The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-02-16
THE PULPIT.
4 BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
Or. SPENCER S. ROCHE.
Subject: Lessons OF EIuah's Life.

Brooklyn. y. Y.-At ST. Marks L. +.
Church. the Rev. Dr. Spencer Summer
field Roche. the rector. preached Sun
day on Lessons From Eliiah's Life"
The text was from |. Kings. xix:9:
And he came thither, unto a cave"
DR.. Roche said:
pse lessons present quite fully the
life OF that grand old prophet Elijah
the Tishhite. From a sublime scene in
his life l shall attempt 10 draw such
lessons as may NJ the hour. Let us Sc
lect the moment when his soul yearned
10 be on Horeb. the mount OF God.
Give your thoughts 10 this statement,
And he came thither, unto a cave"
l shall speak OF the coming and OF
the cavern; of the grief the journey
brought 10 view. and the glory the cav
ern revealed. Throughout we must re-
member that we study a typical case
of Almighty Gods dealing with His
discouraged servants. What the Lord
said and did 10 Elijah. He would have
us believe He says and does TO our
selves.
From one of the most striking situa-
ticns in history we are TO see Elijah
hurled in an instant. The occasion of
his fan was one Of the slightest OF in
Cidents, as when an avalanche which
carries down the side of a mountain is
started 10y the waves OF the air aroused
by tourists halloo. Ahab talked with
his wife. We have seen greatness OF
character in reticence. as when 10 the
numerous interrOgatOrieS of Plate the
Son OF Man answered him never a
word so me8nnesS, cowardice are
seen often in that easy fow OF words
which lets out everything. A wife
may tell her husband what he has no
business 10 know; a man may make
himself contemplate blabbing every
thing 10 his wife. "Ahab told JoZebel
all that Elijah had done and withal
how be had slain the prophets with the
sword | do not understand he spoke
in wrath or male; quite the contrary;
he knew ne had tigreSS 10 deal with.
and used oil the tact his lean wit could
summon. He was AFRAID 10 tell her
that he himself had abandoned the
sinking cause Of the BaaliteS. He di-
Vided his matters, putting the small
things hrst; last Of all-her beloved
ministers of falSehOOd and fraud were
slain. The tigreSS rolled her angry
eyes and showed her cruel teeth. She
sent this message 10 Elii"h: THE gods
90 50 10 me and more also If | make
not thy life as the life OF one of them
by tomorrow about this time" JCze-
beIs blood was mp. lie arse and
went for his life" The man who had
confronted the king and his armed re-
taincrs fed terrified from woman.
There is lesson here for all. Lies
victories only lift us to new battlefields.
One Of Elijah's mistakes was his sup
position that all would go well If one
event resulted favorably. He succeed
ed beyond his wild ST DIR cams only TO
find his real troubles yet TO begin
So we regard the Office To which we
hope TO be elected, the partnership we
are anxious to form, the fifty or hun
dred thousand we are striving for
When the great achievement is won
we are simply like the army landed on
a hostile shore under the guns Of the
feet Shut up for weeks in narrow
quarters, tossed by the sea. fed on
ships fare, the men long for the land
with its fruit and forage. The JOY of
the landing is quickly exchanged for
the sense Of insecurity and the fear OF
sudden attack.
at Beersheba. Even there he was full
OF alarm. He fed into deeper solitude
The farther he fled the lower sank his
spirits. See his awful CONSERVATION
in his inconsistency with regard 10 life
de had run away 10 save ii. Under
the juniper tree he begged ii might be
taken. So low is Elijah fallen. No
for the second stage of TIE journey
The prOphC1 is broke. down. He
thinks the end has come See how God
cheered His disconSolate servant
First He took care Of Elijah's body.
The prophet was fatigued. famlshed
spent. Natural law carrying out di-
vine purpose caused the pining and
signing to bring slumber.
The discouraged Christian can often
do worse than lie down and take a nap.
When the world Is too much for u.
when the strain and worry seem as If
they would never cease. when the dis
appointment is bitter. when the letter
comes destroying our hopes. when be-
reavement leaves the heart desOlatc.
heaven guides the afflicted soul 10 calm
and quiet and the peace Of submission
$50 He g.veth His beloved sleep"
Next God fed Elijah. AN angel
touched hlm and said: Arise and cat
And behold there was at his head
cake baken on the Goals and a cruise of
water Our depres sion has AT times
an intensely physical basis. Our Lord
fed the multitude before Hc instructed
them. \ full stomach IS not always
the sigh Of a pure heart. but who
doubts that IL we could give one good
meal 10 the wretched creatures infest-
ing the streets OF cities We might begin
in some OF them the salvation from sin
Elijah slept and ate and slept ana
ate again. The repOse was natural. the
repsst supernatural. but the lessons are
universally applicable. Gained and
strengthened. his holy spirit rea sserted
itself. He would see HDreb the Mount
OF God.
And he came thlther. unto n cave"
Notice the parallel with Moses. These
two who were united in pOst-mor;em
-.