St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-08-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.

TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Divine BeueAcence That Watchett
Even . Sparrow.
God's Protecting Care for the Hanbaest 81
His Crestures-He Knoweth What
u Best for Man and Nooe
!, Need Hope for Moro.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered the
following discourse before his Wash
ington congregation, taking for his
text:
Are not two sparrows sold for farthins:
: and one of them shall net fall on the ground
without your Father. Matthew <. -
You see the Bible will not be limited
in the choice of symbols. There il
hardly q 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 insignifi-
canoe. In oriental countries none but
the poorest people buy tho sparrow
and eat it-so very little meat is there
on the bones. and % very poor is It,
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 . 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 tho exposure
OF the Gunp0wder plot, in the contriv-
ance OF the needle-gun, in the ruin Of
an Austrian or Napoleonic despotism;
but how hard it il to see God in the
minute personal affairs of our lives!
We think of God - making . record
OF the starry host. but can not realize
the Bible truth that He knows how
many hairs are on our head. 1t seems
grand thing that God provided food
Tor hundreds of Israelites in the des-
ert; but we can not appreciate the
truth that, when . sparrow is hungry,
God stoops down and opens its month
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 . dewdrop, or finds
room to stand between the alabaster
pillars of the pond lily. We can sec
God in the clouds. Can we see God in
these flowers at our feet?
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
Cromwell, an Alexander. or WASH
ington, 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 Cesar. But there
is no such mist He secs everything.
We say Gods path Is in the great wa.
terra True enough; but no moro Ger
tainly than He is In the water In tho |
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 or lives Is 50 in.
significant but that it ~ importance
In the first place, God chooses our |
occupation for uA I am amazed to
see how many people there are dissat- /
isfied with tho work they have to do.
1 think three-fourths wish they were
in some other occupation, snd they
spend q great deal Of time regretting
that they got In the wrong trade or
profession. l want to tell You that
God put into operation al tho influ-
enccs which led you to that particular
choice. Many Of you are not in the
business that you expected to be in.
You started for the ministry and
learned merchandise; you started for
the law and you arc . physician; you
preferred agriculture and you became
= mechanic. You thought one wav:
God thought another But you ought
not to sit down and mourn over the
past. You arc to remember that God
arranged all these circumstances by
which you were made what you are.
Hugh Miller says: II will be .
God says: "You will be
, Reologist." David goes out to At
tend his fathers sheep; God called
him to govern . nation. Saul goes
out to hut his fathers asses, and be-
fore he gets back finds the crown of
regal dominion. How much happier
would 1t be it we were content with
The places God gave usl God saw your
temperament and al the circum-
stances by which you were surround
ed, and l believe nine-tenths Of you
are in the work you are best fitted for.
hear great racket In my watch, and
lind that the hands and the wheels
and the springs are getting out Of j
their places. l sent it dow to the jew
elers and say: Overhaul that watch,
md teach the wheels, and the spring, ,
md the hands to mind their own busi-
hess. You know . man having large ,
state. He gathers his working hands
n the morning, and says to one: lyon ,
20 and trim that vine," to another:
You 60 and weed those flowers" to
mother: 'You pillow that tough glebe;"
md each one goes to his particular
work.. The owner of the estate points
he man to what he knows he can do 4
'est. and 80 it is with the Lord.
remark further that God has ar !
anged the place for our dwelling. d
What particular city or town, street or
rouse you shall live in seems to be = /
mere matter of accident You 90 out .
o hunt for = house, and you happen |
pass mp certain street, and happen .
Q see sign. and you select that house. !
Vas it all happening SO? Oh, NO! God h
'uideth you in every stem. He foresaw :