The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-08

wouldn't be we'll for you. You tnust take
something palmer first" The child might
say: ''Give me nothing but great blot:hes OF
color in my garments. 70" the parenp
would say, 'that wouldn't be appropriate;
that wouldn't be beautiful" The parent de-
cides for the child what is best for him to
cat, and what is best for him to wear. Now,
God is our father, and we are minors OF the
family, and he is going to feed us and clothe
us, although he may not always gratifv our
infantile wishes for sweets and glitter These
ravens did not bring ponegranates from the
silver platter of King Ahab for Elijah. They
brought bread and meat; the very best thing,
the very best food. Elijah was going to have
hard time, and God wanted him to be
stout and strong. and he gives him stout
food. They did not bring cake or
pie or custard, but bread and meat, sub
stantial diet. And God is going to supply
us. He does not promise us the luSurles
which sometimes kill the body, but he prom
ises us food, and you have right to take
courage. God has no hard times in His his
tory. His ships never break Oh the rocks.
food, but He has the mode Of conveyance: not
only the bread, but the ravens; and if in
order to satisfy you it were necessary, God
would send out Of the heavens a great flock
of ravens, reaching from his gate to yours, so
that the food could be flung down the sky
from beak to beak and from talon to talon.
Though troubles assaif and dEdgers afrlght
Though treasures all fail, ard foes all unite,
Yet one thing assures us, whatever betde,
The Scripture assures us the Lord will pro-
vide"
Notice also, in regard to these winged
caterers, these black servants of the sky, and
in regard to this whole question brought be-
fore us, that nothing could Elijah hoard
up as surplus. The raven did not bring
enough one morning to last a month, they
did not bring enough one morning to last
until the next morning. They brought
enough in the morning to last until the even
ing, and they brought enough in the evening
, last until the morning. Twice day.
':And they brought bread and flesh to him
iu the morning. and bread and flesh to him
in the evening" In other words, they brought
Just enough. Oh wish we could all learn tEat
lesson. You know the great struggle OF the
world is for a surplus. 1t is not merely
enough for this week, or this year, but 1t Is
more faith in the Nassau Bank, the Fulton
Bank, the Bank OF England, than in the
Royal Bank Of Heaven. You say: "ihat
Is all very poetic; you can take the black
ravens; give me the gold ca yles." IL IN the
morning the food b exhausted, do not sit
down after breakfast md say: II don't
know where the next meal is to come from"
= but go out, look up into the sky, and you
will see two ravens, not like the insane
raven Of Edgar A Poe, alighti1g on ms
chamber door "Only this and nothing more"
but Elijah's two ravens, the Lords two
ravens, the one bringing bread, the ,other
bringing meat. Plumed butcher and baker.
Oh, how good God is, and how great are His
resources! When the city Of Rochelle was
besieged, and the inhabitants were dying OF
famine, history tells US that he saw washed
,,,o, +ba haooh pavar hefOre and never
since, enough shell-fish to feed the whole
city. God Is good, God is gracious, God Is
bountiful In 1856, in England, there was
great drought, and in Essex among the rocks
where there has been nothing planted and
nothing cultured, history tells us there came
up great crop Of peas, enough to I'LL hun
dred measures, and there were enough dos
God is good, God is gracious If people would
only trust him. I need not goso far. could
90 to this audien,e and find 500 instances
this morning in your family histories, Illus
trating that God takes care Of His dear
children The morning left home to earn
my own livelihood, my father sat on
the front seat, and I sat on the back
seat, and felt sad on leaving home, and my
father had a way Of improving clrcum-
stances, and he said to me: "De Witt, am
an old man now, but want to tell you one
thing; have during the course OF my life
come up to my last dollar; but when that
was spent, God always provided. Trust the
Lord and you will never want any good
thing" Was not that good thing to say to
a boy just starting out in the world! have
found it true In my family line there was
an incident that I tried to mention, but l
only had part Of the facts. Ihave them now
fresh from q member Of my own family.
There was great drought up in New Eng
gland, in Connecticut, and the crops were
failing, and the cattle were dying for lack Of
water. Mr.. Birdseye, Christian man, had
his cattle and herds driven down into the
valleys to get water. This went on for a
Birdseye, you mustn't send your cattle down
here to use our waters: our waters are fail
ing US; we are all going to die together; do
not send your herds and focks down
here any more" So Mr.. Birdseye
went back to his house on the
hill, and he called his family together, and
he called slaves-for slavery wasin vogue
in Connecticut.and he read passage OF
Scripture, and then they all knelt down and
prayed God for water; and the family story
Is that there was great sobbing and weep
lug at the family altar because the herds
were perishing and there was prospect that
the family would die of thirst. They arose
from their knees, and Mr. Birdseye took
staff and walked out over the hills, hardly
knowing why or where he walked, and
going along place where he had been scores
Of times, and never noticed anything especial,
he saw that the ground was very dark, and
he thrust his staff into it, and bored into it,
and water flowed forth. He beckoned to his
slaves and his servants to come. and he told
them to bring buckets and to bring pails, and
they were brought, and water was taken to
the house, and taken to the barn, and then
trough was placed there and larger eScava-
&., md
aud in larger volume, and have been
pouring in ever since. It Is a
perennial spring that Is pouring
now I call that old great-grandfather
Elijah, and call the brook that started that
day and has been running ever since, Cherith.
aud the lesson for you and for me Is, that
when we are in any kind of distress, we must
pray and dig, and pray and dig, and dig and
pray, and pray and dig. How does that pas.
sage 20? "rhe mountains shall depart and
the hills be removed. but my loving kindness
shall not fail" II you put God on trial and
condemn Him for being guilty OF cruelty, to-
day I move new trial. If your biography
is ever written. I can tell you what the first
chapter will be about. and the second chap
tor, and the middle chapter, and the last
chapter, if it is written accurately. The first
chapter will be 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 hovers over all be-
tween.
eve may like the ships by tempest be toss'd,
On perilous deeps, but cannot be lost:
Though satan enrages the wind and the tide,
The promise assures US the Lord will lprovide."
My subject also gives to me more strik-
ing and impressive lesson; and that is. that
relief is apt to come in an unexpected and
seemingly impossible conveyance. If it had