The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-07-03
DIVINE BENIFICENCE.
DR.. Talmage Discourses Upon Gods
Protecting Care.
The HumbIest Of His Creatures are Equal
" the Subject OF His WatchfuI-
ness with the Greatest-He
Knows Best.

Auu ono OF NueMl huHiA ldlA On tue EEOAul
without your Father. Matthew K, 20.
You see the Bible viii not be limited
I'm the choice of symbols. There is
hardly a beast, or bird, or insect,
which has not been called to illustrate
some Divine truth-the ox's patience,
the ants industry, the spiders skill,
the kinds surefootedness, the eagles
speed, the doves gentleness, and even
the sparrow's meanness and insignih-
cameo. In oriental countries none but
the poorest people buy the sparrow
and eat it-so very little meat is there
on the bones, and so very poor In 1t,
what there Is of it. The comfortable
population would not think of touch
ing it any more than you would think
of eating bat or lamprey. Now, says
Jesus, if God takes such good care of
a poor bird that is not worth a cent,
will He not care for you, an immor-
tai?
We associate God with revolutions.
We can see Divine purpose in the
discovery Of America, in the invention
Of the art Of printing, in the exposure
of the Gunpowder plot, in the contriv-
ance of the needle-gun, in the ruin of
an Austrian or Napoleonic despotism;
but how hard it is to see God in the
minute personal affairs of our livesl
We think of God as making a record
of the starry host. but can not realize
the Bible truth that He knows how
many hairs are ON our head. 1t seems
a grand thing that God provided food
for hundreds of ISraelites in the des-
ert; but we can not appreciate the
truth that, when a 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 uni
verse with His presence, but can not
understand how He encamps in the
crystal palace of a dewdrop, or finds
!Oom to 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 feet2
We are apt to place God on some
great staRe-or try to do it-expecting
Him there to act out His stupendous
projects; but we forget that the life of
a Cromwell, an Alexander, or a Wash
mgton, or an archangel, 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 Caesar. But there
is no such mist He sees everything.
We say Gods path is in the great wa
ters. True enough; but no more GER
tainly than He is in the water IN the
glass on the table. We say God guides
the stars in 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 up
on 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 in
significant but that it is of Importance
to God.
In the first place, God chooses our
occupation for us. 1 am amazed to
see how many people there are dissat-
isfed with the work they have to do.
/ think three-fourths wish they were
in some other occupation; and they
spend n great deal OF time regretting
that they got In the wrong trade or
RAOANo1AOhs NdnI 10 LCll YOU DildG
God put into operation all the infiu-
enees which led you to that particular
choice. Many of you ard not in the
business that you expected to be in.
You started for the ministry and
learned merohandisel you started for
the law and YOU are a physician; YOU
preferred agriculture and you became
a mechanic. You thought one way;
God thought another. But you ought
not to sit 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 saysl II will be a
stonemason," God says: "You viii be
gecloEist" David goes out to at
tend his fathers sheep; God called
him to govern a nation, Saul goes
out TO hut his fathers asses; and bs.
fore he gets back finds the crown of
regal dominion. How much happier
would it be II we were content with
the places God gave usI God saw your
temperament and all the circum-
stances by which tob were sjifrounda
ed, and believe nine-tenths of YOU
are in the work you are best fitted for.
/ hear great racket in my watch, and
/ find that the hands and the wheels
and the springs are getting out of
their places, I sent It dow to the lew
elers and say: Overhaul that watch.
and teach the wheels, and the spring.
and the hands to mind their own bust
ness. You know a man having large
estate. He gathers his working hands
In the morning, and says to one: ''You
go and trim that WINS" to anotheri
You go and weed those flowers;" to
another: "You pillow that tough glebe;"
and each one goes to his particular
work. The owner of the estate points
the man to what he knows he can do
best, and SO it is with the Lord.
L remark further that God has ar.
ranged the place foF bur dwelling.
Whet particular city or town, street or
house you shall live in seems to bt, a
mere matter of accident. You 20 out
TO hunt for hbh5e, and you happen
20 pass up certain street, and happen
70 see slgns and you select that house.
Was 1t all happening so? Oh, no! God
guideth you in every step. He foresaw
the future. He knew all yoGr pircun.
stances, and he selected ust that one
house as better for you than any of the
10000 habitations in the city. Our
house, however humble the roof and
however lowly the portals, as as near
Gods heart as an ALEXANDRIA or a kren,-
lin. Prove it, you say. Proverbs. iii.
30. He blesseth the habitation of the
just"