Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23
Ube fifth Sparrow.
Written for The b. Clayton, Baptist Evangelist
.ra No, Eve sparrows sold for farthInes and
not one OF IL forgotten before Godf-
Inks Ii:6. T.

ioity places are Tor the eagles and we are
only the sparrows down In the plains and
meadows. But some radiant day the
heavens come down to the plain and the
meadow and suddenly to your heart there
will come the realization that God loves
sparrow much as He loves an eagle, and
that although there are millions of spar
rows mot one of them is forgotten of God"
When the great experience Of being loved
1.-The peace that passeth all understanding"
Friends may come or go, every human tie
perish, obscurity and commonplaceness be
your lot. but you are never forgotten, nor
are your cares sorrows. hopes. longings nor
Joys. Such temptations as come to the rich
cannot, In the nature of things, come to the
poor; pride Of station cannot curse those
who have no station; Misrepresentation
comes not TO those who are too lowly to be
misrepresented; the self-importance that
fiates one who knows that God is his only
refuge and strength In time of trouble"
The everyday lfe-of duty tempered by an
approving conscience. aspiration growing
out of unfeigned humility and common
place toll blessed by commonplace success
is the normal life, the healthful life, and
therefore the sanest life for humanity. 1t
is, in it's way. the life of 1.-The fifth spar
row."
1t is neither affectation, nor a vanity that
ca1 lie hot
tian man to say, God never forgets me,
and can never forget me, because He loves
me-" A man of the olden time, who before
he met Christ had been filed with pride OF
knowledge, station and achievement, had
an hour of humiliation, and when he arose
from the dust of the Damascus road he
said, II am the chief of sinners" After
ward realizing the infinite love Of God, he
said very humbly, Unto me, who am less
than the least Of all saints, Is this grace
given" and when he came to write of the
atonement its scholastic aspects were all
forgotten as he traced the words his eyes
suffused and his heart overlooking with the
wonderful surprise. He loved me and gave |
Himself for me-"
The infinite care for finite creatures, such |
as is illustrated In this word of Christ |
about the fifth sparrow, is the basis of all |
Christian doctrine and hope. It is the |
ground which we believe that God an |
swers prayer, when prayer grows out Of |
our conscious dependence upon Him.
If He hears the ravens cry |
IL His watchful eye
Marks the sparrow in its fall
Surely He will hear my call.
Such a sense of dependence never belit- |
ties the soul nor degrades 1t into beggary;
1t prays Thy kingdom come, Thy will be |
done" before 1t prays give me this day
my daily bread" A soul thus humbly |
trusting Christ as its friend. keeper and |
helper is an example of the sovereign grace
that humbles only that it may exalt. and |
ever seeks out the lowly and the unregard- !
ed and makes them heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ" The lost son In the far
country was humbled by his own unworthi- |
ness of behavior and station, yet he dared |
house. and it was because he was humble |
enough to say II am not worthy to be cali |
ed thy SON. that doubly gracious exal- |
tation was given him. The humblest |
among men can honor God by secret piety. |
1t is easy enough to make a religious pa
rade to the sound of beating cymbaIs
in the great assemblage and go through |
forms that we call Christian but it is quite |
another thing to really do good in secret |
and to honor God In the privacy of the soul. |
divine will for the great majority of the |
race, calm submission to it is far saner
than ambitious rebellion against It, 1t was |
Christ who said. Il delight to do Thy will, |
o my God" and that will, In which He de-
lighted meant for Him poverty. the car
penters toll, rejection and the cross. 1t is
written Precious In the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints'-al of His
saints. Even poor beggar like Lazarus, a
fifth sparrow, for whom Dives had only
rise from beggary to the very bosom of
God. accompanied by angelic escortage. 1t
is one of the great thoughts of the evangel
that those whom God has uplifted out OF
their lttleness of fortune and station to be
sharers of His grace and glory shall be
examples to angels and all other intelli
gences of what God can do for the hum
blest. Peter the common Gallean fisher
man. takes his pace beside Paul, the
scholar. al the right hand of Christ. See,
tben what Cod ,an do for fifth sDarrowsi