi
launched them. and God told them by what cave
to swoop. This is the same God that is going to
supply you. He is your father You would
have to make an elaborate calculation before you
could tell me how many pounds of food and how
many yards of clothing would be necessary for
you and your family; but God knows
without calculation. You have plate at
his table and you are going to be waited
on, unless you act like q naughty child, and
kick, and scramble, and pound saucily the plate,
and try to upset things. God has vast family,
and everything is methodized. and you are going
to be served if you will only wait your turn.
God has already ordered all the suits of clothes
you will ever need, down to the last suit in
which you shall be laid out God has already
ordered all the food you will ever eat, down to
the last crumb that will be put in your mouth
in the dying sacrament 1t may not be just the
kind OF food or apparel we would prefer The
sensible parent depends on his ow n judgment as
to what ought to bethe apparel and the food of
tho minor in the family. The child would say:
UlNe Ile sugars anu CoultCtlOuS.
''Oh, no." says the parent, 'you must have
something palmer first
The child would say: ooh, give me these
great blotches of color in the garment"
NO" says the parent that wouldn't be suit
able"
Now, God is our Father, and we are minors.
and He is going to clothe US and feed us. al
though He may not always yield to our infantile
wish for sweets and glitter These ravens of tho
text did not bring pomegrauates from the gilt
tering platter of King Ahab. They brought
bread and meat God had all the heavens and
the earth before Him and under Him. and yet
He sends this plain food, because it was bes. FOR
Elijah to have it. Oh, be strong. my
nearer, in the fact that the same
God is going to supply. you It is never
on the rocks. His banks never fail He has
the supply for you, and He has the means for
sending it. He has not only the cargo but the
ship. If it were necessary He would swing out
from His gate to yours until the food would be
flung down from the sky from beak to beak and
from talon TO talon.
Notice again in this story of the text, that the
ravens did not allow Elijah to hoard up sur
plus. They did net bring enough on Monday to
last all he week. They did not bring enough
one morning to last until the next morning
They came twice !. day and brought just enough
for one time You k..aw as we'll as that the
great fret of the world is hat we want surplus
we want the ravens to bring enough Tor nifty
years You have more confidence "a the fulton
Bank, or the Nassau Bank, or Bank Of %ogland
than you have in the royal bank Of heaven. Nsu
say:
al thatis Very poetic but you may have the
black ravens: give me the gold eagles"
We had better be contented with just enough.
If in the morning your family eat up all the food
there is in the house, do not sit down and cry
and say:
II don't know where the next meal is to come
FROM
And about 5. or g. or o'clock in the morning,
just look up and you will see two black spots en-
the sky and you will hear the Tapping of wings,
aighting on the chamber door, only this and
nothing more you will find Elijah's two ravens
of the Lord, the one bringing bread and the
other bringing meat-plumed butcher and baker.
God is infinite in resource. When the city of
Rochelle was besieged and the inhabitants were