The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-05-22
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Lessons Drawn From the Story Of
Elijah and the Ravens.
Help for Those In Need Comes From God
The Creator of All Infinite In Re-
source Relief Through I'm
expected Sources.

ferers, delivered the following appro.
pirate sermon before his congregation,
basing il on the text:
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh
in the morning and bread and flesh In the even
tng-L Kings xviii, d
The ornithology of the Bible is very
interesting study. The stork which
knoweth her appointed time. The
common sparrows teaching the lesson
of Gods providence. The ostriches of
the desert, by careless incubation, IL
Illustrating the recklcssness OF parents
who do not take enough pains with
their children. The eagle symbolyz-
ing riches which take wings and fly
away. The pelican emblemiZing soli-
tudc. The bat, a fake of the darkness.
The night hawk, the ossifrage, the
cuckoo, the lapwing, the osprey, by
the command of God in Leviticus,
flung out of the worlds bill of fare.
would like to have been with Audu-
bon as he went through the woods,
with gun and pencil, bringing down
and skctching the fowls of heaven, his
unfolded portfolio thrilling all Chris
tendon. What wonderful creatures of
God the birds arc Some of them, this
morning, like the songs of Heaven let
loose, bursting through the gates of
Heaven. Consider their feathers, which
are clothing and conveyance at the
same time: the nine vertebrate of the
neck; the three cyclids to each eye, the
third eyclid an extra curtain for grad
uating the light of the sun. Some of
these birds scaycngers and some of
them orchestra. Thank God for quails
whistle, and larl's carol, and the twit-
ter of the wren, called by the an
clients the king of birds, because
when the fowls of Heaven went
into contest as to who
should fly the highest, and the eagle
swung nearest the sun, a wren on back
of the eagle, after the eagle was eI-
haustcd sprang up much higher, and
SO was called by the ancients the king
of birds. Consider those of them that
have golden crowns and crcsts. show
ing them to be fcathcrcd imperials.
And listen to the humming birds sere
made III the ear of the honeysuclile.
Look at the belted lingfisher, striking
iihC ii udlb rum ohy W WaJcT' LlSlcu
to the voice of the owl, giving the key
note to all croalers. And behold the
condor among the Andes, battling with
the reindeer. l do not know whether
an aquarium or aviary is the best altar
from which to worship God.
There is an incident in my text that
battles all the archaeological wonders
Of the world. The grain crop had been
cut off. Famine was in the land. In
lister of God, Elijah, waiting for some
thing to eat. Why did he not go to
the ncighbors? There were no neigh
bors; it was a wilderness. Why did
he not pick some of the berries? There
were none. If there had been
they would have been dried up.
Seated one morning at the mouth of
the cave, the prophet sees a flock of
birds approaching. Oh, if they were
only cartridges, or if he only had an
arrow with which to bring them
down! But as they come nearer he
finds that they are not comestible, but
nnclean, and the eating of them would
Oe spiritual death. The strength of
their beak, the length of their wings,
the blackncSS of their color. their loud,
harsh ''cruck! crucllw prove them to
be ravens.
They whirr around about the !
head, and then they come on
wing and pause on the level
of his lips, and one of the ravens brings
bread, and another raven brings meat,
N nd hn, Al.
tiny cargo they wheel past, and others
come. until after awhile the prophet
has enough, and the black servants of
the wilderness table are gone. For !
six months, and some say a whole'year,
and evening, a break fast and
a supper bell sotided as these ravens
rang out on the air their"cruclt! cruck"
Guess where they got the food from.
The old rabbins say they got it from
The kitchen of King Ahab. Others say
that the ravens got their food from
Plus Obadiah, who was in the habit
of feeding the prosecuted. Some
say that the ravens brought the food to
their young in the trees, and that
Elijah had only to climb up and get it.
Some say that tie whole story is inn
probable; for these were carnivorous
BIRDS. and the food they carried was
the torn flesh of living beasts, and
therefore ceremonially unclean; or it
was carrion, and would not have been
fit for the prophet. Some say they
were not ravens at all, but that the
word translated ravens" in my text
ought to have been translated ARABS"
SO it would have read: THE Arabs
brought bread and flesh in the morn
ing, and bread and flesh in the even
ing" Anything but admit the Bible
TO be true.
Hew away at this miracle until all
the miracle is gone. TO on with the |
depicting process, but know, my BROTH
sr. that you are robbing only one man |
and that is yourself-of one of the
most comforting, beautiful, pathetic |
md triumphant lessons in all the ages.
can tell you who these purveyors |
vere-thay were ravens, 1 can tell |
you who freighted them with provis-
ons-God. l can tell You who launched |
.hem-God. can tel! you who taught
hon which way to iiy-God. l can
eli you VINO told them at what cave