The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
The Noted DIvInes Sunday Sermon
Subject: "God in Everything."


K, 20.
You see the Bible will not be limited in the
choice OF symbols. There y hardly beast
| or bird or insect which has not been called
| to illustrate some divine truth-the oxs
patience, the ants industry, the SPIDERS
| skill, the kinds surefootedness, the eagie
speed, the doves gentleness, and even the
sparrow's meanness and insignincance. AZ
| oriental countries none but the poorest peo-
pie buy the sparrow and eat it-so very little
| meat is there on the bones, and so very poor
/ is IL what there is of 1t. The comfortable
| population would not think OF touching IL
any more than you would think of eating
| bat or lamprey. Now. says Jesus. II Goa
takes such good care of poor bird that Is
not worth a cent, will He not care for you,
| an immortal2
| We associate God with revolutions. We
| can see divine purpose In the discovery OF
| America, In the invention Of the art OF print
| ing, in the exposure Of the gunpowder plot,
in tbe continuance of the needle gun, IN the
tism; but how hard it is to see God IN the
| minute personal affairs of our livesl We
think o. God as making record OF the starry
host. but cannot realize the Bible truth that
he knows how many hairs are on our head:
| II seems grand thing that God provided
food for hundreds Of thousands OF lsraelites
| In the desert; but we cannot appreciate the
| truth that, when sparrow Is hungry, God
stoops down and opens its mouth and puts
the seed In. We are struck with the idea
that God fills the universe with his presence,
but cannot understand how he encamps In
the crystal palace of a dew drop, or finds
room 10 stand between the alabaster pillars
Of the pond lily. We can see God in the
clouds. Can we see God In these flowers at
our feet?
We are apt to place God on some great
! stage-or to try to do it-expecting Him
there to act OUT His stupendeus protests, but
we forget that the life Of q Cromwell, an
Alexander or Washington or an archangei
Is not more under divine inspection than
your life or mine. Pompey thought there
must be mist over the eyes Of God because
He so much favored Cesar. Bot there Is no
such mist. He sees everything. We say
Gods path is In the great waters. True
enough; but no more certainly than He is in
the water in the glass on the table. We say
God guides Che stars ia their courses.
Magnificent truth But no more certain
truth than that He decides which road or
street you shall take in coming to church.
Understand that GOD does not sit upon an
Indifferent or unsympathetic throne, but that
He sits down beside you to-day, and stands
beside me to-day, and no affair OF our lives
is SO insignificant but that it Is Of import
ance to God.
In the first place, God chooses our occu-
patton for us. lam amazed to see how many
people there are dissatisfied with the work
they have to do. think three-fourths wish
they were In some other occupation, and they
spend great deal of time in regretting that
want to tell you that God put into operation
all the influences which led you to that par
ticular choice Many of you are not in the
business that you expected to be in. You
started for the ministry and learned mer-
chandise; you started for the law and you
are physician; you preferred agriculture
and you became a mechanic. You though!
one way; God thought another. But You
ought not tosit down and mourn over the
past You are to remember that God
arranged all these circumstances by which
you were made what you are.
Hugh Miller says, 81 will be stone
mason;" God says, 'You will be a geolo-
gist." David goes out to attend his father
sheep; God calls him to govern nation.
Saul goes out to hunt his fathers asses. and
before he gets back finds the crown of rega
: dominion. How much happier would We be
; II we were content with the places God gave
} US! God saw your temperament and all the
, circumstances by which you were surround
ed, and believe Dine-tenths OF you are In
great racket In my watch, and find ths.
, the hands. and the wheels, and the spring
are getting out of their places. send i
. down to the jewelers. and say, "Overhau
] that watch and teach the wheels, and the
, spring, and the hands to MUD their OWL
business" You know man having q large
estate. He gathers his working hands in thu
morning, and says to one, ssYou go and trio
e that vine;" to another, "You go and weet
} those flowers" to another, "You pillow thai
tough g,ebe;" and each one goes to his par
ticular work. The owner OF the estate
: points the man to what he knows he can dc
9 best, and so it Is with the Lord.
r IL III hat I'D hod n rro q
!, the place of our dwelling. What particular
= city or town. street or house you shall liv'
+ in seems to be a mere matter OF accident
You go out to hunt for house, and yo'
happen to pass up certain street, and hap
pen to see a sign, and you select that house
Was 1t all happening so? Oh, no! Coz
g guided you in every step. He foresaw tn
8 future. He knew all your circumstances
!. and He selected just that one house as BET
ter for you than any of the 10000 hablta
lions in the city. Our house, however hum
q lie the roof and however lowly the portals
z is as near Gods heart as an Alhambra or
= Kremlin, Prove 1t, you say. Proverbs ILL
SO, HE blesseth the habitation of the just.
u Iremark further that God arranges all on
70 friendships. You were driven to the wal
20 You found man just at that crisis who sym
. pathized with you and helped you. 70
3 say, ''How lucky I wasl' There was n
Is luck about il. God sent that friend just q
D. certainly as He sent the angel to strengthe
- Christ. Your domestic friends, your bus
y ness friends. your Christian friends, God ser
e them to bless you, and if any OF them hay
1t proved traitorous, 1t is only to bring out th
value OF those who remain. II some die,
Is only that they may stand at the outpost
OF heaven to greet you at your coming.
You always will have friends, warm hear
cd friends, magnanimous friends, and whe
= sickness comes to your dwelling there wi
,e be watchers. When trouble comes to yor
" heart, there will be sympathizers. Whe
- ueath comes there will be gentle fingers |
- close the eyes and fold the hands and gent
Is lips to tell of a resurrection. Oh, We are con
rs passed by a bodyguard OF friends! Ever
RI man, II he has behaved himself well, is su
rounded by three circles of friends-those
q the outer circle wishing him well; those
= the next circle willing to help him; viii
close up to his heart are few who would
for him. God pity the wretch who has M
any friends.
1 remark again, that God puts dow
the limit to our temporal prosperit
The world OF finance seems to have u
God In 1t. You cannot tell where man wi
land. The afluent fall; the poor rise. I'll
ingenious fail; the ignorant succeed.
enterprise opening grandly, shuts in banl
ruptcy, while out of the peat dug up fro
some New England marsh the millonail
builds his fortune. The poor man thinks
is chance that keeps him down; the ric
man thinks it Is chance which holsts hin
and thew both WRONG If Ia so hard