Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-07-18
Calnnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. D.

Los Angeles. Cal, July 14.-In this !
sermon, melodious with the songs and
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 xii, 6,
Not one of them IL forgotten before
God"
What are Gods providences? "Well,"
you answer, Ito use plain, simple, prac
teal. NEGLIGIBLE English, they mean
Gods watchful and protecting care
over his creatures. For instance,
have a 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 whlstling January winds for a
lullaby. But l, as a loving parent,
take care that she has soft crib in
which TO sleep. AS she grows older
care for her and provide for her until
at last she is able to take care of her
self. Now, If do all this for my child
do a fathers duty and prove myself
provident parent. When we speak of
Gods proridences we speak about the
divine Fathers care for his human off
spring and for the preservation Of his
animal, vegetable and mineral world
How comforting is the thought of
the divine care. Even Thomas Carlyle,
the gloomy, respondent philosopher,
felt II. In "A letter 10 friend he wrote:
THY will he done What else car
3 ri.
less tosslngS about, which were grow
ing more and more miserable, these
words of that brief, grand prayer came
strangely into my mind as If written
with an altogether new emphasis, as If
written and shining for ne in mild,
pure splendor on the black bosom Of
| the night there Then I, ms 1t were,
road them word by word with a sud
| den softness of composure which was
unexpected. Not perhaps for thirty or
| forty years had once formally re-
peated that prayer-nay. I never felt
before how intensely the voice Of mans
soul it is" What did Carlyle mean by
those sentences? He meant that man
rs helpless child was reaching IN 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 | am
willful enough to blind my eyes 10 this
divine fact. Therefore Christ comes
10 me and says, Child, l would have
YOU learn the divine Fathers love
from study in natural history" Then
he takes me down into the busy mar
knts of Jerusalem where food IS being
sold He goes up to the counter of one
Of the stalls and says TO the salesman,
How much is one Of these little spar
rows WORTH" ooh" 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
ford to buy mutton or lamb. Why, I
will give you five of these little spar
rows for 2 farthngs." Now 4
farthing in Christs 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 l cent and not ono
of them is forgotten before God? Fear
not: We are of more value than many
, sparrows" Now. my friends, lest you
forget. as l have sometimes forgotten
that God is a loving Father caring fol
you. his children. l 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 abou
our country homes, but perhaps yoJ
, have never stopped to consider the
wonderful blessings that surround
their lives.
a A Beautiful World.
, In the first place, want you to cas-
A your eyes about and sce the beautiful
I world in which the little wild bird:
= live These feathered denizens Of tn,
= woods seem small and insignificant
/, They are so small that true sports
man would not dcign to waste car
fridge upon one Of them. But God doe
not treat them as some OF us do OIL
. ! mcnials. He does not send his littl
: birds into q dark room, as some of II
make our servants sleep in musty gar
rets or in unattractlve outhouses. Blu
God gives to his little birds the best h
has. lie gives them the pure air o
the mountains to fly in. He gives then
- the bright, sparkling waters OF til
brooks. gllnted with sunshine and bull