The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-08-06

he last chapter win b about. II Il 4
written accurately. The first ohsptsr
about mercy, the middle chapter about
mercy, the last chapter about mercy, The
mercy that lowered over your cradle.
The mercy that will hover over your
grave. The mercy that viii cover ali be-.
tween.
Again, this story Of the text impresses
me that relief came to this prophet with
the most unexpected and with seemingly
impossible conveyance. II it had been .
robin-redhreast or q musical meadow lark
or meek turtle dove or a sublime al.
oatross that had brought the food to
Elijah, 1t would not have been so surpris.
ing. But no. 1t was bird SO fierce and
inauspicate that We have fashioned one Of
our most forceful and repulsive words out
OF it-ravenous. That bird has a passion
Tor picking out the eyes of men and of
animals. 1t loves to maui the sick and the
dying. 1t swallows with vulturous euxxle
everything 1t can put its bea X on; and vet
all the food Elijah gets for six months
or year u from ravens. So your supply
going to come from an unexpected
source. You think some great hearted,
generous man will come along and give
you his name on the back of your note, or
he will go security for you in some great
enterprise. No, he will not. God will
open the heart of some Shylock toward
You. Your relief will come from the most
unexpected quarter. The providence
which seemed ominous will be to you more
than that which seemed suspicious. Il
viii not be . chafiinch with breast and
wing dashed with white and brown and
chestnut. It will be Q black raven.
Here is where we all make our mistake,
and that Is in regard to the color OF Gods
providence. A white providence comes to
us and we say: "Oh. it is mercy!" Then
black providence comes toward rs, and
We say:"Oh, that is disasterw The white
providence comes to you, and you have
great business success. and you have $50.
O0O, and you get proud, and you get indie.
pendent Of God, and you begin to feel that
the prayer. "Give me this day my daily
bread" Ii Inappropriate for you, for you
have made provisions for hundred years.
Then . black providence comes. and it
sweeps every thing away, and then you
begin to pray, ard you begin to feel your
dependence, and begin to humble before
God, and you cry out for treasures in
Heaven. The black providence brought
Won salvation. The white providence
brought you ruin. That which seemed
to be harsh and fierce and dissonant wAs
your greatest mercy. It was raven.
There was child born in your house
All your friends congratulated you. The
other children Of the family stood amazed
looking at the newcomer, and asked q
great many questions, genealogical and
chronological You said-and you said
truthfuily THAT . white angel few
through the room and left the little one
there. That little one stood with its two
feat IN the very center Of your sanctuary
Of affection, and with its two hands it
took hold of the altar Of your soul. But
one day there came one Of the three
scourgss Of children-scarlet fever, or
Group, or diphtheria-and all that bright
scene vanished. The chattering, the
strange questions, the pulling at the
dresses ~ you crossed the floor all ceased.
A. the great friend Of children stopped
down and leaned toward that cradle, and
took the little one In his arms, and walked
away with IL into the bower of
eternal summer, your eye began to
follow him. and you followed the
treasure he carried and you have been
following them ever since; and instead Of
thinking Of Heaven only once . week. a.
formerly, you are thinking of It all the
time, and you are more pure and tender
hearted than you used to be, and you are
patiently waiting for the daybreak. It 10
not self-righteousness in you to acknowl-
edge that You are . better man than You
used to be-you are better woman than
you used to be. What was IL that brought
you the sanctifying blessingi Oh, it was
the dark shadow ON the nursery; it was
the brooding OF = great black trouble; IL
was . raven-it was = raven! Dear Lord,
teach this people that white providences
do not always mean advancement, and
that black providsnces do not always
mean rstrogression.
Children Of God. get up out Of your de-.
spondency. The Lord never had 10 many
ravens as he has this morning. Fling
your fret and worry to the winds. Some
times under the VIBRATIONS of life you feel
like my little girl Of four years, Who said
under some childish vexation: "Oh, I wish
could 60 TO Heaven and see God and
pick nowersW He win let you 60 when
the right time comes to pick flowers. Or.
I'll tAsn, whatever You want, pray for.
suppose Elijah prayed pretty much all
the time. Tremendous work behind him.
Tremendous work before him. God has
no spare ravens for idlers or for people
whO are praysrlsss. put It in the boldest
shape possible and ] am willing 10 risk
my eternity on IL; ask God in the right
way for what you want, and you shall
have Il Il Il q best for you.
Ny friend. Won have . right to argue
from pescsdsnt that God b going to take
care Of you Has He not done Il two or
three times every dayf That's most mar
vslous- look back and I wonder that God
has given me food three times : day reg.
ularly Ill my lifetime, never missing bus
once, and thsn I was lost in the mount.
aims; but that very morning and that very
night I met the ravens.
o, The Lord II - good that ! wish all
this people would trust Him with the two
livss-ths life you are now living and that
which every tick Of the watch and every
4, s~D. 4