St. Landry democrat., 1886-07-10
TALNAGE7S SERMON.
An Interesting Discourse On "The
Battle For Bread"
Fhe Ravens of Gods Providence-The I'm
fnity of Divine Resources-The Great
Home Question Not Home Rule
But Home Maintenance.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, in recent
sermon at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, took
Tor his subject "The battle for bread" The
text was:
And the ravens brought him bread and
aesh in the morning, and bread and flesh In
che evening.-Kings, xviii, G.
DIR. Talmage said:
There is an incident to my text that baf-
des all the pathological wonders Of the
world. The grain crop had been cut off.
Famine was in the land. In the cave by
the Brook Cherith sat a minister of God,
Elijah, waiting for something to eat.
why did he not go to the neighbors?
There were no neighbors it was a wilder
ness. Why did he not pick some of the
berries? 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 pittiless heavens. and sees flock of
birds approaching. Oh, if they were only
cartridges, or if he only had an arrow
with which to bring them DOWN. But as
they come nearer he finds they are not
comestible, 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 "cruck! cruck!" prove them to
be ravens. They whirr around about the
prophets head, and then they come on
duttering wing and pause on the level of
his lips, and one of the ravens brings
bread, and another raven brings meat,
and after they have discharged their tiny
cargo they wheel past, and others come
until after while the prophet has enough,
and these black servants of the wilderness
table are gone. For six months, and for a
whole year, morning and evening, the
breakfast and a supper bell sounded as
these ravens rang out on the air their
tscruck! cruck!" Guess where they got
the food from. The old rabbins say they
got it from the kitchen of King Ahab.
Others say that the ravens got their food
from pious Obadiah, who was in the habit
of feeding the prosecuted. Some say that
the ravens brought the food to their young
in the trees, and that Elijah had only to
climb up and get it. Some say the whole
story is improbable, for these were carniv-
orous birds, and the food they carried
was the torn flesh of living beasts,
and that ceremoniaIly unclean, or it was
carrion, and it would not have been fit for
the prophet. Some say that they were no
ravens, but that the word translated
<sravens" in my text ought to have been
translated "Arabs, ESQ it would have read:
<tThe Arabs brought bread and flesh in the
morning, and bread and flesh in the even
ing. 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 robbing only ONE man-and that is
Fourself-of ONE of the most comforting,
beautiful, pathetic and triumphant lessons
In all the ages. oan tell you who these
purveyors were: they were ravens. can
tell you who freighted them with pro-
visions: God. can tell you who launched
them: God. can tell you who taught
Ahem which way to fly: God. can tell
you who told them at what cave to swoop:
God. I can tell you who introduced raven
to prophet and prophet to raven: God.
There is one passage will whisper in
your ear, for would not want to utter it
aloud lest some ono should drop down
under It's power:
II any man shall take away from the words
Of the prophecy Of this book, Go d shall take
away his part out OF the book of life and
out of the Holy Oity.
While, then, this morning we watch the
ravens feeding Elijah, let the swift dove
of Gods spirit sweep down the sky with
divine food, and ON outspread wing pause
at the lip Of every soul hungering for COM
fort.
The great question with the vast ma
iority 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 any thing TO tax. The great
question with the vast majority of people
is: How shall / support nay family How
shall meet my hottest How shall l pay
my renti How shall give food, clothing
and education to those who are depend emit
upon me?" Oh, if God would help me to-
day to assist you In the solution Of that
problem the happiest man in this house
would be your preacherf have gone out
on cold morning with expert huntsmen
to hunt for pigeons; have gone out on
the meadows 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 ravens that they feed
thee" we find God saying In an adjoining
passage They did not come out Of some
other cave. They did not just happen to
alight there. God freighted them, God
launched them, and God told them by
what cave to swoop. This is the same God
that 10 going to supply you. he Is your
father. You would have TO make an ella
borate calculation before You could tell me
how many pounds Of food and how many