The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-06-24
TALMAGE'S SERMON,
DELIVERED LAST SUNDAY IN BROOK
LYN TABERNACLE.
The Battle for Bread-An Eloquent Dis
course on tho Ravens Feeding Elijah
Unexpected Ways in Which God Take.
Care of His Children.

Unexpected Ways in Which God Takes
Care of His Children.
Specially Reported for The Sentinel
o'.ooKLYN. n. Y, jane 20: The Rev
T. Dewitt Talmaye, DID,, preached to-
day, at the Tabernacle a sermon on
The Battle for Bread His text was,
Kings, CHI. xvii. V. 6: "And the ravens
brought him bread and flesh in the morn
Ing. and bread and flesh in the evening"
DR.. Talmage said:
The ORTHODOXY Of the Bible is a very
Interesting study. The stork which
knoweth her appointed time. The com
mon sparrows teaching the lesson Of
Gods providence. The ostriches of the
desert, by careless incubation, illus
trating 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 unfol1ed portfolio ttri ling al:
Christendnm.
What wonderful creatures of God the
birds are Some of them, this morning.
like the songs of heaven let loose.
bursting through the -ate5 OF heaven
Consider their feathers, which are
clothing AMI conveyance at the same
time: the nine vertebrae of the neck.
t.i-, three eSelids to each eye, the Thru
eyei'i and extra curtain for graIuatin-.
the light OF the sun. Sonir of these
birds scavcnghrS, and some of them or
chest'a- Thank God for quail's whistle
and 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 a contest as to who could fly
the highest, and the eagle swung nearest
the sun, wren on the hack of the eagle,
after the eagle was exhausted, 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 imperials. And listen to the
humming birds serenade in the ear Of
the honeysuckle. Look at the belted
kingfisher, striking like a dart from sky
to water. Listen to the voice of the owl,
giving the keynote to all croake1s. And
behold the condor, among the Andes,
battling with the reindeer. 1 do not
know whether an aquarium or aviary is
the best altar from which to worship
God
There is an incident in my text that
battles all the pathological wonders of
theworld. The grain crop had been cut Off
Famine was in the land. In cave by the
brook Cherith sat a minister Of God, Eli
jah, waiting for something to eat. Why did
he not go to the neighbors? There were
no neighborS it was wilderness. Why
did he not pick some of the berries?
There were none. If there had been,
they would have been dried up. Seated
one morning at the mouth of his cave
nTnnhat 10 nd nit
less heavens, and he 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
com'>tible but unrlean. A.i the .atiH.
"f them wonll - -i,r:,n ,i.-a.h. Ia.
trrngth OF their .-.-.1 II. .angth 81
their wings t..e hlack::..-- / ..,-.r color,
Their lo,.d. harsh .-.rt:..;i .:-.i K . prov.
them to be ravef.s. They ~. II AZ and
about the prophets hea L. AMI :h-a -n..v
come on fiuttering wing AMI pause ~:
the level OF his lips, and one of the
ravens brings bread. and another raven
charged their tiny cargo they wheel
and others come past, until after awhile
the prophet has enough, and these
black servants OF the wilderness table
are gone.
For six months. and some say a
s0"i' hioIHlIlS anu evening, the break
fast and supper bell sounded as these
ravens rang out on tho air their "cruck,
cruck Guess where they got the food
from. The old ra bins say that they
got it from the kitchen OF King
Ahab. Others say that the ravens got
their f.od from pious Obadiah, who was
i 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
1t. Some say that the whole story is
improbable, for these we're carnivorous
birds and the food they carried was the
torn flesh of living beasts, and that
ceremonially unelea':: or it was carrion
and it would not have been fit for the
prophet Some say that they were not
ravens at all, but that the word trans
lated ravens in my text ought to
have been translated g Arabs - 80 it
would have read: :. The Arabs brought
bread and flesh in the morning. and
bread and flesh in the evening"" Any
thing but admit the Bible to be true
Hey away ut this miracle until all the
miracl" is gone 60 on with the de-
plotting process, hu. know, my brother,
that YOU are robbin.. only one MAINLAND
that is yo,rself-of one OF the most
comforting, beautiful, pathetic and
triumphant lessons i'll all the ages. l
can tell you who these purvevors were:
they We're ravens. | can tell you who
reighted them with provisions: God.
l can tell Eou who launched them: God.
L can tell you VIII, taught them which
way to fly: God. I can tell you who
taught them at what cave to swocD:
God. l can tell you who introduced
raven to prophet and prophet to raven.
God. There is one passage I will wills
per in your ear. for | would not want to
utter it aloud. lest some one should drop
down under its power: - If any man
shall take away from the words of tho
prophecy of this book, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life ana
out of the Holy City" While, than, 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 ut the lip
of every soul hungering for comfort.
On the b. nks of what rver9 have been
the great battles of the world. While