The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-07-07

launched them. and God told them by |
what cave to swoop. This is the same God |
that 10 going to supply you. He is your
father. You would have to make an ella.
borate calculation before you could tell me |
how many pounds Of food and how many |
yards of clothing would be necessary for |
You and your family; but God knows with |
out calculation. You have plate at his |
table and you are going to be waited on,
unless you act like a naughty child and |
kick and scramble and pound saucily the
plate and try to upset things. God has a
vast family, and everything is methodized,
and you are going to be served If you will
only wait your turn. God has already or
dcred all the suits Of clothes you will ever
need, down to the last suit in which you
shall be laid out. God has already ordered
all the food you will ever eat, down to the
last crumb that will be put in your mouth
in the dying sacrament. 1t may not be
just the kind of food or apparel we would
prefer. The sensible parent depends on
his own judgment as to what ought to be
the apparel and the food of the minor in
the family. The chi Id would say
"Give me sugars and CONNECTIONS"
"Oh, no." says the parent, "you must
have something palmer first"
The child would say: "Oh, give me
these great blotches of color in the gar
ment."
NO." says the parent, shat wouldn't bs
suitable"
I'D Il foil nd
minors, and he is going to clothe us and
feed US, although he may not always yield
to our infantile wish for sweets and gilt.
ter These ravens of the text did not
bring pomegranates from the glittering
platter of King Ahab. They brought
bread and meat. God had all the Heavens
and the earth before him and under him,
and yet he sends this plain food, because
1t was best for Elijah to have it. Oh, be
strong, my nearer, II the fact that the
same God is going to supply you! 1t is
never "hard times" with him. His ships
never break on the rocks. His banks
never fail. He has the supply for you and
He has the means for sending it. He has
not only cargo but the ship. Fit were
necessary He would swing out from the
Heavens flock of ravens reaching from
his gate to yours, until the food would be
flung down from the sky from beak to
beak and from talon to talon.
Notice again in this story of the text,
that the ravens did not allow Elijah to
hoard up a surplus They did not bring
enough on Monday to last all the week.
They did not bring enough one morning
to last until the next morning. They
came twice day and brought just enough
for one time. You know as we'll as that
the great fret of the world is that we want
a surplus-we want the ravens to bring
enough to last for fifty years. You have
more confidence In the Fulton Bank or the
Nassau Bank or Bank of England than
you have in the bank Of heaven. You
say:
"All that is very poetic, but you may
have the black ravens; give me the gold
eagles"
We had better be contented with just
enough. II in the morning your family
eat up all the food there is in the house,
do not sit down and cry and say:
~ don't know where the next meal Is to
come FROM"
About five or six or seven O'Clock in the
morning, just look up and you will see
two black spots on the sky, and you will
hear the Tapping of wings, and instead Of
Edgar A. Poe's insane raven alighting on
the chamber door, "only this and nothing
more," you will find Elijah's two ravens,
| 1, txryO 81 1~l
bringing bread and the other bringing
meat-plumed butcher and baker.
God is infinite in resource. When the
city of Rochelle was besieged and the in
habitants were dying of the famine, the
tides washed up on the beach as never be-
to feed the whole city. God is good.
There is no mistake about that. History
tells us that in 1855 in England there was
great drouth. The crops failed, but in
Essex, on the rocks, in place where they
had neither sown nor cultured, great
crop Of peas grew until they filled hum
dred measures; and there were blossom.
ing vines enough promising as much
more.
But why 20 so fart l can give you q
family incident. Some generations back
there was great drought in Connecticut
New England. The water disappeared
from the hills, and the farmers living or
the hills drove their cattle down toward
the valleys and had them supplied at the
wells and fountains Of the neighbors. But
these after awhile tegan to fail, and tn,
neighbors said to Mr.. Birdseye, of whom
shall speak:
"You must not send your focks ant
herds down here any more, our wells ar
} giving out"
M. Birdseye, the old Christian ma,
gathered his family at the altar, and will
his family he gathered the slaves Of tn,
household-for bondage was then il
vogue in Connecticut-and on their knee
before God they cried for water; and tn
family story is that there was weeping ant
great sobbing at that altar that the family
might not perish for lack of water, ant
that the herds and Rocks might not perish
The family rose from the altar. Mr.. Birds
, eye, the old man, took his staff and walke,
out over the hills, and in place where b
had been scores of times without noticing
any thing particular, he saw the groun'
; was very dark, and he took his staff ant
turned up the ground, and water started
and he beckoned to his servants, and the,
came and they brought pals and bucket
until all the family and all the focks an,
the herds were cared for, and then the,
made troughs reaching from thar plac
down TO the house and barn, and the wa
ter flowed and it 10 living fountain to
day.