The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-01-05
A SUNDAY TALK.


are not aFe sparows sold Tor farthing. and not
one Of them is forgotten before Godi-st. Luke.
xiiS.
Jesus. preaching TO HIS disciples and
striving to fit them for the glorious work
which lay before them and which was to
permeate and civilize the earth, never
wearied Of impressing upon them the doc
trine that in the Sight Of God nothing
that affected human nature could be re-
garded as insignificant Always He im-
pressed upon them the lesson Of the
eternal goodness Of COD. in this. making
marked departure from the teachings
of the old Hebrew prophets who had
talked grandIloquently of the might os
the Lord Of Hosts and had reveled in
stories of how He was ever ready to
punish the erring with the sword and the
fame
At The time at which He was speaking
there was probably nothing cheaper sold
than sparrows-hve for a faFthing; and
Jesus used these as an Illustration of
how nothing was wasted IN the sight Of
God. Even the old pagans seemed to
have realized the goodness of the Eternal
Father, for Epictetus asked:
Is God. then. careless Of His instruments. His
servants His witnesses whom alone He useth TO
show forth 10 the untsught what lie is and that
He governs al things we'll and is not careless Of
human things. and that 90 a good man there Is no
evil. neither in lie nor in deeths NJ man is
orphan, but there is an Eternal Father VINO eareih
for all.
And that, I take It, is the inner mean
ing OF the verse quoted above. a meaning
that in our care and anxiety over material
things we are too likely 20 forget
What I think we need to remember
always is that God exercises a special
providence which reaches TO the minutest
affairs Of the most insignificant man. In
strength and happiness and good condi-
ton We may say as well that our saliva
ton lies In cur own hands. and that
/ Providence is but an unmeauing general
/ IFS. but into the life of every man there
shall come time Of trial and tribulation
and suffering when he must recognize
/ the fact that it is not men or mundane
affairs, but God alone who Is dealing
with him-that there is no help in him
/ self but in God alone Let us believe
with Froude that
/ Christ cousecrates our birth. He strengthens MS
IS we 60 forward He raises as when fail
! Last u ALL when time is drawing 10 It's close with
I us-when life is past when The w05k Is done, ana
I the daFR gate Is near beyond which the garden 81
eternal home is waiting 70 receive ms, His tender
/ care has not forsakcn rs lie tried The agony az
/ the moment and he sweetens the cup for us before
We drink IT,
To think thus Is "a begin TO live life
sanely and wholly. and to have a right
to look forward cxpectantly and hope
fully toward the end To feel that one
is in Gods hand. that His care is always
over US; that IL is TO Him alone who
knows ali our strength and recognizes
/ the depth Of our weakness, that we have
/ TO account-thls il Is 10 walk always M
\ His way and 10 walk surely
I God is good. and what he does is well
done. and knowing this and having faith
you can safely resign yourself 10 God S
/ will, even to happiness. To believe IN a
good. fatherly God. who edUcates as, who
! tempers the wind TO the shou lamb.
who takes count even OF the FIVE spaTTows
sold for a faTthiHg who Furnishes only
when He must, and takes away only with
/ regret: this thought. this faith, this con-
viction. viii enable us to walk the path
Of life with docency. honesty, courage,
and security
/ He does not reveal all Of Himself to US.
/ His mysteries lie all about our feet, and
not one of them can Nc explain. We
have 10 live by Faith, His faith. and trust
TO time which shall make all things
/ known: