The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-05-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Lessons Drawn From the Story OF
Elijah and the Ravens.
Help for Those In Need Comes from Goa
The Creator of All Infinite In Re-
source-ReIIef Through Un.
expected Sources.

Rev. T, Dewitt Talmage, who has re
turned to Washington from his western
trip in behalf of the India famine suf
ferers, delivered the following appso
pirate sermon before his congregation
basing it on the text:
And the ravens brought him bread and fest
In the morning, and bread and flesh in the even
Asg'-L Kings xvii, q
The ornithology Of the Bible is a very
interesting study. The storlK which
knoweth her appointed time. The
common sparrVws teaching the lesson
of Gods providence. The ostriches Q,
the desert, by careless incubation, il,
lustrating the rerkleSsness of parents
who do not take enough pains with
their children. The eagle symbolyz
ing riches which take wings and f1y
away. Tho pelican emblemiaing soli-
tude, The bat, fake Of the darkness.
The night hawk, the ossifrage, the
cuckoo, the lapwing, the osprey, by
the command of God in Leviticus,
dung out of the worlds bill of fare.
would like to have been with Audu-
bon as he went through the woods,
with gun aud pencil, bringing down
and sketching the fowls of heaven, his
unfolded portfolio thrilling all Chris
tendon. What wonderful creatures of
God the birds are! 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 vertebrae of the
neck; the three eyelids to each eve, the
third eyelld an extra curtain for grad
uating the light of the sun. Some of
these birds scavengers and some OF
them orchestra, Thank God for quairs
whistle, and larA'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 ex-
hausted, sprang up much higher, and
so was called by the ancients the king
of birds. Consider those of them that
have golden crowns and crests. show
ing them to be feathered imperials.
And listen to the humming birds sere
made in the ear of the honeysuckle.
Look at the belted kingfisher, striking
like dart from sky to water. Listen
to the voice of the owl, giving the key
note to all croakers. And behold the
condor among the Andes, battling with
the reindeer. 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 ornithological wonders
Of the world. The grain crop had been
cut off. Famine was in the land. In
= cave by the Brook Cherith sat a min
ister of God, Elijah, waiting for some
thing to eat. Why did he not go to
the neighbOrs? 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 partridges, or if he only had an
arrow with which to bring them
down! But as they come nearer ne
dnds that they are not comestible, but
unclean, and the eating of them would
be spiritual death. The strength of
their besk, the length of their wings,
The blackness of their color, their loud,
harsh 'cruck! cruckp prove them to
be ravens.
They whirr around about the
prophets head, and then they come on
auttering wing and pause on the level
Of his lips, and one of the ravens brings
bread, and another raven brings meat,
and after they have discharged their
tiny cargo they wheel past, and others
.ome. until after awhile the prophet
las enough, and the black servants of
The wilderness table are gone. For
six months, and some say wholelyear,
morning and evening, a breakfast and
\ supper bell souded as these ravens
rang out on the air their"crucl, cruckp
Guess where they got the food from.
The old rabbins say they got it from
The kitchen of King Ahab. Others say
hat the ravens got their food from
Plus Obadiah, who was in the habit
If feeding the prosecuted. Some
Iay that the ravens brought the food to
heir young in the trees, and that
Elijah had only to climb up and get it.
Some say that the whole story is i'm
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
1T for the prophet. Some say they
we're not ravens at all, but that the
word translated ravens" in my text
ought to have been translated ARABS"
30 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
20 be true.
Hew away at this miracle until all |
the miracle is gone. 60 on with the |
process, but know, my broth |
er, that you are robbing only one man |
and that is yourself-of one of the |
most comforting, beautiful, pathetic |
and triumphant in all the ages. |
can tell you who these purveyors |
were ravens, 1 can tell |
you who freighted them with provis- |
.ons-God. can tell you who launched |
them-God. cen tell you who taught |
them which way ID fy-God. can
tell you who told them at what cave |
10 swoop-God. can tell you who in
trc,duced raven to prophet and prophet |
TO raven-God. There is one passage ! |
will whisper in your ear, for i would /
not want to utter it aloud, lest some |
one should drop down under its power
IF any man shall take away from the /
words of the prophecy of this book. |
God shall take away his part out Of /
he hook of life and ont Of iLA ho1y