National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-21

had been published in many papers that the
Rev. DIR. 7. Dewitt Talmage was In poor
health, he told his congregation in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day that he had In
the thirty years Of his ministry missed but
one Sabbath through ill-health, and that
Sabbath twenty-four years ago. He said
that he had never been in as robust health
as at present. Dr. Talmage has been In
Brooklyn seventeen years. The ordinary
state Of things at the Brooklyn Tabernacle
on Sunday mornings is that 5000 people
assemble inside and multitudes are not able
TO get in. At recent meeting of the ses-
sion thirty-elght new members were re-
ceiyed, making the communicate member
ship Of this church about 1900 The open
ing hymn to-day was:
Though trouble assail and dangers alright,
Though friends should all fail and foes oil
Ye, one thing assures u.s. whatever betido
The Scripture assures us-Thc Lord will pro-
yide'"
The subject OF the sermon to-day was
'The Battle for Bread" and the text was
taken from Kings, chapter xvii, verse g.
''And the ravens brought him bread aud
1esh In the morning, and bread aud flesh In
the EVENING" DIR. Talmage said:
The ornithology Of the Bible is very in
teresting study-the stork, which knoweth
her appointed time; the common sparrows,
teaching the lesson OF Gods providence;
the ostricbes OF the desert, by careless In
cubation, 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,
emblemizlnR solitude; the bat, q flake OF
the darkness; the night hawk, the osslfrage,
the cuckoo, the lapwinR, the osprey, by the
command OF God In Levlticus, flung out OF
the worlds bill Of fare. | 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 Chrlsten-
dom. 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 con-
veyance at the same time; the nine verte-
brjc OF the neck, the three eyellds TO each
eye, the third eyelid and extra curtain for
graduating the light OF the sun.
Some Of these birds scavengers aud some
OF them orchestra. Thank God for quail's
whistle and lark's carol and the twitter Of
the wren, called by the anclents the king OF
birds, because when the fowls OF heaven
went into contest as 70 who could NY the
highest, and the eagle swung nearest the
sun, a wren on the back OF the eagle, after
the eagle was exhausted, sprang up much
higher and so was called by the anclents the
king Of birds. Consider those Of them that
have golden crowns aud crests, showing
them to be feathered imperlals. And listen
TO the humming birds serenade in the ear
OF the honeysuckle. Look ut the belted
kingHsher, striking like dart from sky to
water. Listen to the voice Of the owl, Civ.
ing the keynote 10 all croakers. And
behold the condor among the Andes, bat
Ting with the reindeer. do not know
whether an aquarium or an aviary is the
best altar from which to worship God.
There is an incident In my text that battles
all the omithological wonders Of the world
The grain crop had been cut OF. Famine
was In the land, In q cave by the brook
Cherith sat minister OF God-Elijah--
waiting for something to eat. Why did he
not go to the nelghborsY There were ne
neighbors; 1t was wilderness; why die
he not pick some Of the berresf Their,
were none. II there had been, they woulc
haye been dried up. Seated one morning
at the mouth Of his cave the prophet looks
Into the dry and pitness heavens, aud he
sees flock Of birds approaching. oh, 4
they were only partridges, or II he only had
an arrow with which TO bring them down
But as they come nearer he finds they
are not comestible, but uncleau, and thu
eating Of them would be spiritual death
The strength OF their beak, the length o
their wings, the blackness OF their color
their loud, harsh, "cruckl cruckp' prov
them TO be ravens. They whirr aroun,
about the prophets head, and then the!
come on fluttering wing and pause on tn
level OF his lips, and one OF the ravens bring
bread and another raven brings meat
and after they have discharged thei
tiny cargo they wheel past, and others com
until after awhile the prophet has enough
and these black servants OF the wilderness
table are gone. For ak months, and SOM
say whole year, morning, and evening
the breakfast and a supper bell sounded a
these ravens rang out on the air thei
'!cruckn ''cruck!n Guess where they go
their food from. The old rabbins say the
got it from the kitchen OF King Ahab
Others say that the ravens got their foo
from pious Obadiah, who was In the habi
of feeding the prosecuted. Some say tina
in the trees, and that Elijah had only 3
climb up and get 1t. Some say that tn
whole story 10 improbable; for these wer
carnivorous birds, and the food that the
carried was the torn flesh Of living beast
and that ceremonially unclean; or II wa
carrion, and It would not have been at fe
ravens al ali, but that the word translate
''ravens'' In my text ought TO have bee
translated ARABS" so itwould have read
WThe Arabs brought bread and flesh In Oh
morning, aud bread ana flesh IN the even
ing.n Anything but admit the Bible TO
true. ~
Hew away at this miracle until all th
miracle Ia gone. Go on with the depletln
process, but know, my brother, that 20
are robbing only one man--and that is you
self-of one OF the most comforting, beau
tiful, pathetic, and triumphant lessons |
all the ages. | can tell you who these pul
veyors were-they were ravens. l can TO
you who frelghted them with PR
them--God. / can tell you who taugl
them which way TO hy-God. / ca
tell you who told them at VIII
cave TO swoop-God. can tell you VIII
introduced raven to prophet and prophet
raven-God. There is one passage wi
whisper In your car, for l would not wal
10 utter II aloud, lest some one should dro
down under its power "If any man sha
take away from the words OF the prophet
of this book, God shall take away his pa
out OF the book OF life and out OF the Hol
Cityn While then, this morning, we watC
the ravens feeding Elijah, let the swift dol
OF Gods spirit sweep down the aky vii
divine food, and on outspread wing pau
at the lip of every soul hnngefing for cor
4 fort.
On the banks Of what rivers have be,
the great battles Of the worldS While 70
are looking over the map Of the world
answer that, viii tell you that the gre
. conflict to.dayisl on the Thames, on u
Hudson, on the Mississippi, ON the kenn
bee, on the Savannah, on tho Rhine, on Il
Nile, on the Gauges. on the Hoang.Ho.
is battle that has been going on for 8
thousand years. The troops engaged 10
are fourteen hundred millions, and tho
who have fallen are yaster In numbers thu
those who march. II ia a battle for breQ
Sentimentalltles CIT In the cushioned cha
IN their pictured study, with their slipper
feet on a daInnsk ottoman, aud say ID
this world Is great scene OF ayarice a.
greed. II does not Aeem so TO me. IL
were not for the absolute necessities OF Z
cases, Dine.tenths OF the stores, faetorl,
shops, banking-houses OF the land Won
To closed tomorrow. Who Is u