The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-06-27
DIVINE SUPERVISION.
Dr.. Talrage Discourses on Mans
AllOtmentS.
There Is n Largo Difference Between the
Divine and the Human Estimate
as to What Is Enough In
This World.

There Is n Largo Inference between the
Divine and the Human Estimate
as to What Is Enough In
This World.
In a late sermon at Washington Rev.
I. De Witt Talmage discoursed upon
the mission of man in this life, his text
being taken from Matthew, x:2g: Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall upon the
ground without your Father" The
sermon follows:
You see the Bible will not be limited
in 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 sure-footedness. the eagles
speed, the doves g~entleness, and even
the sparrow's meanness and insignif-
canoe. In Oriental countries hone but
the poorest people buy the sparrow and
eat it-so very little meet is there on
the bones, and so poor is it, what there
is OF 1T. The comfortable population
would not think of touching it any
more than you would think of eating
a bat or a 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 immortal?
We associate God with revolutions.
We can see a divine purpose in the dis
covery of America, in the invention of
the art of printing, in the exposure of
the ~gunpowder plot, in the contrivance
of the needlegun, in the ruin of an
Austrian or Napoleonic despotism; but
how hard it is to see God in the mi
mute personal affairs of our livesl We
think of God as making a record of the
starry host, but ,snnot 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 thousands of Israelites
in the desert; but we cannot appreciate
the truth that, when a sparrow is hun
cry, 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 can-
not understand how he encamps in the
crystal palaces of a dewdrop, or finds
room 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 feet?
We are apt to place God on some
great stage-or to try to do it-expect-
ing Him there to act out His stu
pendous projects, but we forget that
the life of a Cromwell, an Alexander,
or a Washington, OF an archangel, is {
not more under divine inspection than {
your life or mine. Pompey thoupht 1
there must be a mist over the eyes OF I
God because He so much favored i
Cesar. But there is no such mist. He
sees everything. We say Gods path /
iS in the Oraaf Hafars T.,o -
but no more certainly than He is in t
the water in the glass on the table. e
We say God guides the stars in their v
courses. Magnificent truth but no more
certain truth han hat He decides o.
which road or street you shall take in il
to church. Understand that q,
God does not sit upon an Indifferent or Ii
thrown, but that He h
sits down beside you to-day, and stands a,
beside me to-day, and no affair of our W
lives is so insignificant but that it is of A
to God. al
In the first place, God chooses our ii
for us. am amazed to see w
now many people there are dissatisfied n,
With the work they have to do. 1 think /
wish they were in some 70
'ther occupation, and they spend a nj
deal of time in regretting that III
~ gu ~ VIC WEOhR JTduC Oh DrOIeS- | sc
ion. l want to tell you that God put on
nto operation all the influences which al
ed you to that particular choice. GU
1any of you are not in the business ~
hat you expected to be in. You start ia
d for the ministry and learned mer- wi
handise; you started for the law and tn
GU are a physician; you preferred ag-
and you became a cha so
GU thought one way; God thought di,
mother. But you ought not to sit WI
own and mourn over the past. You ST,
re to remember that God arranged all I
lese circumstances by which you en-,
ere made what you are. ma
Hugh Hitler says: 81 will be a stone ma
ason." God says: You will be a mt
eologist-" David goes out to attend ma
is fathers sheep; God calls him to gov enc
n a nation. Saul goes out to hunt mo
IS fathers asses, and before he gets Ger
LEX finds the crown of regal domin- or
n. How muchh happier we would be VIII
we were content with the places mo.
ID gave us! God saw your tempera- Hi
emit and all the circumstances bv m;r
.no ~ surnueo' n De- Hes
n..ro o. you are IN the WIFI
eat racket in my watch, and 1 find 49,.
at the hands and the wheels i;ta
d the springs are getting out W.
their places. L send it down to 1osa
jewelers. and say: Overhaul that -
Itch and teach the wheels, and the a..
ring, and the hands to mind their $50
N business" You know a man hav- go
a large estate. He gathers his o.
20 +o -. " II you
vine;" to another, "You go and - -
ed those flowers" to another, "You mot
Nv that tough glebe;'' and each one L.,
es to his particular work. The owner no..
the estate points the man to what 81
knows he can do best, and so it is 81
h the Lord. en
Aur'her thab Dou mas ar est |
Iged the place of our dwelling. Go
,a POI uIm Guy or town. street or seph
-se = snati iiVe III seems to be a lister
re matter of accident. You go out and
for a house, and you happen to tn
s up a certain street, and happen to mrs,
a sign, and you select that house. gron
s 1T all happening so? Oh, mol ed. n
guided o in every step. He fore sunn
the future. He knew all your cir oonn
distances, and He selected just that obai,
house as better for you than anv atorr
he 10000 habitations in the CITY. tbro,
house, however humble the roof on a,
however lowly the portals, is as getb,
r Gods heart as an Alhambra or a A Il
Min. Prove it, you say. Prov. the
ID blesseth the habitation of Heller
Just" waite
remark further that God arranges They
'ur friendships You were driven ment
le wall. You found a man just at came
crisis who sympathized with you killed
helped you. You say: GLOW Vas
y 1 was!" There was no luck lowed
IL IL. God sent that friend just secra'
e%rtainly as He sent the angels to such
CITIZEN Christ. Your domestic dents
lds, your business friends, your may S
stan friends, God sent them to by ev
you, and If any of them have whetl
ed traitorous, it is only to bring fore e
Value OF those who remain. If onstri
die, it is only hat they may he
| at the %outposts of Heaven tn belittl