Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-07-20
C.,alnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage. ID. ID.

icrlnOn, melOulOuS Win tne songs anu
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, &,
Not one OF them is forgotten before
Cod"
What are Gods providences? "Well,"
you answer, "to use plain, simple, prac-
teal, Ineligible 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
founding upon some doorstep, with
the cold snow for II pillow and with
the whistlfng January winds for
lullaby. But J. as Il loving parent,
take care that she has n 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
l do a fathers duty and prove myself
a provident parent. When we speak Of
Gods prOvidcnces 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, despondent philosopher.
felt It, In letter 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 If written
with an altogether new emphasis, as If
written and shining for me In mild,
pure splendor on the black bosom of
the nigh. there. Then l, as it were,
read 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 1t is." What did Carlyle mean by
those sentences? He meant that man
as helpless child was reaching up to
God, because God, as loving Father,
was always reaching down toward his
children
But. though | should always realize
that God is n loving Father caring for
me. his child, yet sometimes | 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
of the stalls and says to the salesman,
"IIow much is one of these little spar
rows worth?" "Oh," answers the
clerk. these sparrOws are worth
practically nothing, They are only n
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 ar
ford TO buy mutton or lamb. Why, |
will give you five of these little spar
rows for farthingS." Now, a
farthlng 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 2
farthings, or for ] cent, and not one
of 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 n 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.
A Beautiful World.
In the first place, want you to cast
| vour evos ahout and see the beautiful