Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-07-03

most unexpected quarter. The provi-
dence which seemed ominous will be to
you more than that which seemed aus
p%icious. 1t will not be Il chailinclr with
breast and wing dashed with white and
brown and chestnut. it will be a black
ave
Here is where we all make our mis-
take, and that is in regard to the color
OF Gods providence. A white provi-
dence comes to us and we say: ..Oh,
it is mercy" Then a black providence
toward us and we say: .'Oh.
that is disaster!" The white provi-
dencc comes to you and you have great
business success. and you have $50, 900,
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 is inappropriate for you,
for you have made provision for a hum
dred years. Then a black providence
comes, and it sweeps everything away.
and then you. begin to pray, and you
begin to
FEEL ~ DEPENDENCE,
and begin to be humble before God,
and you cry out for treasures in heaven.
The black providence brought you
salvation. The white providence
brought you ruin. That which seemed
to be harsh and fierce and d~issonant
was your greatest mercy. Il was 4
raven.
There was a child born in your
house. All your friends congratulated
you. The other children of the family
stood amazed looking at the wcom
and asked a great many questions,
genealogical and chronological. You
said-and you said truthfully-that "A
white angel flew through the room and
left the little one there. That little one
stood with its two feet in the very GEN.
ter 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 scourges of chill
drcn-scarlet fever, or Group, or diph-
theria-and all that bright scene van
ished. The chattering, the strange
questions, the pulling At the dresses as
YOU crossed the floor-all ceased. As
the great friend of children stopped
down and leaned towards that cradle,
and took the little one in his arms and
walked away with it into the bower of
ETERNAL SUMNER,
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
once a week, as 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 wait
ing for the daybreak. 1t is not self
righteousness in you to acknowledge
that you are a better man than you
used to be-you are a better woman
than you used to be. What was it that
brought you the sanctifying blessing?
Oh, it was the dark shadow on the nur-
sery: it was the dark shadow on the
short grave; it was the dark shadow on
your broken heart; it was the brood
ing OF a great black trouble; it
was a raven-it was a raven. Dear
Lord, teach this people that
white providences do not always mean
advancement. and that black provi-
dences do not always mean retrogres-
sion.
Children Of God. get up out of your
dependency. The Lord never had SO
MANY ravens as he has this morning
Fling your fret and worry to the winds
Sometimes under the vexations of life
you feel like my little girl of four years,
who said under some childish vexation:
'.Oh, / wish | could go to heaven and
see God and pick flowers. Until then,
whatever you want,
PRAY FOR.
l suppose Elijah prayed pretty much
all the time. Tremendous work be
bind him. Tremendous work before
him. God has no spare ravens for
idlers or for people who are prayer
less. / put it in the boldest shape pos
sible and I am willing to risk my eter-
nifty on it; ask God in the right way
for what you want, and you shall have
it if it is best for you Mrs. Jane
Pithey of Chicago, a well-known Chris
tian woman, was left by her husband n
widow with one half dollar and a cot
tage. She was palsied and had a
mother ninety years of age to support.
The widowed soul asked God every
day for all that was needed in the
household and the servant even was
astonished at the precision with which
God answered the prayers of that wo-
man, item by item, item by item. One
day rising from the family alter the
servant said: you have not asked
or coal and the coal is out" Then
they stood and prayed for the coal.
One hour after that the servant threw
open the door and said: 1.-The coal has
come" A generous man whose name
/ could give you, had sent-as never
before and never since-a supply of
coal. You cannot understand. | do.
Ravens! Ravens!
My friend. you have a right to argue
f'om precedent that God is going to
take care Of you. Has He not done ii
two or three times every day. That
is most marvellous. / look back and |
wonder that God has
GIVEN ME- FOOD
three times a day regularly all my life
- I..x ~.a M tkA,