The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-07-01
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Rev. DR.. T. De Witt Talmage
DiscOurses of ''The Battle
for Bread"
stAnd the Ravens Brought Him Bread
and Flesh in the Morning and
Bread and Flesh In
the Evening.

The subject of the sermon of Rev. DR..
Talmage, in the Brooklyn Tabernacle was
aThe Battle for Bread, and the text was
taken from |. Kings, xvii, 8: "And the
ravens brought him bread and flesh in the
morning and bread and flesh in the even
ing" DIR. Talmage said:
The ornithology Of the Bible is a very
interesting study. The stork, which
knoweth her appointed time. The common
sparrows, teaching the lessons 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, symbolizing riches which take wings
and fly away. The pelican, emblemizing
solitude. The bat, flake Of the darkness.
The night hawk, the ossifrage, the cuckoo,
the lapwing, the osprey, by the command
of God in Leviticus, 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 sketching the fowls of heaven,
his unfolded portfolio thrilling all Chris
tendon. 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
luGu 1CdtuSIH, MulSu axe ClOluIH5 anu SOl"
Veyance at the same time; the nine ver-
tebre of the neck, the three eyellds to
each eye, the third eyelid an extra curtain
for graduating the light of the sun.
Some Of these birds scayengers and some
of them orchestra. Thank God for
quails whistle and larks carole 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 fy the highest, and the eagle swung
nearest the sun. wren ON the back OF the
eagle, after the eagle was exhausted,
sprang up much hgher' and so was cllled
by the ancienls the king Of birds. Con-
slider those or them that have golden
crowns and clests, showing them TO be
feathered mpeuals. 3nd listen TO the
hummlng- BIRD Serenade III the ear OF the
honeysuckle. Look at the belted king
Usher, striking IKE q dart from SKY to
water. Listen 10 the voice Oh the owl, CIV
ing the Keynote to all croakers. and be-
hold the condor among the Andes, BAT
Ting with the reindeer. l do not know
whether an aquarium or aVlary is the best
altar from which to worship God.
There is an incident IN my text that
battles all the olnlthologlcal wonders of
the world. 1he gram crop had been cut
Off. Famine was IN the land. In cave
by the brook Cherlth sat minister OF God,
Elijah, waiting for something to eat. Why
did he not go to the nelgbborsl There
were no nelghborS; 1t was Wilderness.
Why did he not pick some OF the berlesr
There were none II there had been, they
would have been dried up. Seated one
morning at the mouth OF his cave the
prophet looks into the dry and pltlless
hnOUnnG q a n
preaching. On, II they were only par
tridges, or II he only had an arrow with
which to bring them down! But as they
come nearer he finds they are not comesti-
BILE but unclean, and the eating of them
would be spiritual death. The strength OF
their beak, the length OF their wings, the
blackness of their color, their loud, harsh
Hcruck! cruck!" prove them to be ravens.
They whlT round about the prophets
head, and then they come on huttering
wing and pause on tne level or his lips,
and one OF the ravens brings bread and an
other raven brings meat, and after they
have discharged their tiny cargo they wheel
past, and others come, until atter awhile
the prophet has enough, and these black
servants OF the Wilderness table are gone.
For SIX months, and some say whole
year, morning and evening, the breakfast
and supper bell sounded as these raveng
rang out on the air their "cruck! cruck!"
Guess where they got the food from. The
old rabbins say they got it from the kitchen
OF hlng Ahao. Others say that the ravens
got their food from plous Obadiah, who
was In the haolt OF teedlng the persecuted:
Some say that the ravens brought the FOOD
TO their young IN the trees, and that Elijah
had only to climb up and get 1t. Some say
that the whole story IS lmpro6able; for
these were carnlvorous plr0s ana the FOOD
they carried was the torn flesh OF living
beasts, and that ceremonlally unclean; or
it was carrlon and 1t would not have been
fit for the prophet. Some say they were
not ravens at all, but that the word trans
lated ravens" IN the text ought to have
been translated ARABS SO 1t would have
read: "The Arabs brought bread and
flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh
in the evening" Anything but admit the
Bible to be true.
Hew away at this miracle until all the
miracle is gone. Go on with the depicting
process, but know, my brother, that you
are robolng only one man-and that is
yourself-of one OF the most comforting,
beautiful, pathetic, and triumphant lessons
In all the ages can tell YOU who these
purveyors were: they were ravens. | can
tell you VINO ITelshted thvm WIN provision:
God. can tel YOU who launched them:
God. can tell you who taught them
which way to fly: God. l can tell you who
told them at what cave to swoop: God.
can tell YOU who introduced raven to
prophet and prophet to raven; God. There
Is or sage will whisper in your ear,
Tor ] would not want to utter 1t aloud, lest
someone should drop down under its
power: III any man shall take away from
the words OF the prophecy OF this book,
God snail take away his part out OF the
book OF life and out OF the holy city"
Whlle, then, thls morning we watch the
ravens feeding Elijah, let the swift dove of
Gods spirit sweep down the sky with di-
vine food, and on outspread wing pause az