The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-10-21
THE TWO HUNGERS.

PhySicaI ana Spiritual; Eut One Way In
Which the Latter Can BE satisfied.
God is infinite fulness, blissful in
himself and in the dispensation of His
benevolence. All created things are de-
pendent upon Him, and wherever there
is spiritual, animal or vegetable life
this fact of dependence is manifest in
hunger and thirst. Even the white
clouds that sail above us on sultry sum-
mer days have "a thirsty look, and at
the command of God the sun draws wa
ter from the rivers, lakes and oceans
over which they pass, and fills them to
overlooking. We have seen the hard
earth, in August days, open thousand
long mouths for rain. The dropping
flowers, the grass, the grain, and
the heat-shriveled trees, all have
an imploriug, thirsty look during
drought, and God bids the
clouds be compassionate to them;
from His black chariots, where the
thunders of His power repose, He
drops fairness upon the pastures OF the
wilderness, He waters the ridges of the
earth abundantly, so that the little hills
rejoice on every side" The lowing of
kline in sun-browned fields, the roaring
and screaming of wild beasts in desert
places, the cry of ravens in forest soil
tudes, and of eagles from their mount
ain eyries, are all expressions of hun
ger, and, to them, unconscious acllnowl-
edgments of dependence. Man also
hungers. The song of the plow-boy as
he drives his team atield, the glitter of
reapers in the sunshine, as the golden
grain falls before them in mid-sum-
mer, the rustic of the ripening
corn as the autumn wind passes
through it, the ring of anvils
in smith-shops, the hum of looms
in factories the painting of car locomo-
tives, moving along with their great
burdens like things of life, all the ac-
tivities of trade and commerce tell us
that man hungers physically. But, UNI
like the irrational animals mai has a
double hunger; his spirit hunger is as
real, and as manifest as that of his
body. The brutes are satisfied when
the hunger of their bodies is appeased
The OK fills his NAV with grass, seeks
the shade, and in doze of satisfaction
chews his cud: the lion finds his prey,
satisfies his hunger, and goes OF tc
sleep in the quiet jungle; the eagle
eats his lamb or kid, and folds his
wings to rest among the mountain
crags till hunger returns to drive hin
forth again; but man is not satisfied
when the hunger of his body is ap
peased; his soul hungers and thirsts
and it can find no food in material
things, or in worldly honors or pleas
ures, to give it satisfaction and rest.
The most fatal mistakes of unregen
crate men are their efforts to satisfy
the hunger of their souls with thing.
that have no spiritual nourishment il
them-things that only dull the mora
sensibillties for the present. One class
seek soul food in that knowledge which
pertains principally TO our earthly life
They devote themselves to science, art
general literature, civil laws or specia
reforms in political government; they
labor early and late to master theil
tasks in these departments of human
learning, but so far as spiritual salts
faction is concerned they labor in vain
Their soul hunger increases with theii
growth in these kinds of knowledge,
and how often in quiet hours do they
soliloouize with Solomon: Vanity OF
vanities: all is vanity and veXation
of spirit" knowledge, in our
present state, where the mos;
learned know but ''in part can not
satisfy the hunger of the intellect
for the most hungry minds are those
whose acquisitions are the greatest
Much less does it satisfy the moral ano
emotional nature. Surrounded as we
are by inexplicable natural evils, while
Mt the same time conscious of mora
evil within us: oppressed as we are
with painful sense of earth's muta bill
ties and uncertainties, the soul demand.
intensely hungers fora restful Sc
rurity, and this can not be found IL
mere knowledge. In the absence o.
moral purity, and the assurance o
faith. which are the products only o
spiritual regeneration, great knowledge
creates a great hell, as the experience
of Satan. could we get it, would un
doubleday prove. Pollock in his "Cours'
of Time"-a book we should not neglect
whatever modern critics of poetry ma,
say against it-describes a man
Who knew all learning and all science knew
And vet in misery lived, in misery died,
Because he wanted holiness of heart.
Another class of men seek soul foo(
in material wealth, in gold. silver
houses and lands. Much of the cage
pursuit of riches that we see around n
originates in soul hunger. There j
something very unnatural in mans &c
cumulation OF more wealth than he cal