Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-07-19
Calnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Tslmage. ID. ID.


fragrant with the odors OF the summer
woods, we are taught the lesson of
Gods love and providence for all his
creatures. The text Is Luke Kit 6.
mot one of them is forgotten before
God"
What are Gods providences? "well,"
you answer, ito use plain, simple, prac-
teal, ineligible English, they mean
Gods watchful and protecting care
over his creatures. For instance. 1
have little baby born into the world.
do not go and leave my little one as
a founding upon some doorstep, with
the cold snow for a pillow and with
the whistling January winds for a
lullaby. But I, as loving parent,
take care that she has a soft crib In
which to sleep. AS she grows older I
care for her and provide for her until
at last she Is able to take care of her
self. Now, II do ali this for my child
i do fathers duty and prove myself
a provident parent. When we speak OF
Gods providences we speak about the
divine Fathers care for his human of
spring and for the preservation OF his
animal, vegetable and mineral world"
How comforting is the thought of
the divine carei Even Thomas Carlyle,
the gloomy, respondent philosopher,
felt it. In aletter to friend he wrote:
Thy will be done What else can
we say? The other night in my sleep
less tossings about, which were grow
ing more and more miserable, these
words Of that brief, grand prayer came
strangely into my mind as IL written
with an altogether new emphasis, as il
written and shining for me in mild.
pure splendOr on the black bosom of
the night there. Then l, as it were.
read them word by word with n sud-
den softness Of composure which was
unexpected. Not perhaps for thirty or
forty years had 1 once formally re-
peated that prayer-nay, 1 never felt
before how intensely the voice of mans
soul 1t is" What did Carlyle mean by
those sentences? He meant that man
as helpless child was reaching up to
God, because God. as a loving Father,
was always reaching down toward his
children.
But. though ] should always realize
that God Is loving Father caring for
me, his child, yet sometimes I am
willful enough to blind my eyes TO this
divine fact Therefore Christ comes
to me and says, "Child, would have
you learn the divine Fathers love
from study in natural history" Then
he takes me down into the busy mar
kets of Jerusalem where food is being
sold. he goes up to the counter of one
Cfo ND a.
How much is one of these little spar-
rows worth?" "Oh," answers the
clerk, ''these sparrows are worth
practically nothing, They are only a
few of the millions of small birds we
see flying about the hIllsides and In
the meadows and the woods. We sell
these birds to the poor, who cannot az
ford 10 buy mutton or lamb. Why. I
Will give you five of these little spar
rows for . farthings." Now.
farthng In Christ's time represented
the smallest OF copper coins. Its value
was far less than that of our modern
penny. Then Christ looks pityingly ON
me, troubled with doubt, and SAYS:
Are not five sparrows sold for .
farthings. or for 1 cent, and not one
or them is forgotten before God? Fear
not; We are OF more value than many
sparrows." Now, my friends, lest YOU
forget, as have sometimes forgotten.
that God Is loving Father caring for
You, his children, / thought that today
would tell you the story OF how God
Is providing for and protecting the lit
tie wild birds OF the woods. We have
often seen these little birds flying about
our country homes, but perhaps YOU
have never stopped to consider the
wonderful blessings that surround
their lives
Beautiful World.
In the first place, want you to cast
your eyes about and see the beautiful
world In which the little wild birds
live. These feathered denizens of the
woods seem small and insignificant.
They are so small that true sports
man would not deign TO waste car
fridge upon one OF them. But God does
not treat them as some of us do our
meniais He does not send his little
Dirus into dark room, as some OF us
make our servants sleep In musty gar
rets or In mattractive outhouses. But
God gives to his little birds the best he
has. He gives them the pure air of
the mountains to fly in. He gives them
the bright sparkling waters of the
brooks, glinted with sunshine and bub-
ping over the pebbled sands, to battle
in. He gives them the most beautiful
or choir lofts, hidden among the leaves.
TO sing In. He gives them the wild
roses and brilliant tints of the spring
ana summer flowers for their gardens.
He gives them the brilliant foliage of
the forest for picture galleries. He
surrounds them with the beauties of
nature everywhere. No grandeur of
the rocks Is too grand for the birds.
No symphonies of the winds are too
sweet for their musical ears to hear.
No exuberance OF colors IS too COR
geous for their tapestries. Everywhere
God seems to say to the birds. Though
you are Insignificant, yet your futter-
Ing hearts We're set In motion by nv
hand, and the best that I have Is
yours"
Now, IL the birds by their song thank
God for the beautiful world In which
they live, why should not we, Gods
children, thank him for the many tenn
poral blessings with which he has sur
rounded us? Why should we not thank
God for our clothes and our homes.
Tor our food and firesides and books
and education? Why should we not
thank him for the beautiful scenes of
nature? When we go into the home OF
wealthy man and see his picture gal
lery we marvel at the masterpieces
which the artists have painted for him.