, 1886-07-11

~ - Ht pttAptlFa W LIN &C fof > hifA
they brough: pal S and buck It's until n tue
family ami all the flock. a d the herds were
cared for. and then they made trou-hs
reaching from that p ace down to the house
and barn, and tie water h,weI, and it Is n
liv ng iount1ii I -drv.
Now. I call that oil grandfather, Ell h,
and { II that brook that | o an to roll then.
and Il rolling still. the brook Cherith; and
the lesson 10 me and to all who hear 1t, il
when y u are in great stress OF circum-
stances pray and dig. dig and pray. and
rrny and dig. How does that pas ige GOT
Tue mountains shall dep ,rt an the hills
be remov d. but my | v.ng kindn 'ss shall
not fail" II your merchandise. II your
mecharism. il your hus an Try fail. look OFT
for raven. II you have in your desro d.
encv pit Col on trial mi cord mined Him
as guilty OF cruelty, / move this morning
for a new triIL If the b osraphy d
your life Il ever written. will
tell you what tho first chanter
and fha mi Idle chapter and the last chapter
w II he fbout. II it is writ en- accurately.
The first chanter aNout mercy. the mi'fl'
chapter about mercy, iha last chapter ahou.
mercv. Tle mercy that hoverel over your
cradle. The m,rcy that will hov'r over
your grave. Ths mercy that will cover all
between.
Again, this story OF the text imprrsses mo
that relief came to this prophet with the
most UNEXPECTED. and with seemingly i'm
pc. sible conveyance. II it had been a robin
reubreast or n musical meadow larS. or n
meek turtle dove or a sublime a ibatross that
had brought the food to E ijah. it would
not havs been so surprising. Bat
no. 1t was a bird so fierce and
inauspicate that we have fashioned one
OF our most TO ceful and repuls We words out
OF it-rlvc ious. That bird has a passion for
pick ng out the eyes OF men and Of amin lis.
IL loves to mau the sick and the d ling. 1t
swallows with vu'turous guzz Q ev ryth'ng
it can put its b a on; and yet a ! the f.o
that Ell jah gets for six months of n wear is
from ravens Your supply is going to como
from m unexpected source. You think
some g~r9at-he irted. generous man wi | come
alon , and give you his name on the bac ( OF
your note. or he will go security for you in
some great enterprise No, he will mot
Gbi will open the heart OF some S iy.ock
toward you. Your re ief will come from
tn. most unexpected quarter. The provi-
d nee which seemed ominous will be to you
more than That which seemed su .piciols. 1t
W 1 not b, n chafllnch, with b east a d wing
dashed with viii e an brown and CHI .stnu
it will b. a blac raveL
Here is where we NIL make our mistake,
and that is in regard to the col ,r OF Coils
providence. A white providence comes to
us md we saw; 20. it 4, mercyf' Then a
black providence comes toward ms AMI We
say: 20 that Is di>asteri" The White
providence comes 10 you, and Won have
great business success. and YOU nave 5000.
an voi get pho I'd, and YOU get indep .ndent
of God. and you begin To feel that the
prayer. ''giv me this dlv my daily br .ad,"
+ "
mada PR vision for q hun Ire years. Then a
black providence comes, and sweeps every
thing away, and then YOU begin 10 pray,
and vou begin In feel your deperdence. and
iegin to b. humble before God, and you cry
out for irea' ureS in heaven The black
p ovid nc, brought you salvat'oL Ire
white Providence brourh YOU ru II. That
VIII CHI seemed tn be harsh and fiercs and
dis son1nt was your greatest mercy. It was
a raw n.
There was a child born in your housa. All
your friend. conrra ulated you. The other
chi dren o the family stood amaz,d, looking
at the new conner. anil as ed n great many
questions. & theological and chrono,orical
You 81 d-,nd you sail truthful.y-.hnt n
While angel hsw t irou N the no nm anil left
the it'll, one tlere. That f,tIe one stood
with its two fee In the very center of your
efUrluurY VI HlttllOn. an WIN IT'S Two
han l. it to- k ho.d of The aliarof your soul.
But one day Their. cau~-one OF the three
SC 'ur,es II clild'-n-sc1riet fever, or croup.
or diphther.r-1nd all that bright scene
vanished. The cha iering, the strange cues
tlons. The : uling at the dresses as you cross ID
the n oral, ceased. As the great fri n of
chi dram stoo ell down and leaned towards
that crndl-, an TOOK the little one in his
arms and wilSed away with It into ,hs
bower Of eternal summer. yo IT eve be-an 10
follow II m. and you fol owed the treasure
H. cirri d. and you have been following
them ever since; md instead OF thinking Of
heaven only once a week. as formerly. YOU
ar. thinking II L. all the Tina. AMI you are
more pure mn lender hea tel than you used
to be, and you are pat entity Whiting for the
dlyb etS. L. is not Sc f ighieousness in you
10 acknowledge that you are a bet .er
m n than you used 10 be-y,u are a
be ter wo an than you used to lie. What
was it that brought YOU tue sanctifving
bless.ngl Oh. IL was the dark hadow on
the nur ,erv; it was the dark shadow on the
s OF grave; 1t WIS thu darK shadow on your
broken heart; it WINS the breeding OF a great
black trouble; IL was a raven-it was a
rnvenl Dear Lord. leach ih S p opl, that
white prov.denc S do not always me N a l.
valcement, an that b ack provi.ences do
not always mea1 retro rresson
Children of God. GIT up out Of your de-
sponIency. TIE Lord never had so many
raNons as He has this morning. Fling your
fret md worry 10 the winds. Sometimes
under the vexat ons OF life you feel | Ike my
htt e girl o years, wi said. unler some
cnildi.h vexation. 20. wish | could go to
heaven an see God and pick fowersr He
will le- you go when the right tim, comes
TO pick flowers. Until then, whatever You
want, ray for. l suppose E jih praye |
preuy much all the I me. Tremen lous work
beh II him Tremendous work b lore nin.
God has no spare ravens for id ers or Tor
PEOPLE who are prayer .ess IpIt il in tho
b lest shape poss. BILE. and / am willing
10 RISK my eternity on 1t: Ask Col
in the right way for what , Oh want. anil YOU
shall have 1t II it is best Tor you. Mr. Jane
PIhev. OF Chicago. a wei known Carl tian
woman. was Jeff by Ter husband a widow
with one hal dollar and a cottage. She was
palsied and had n mo.h r 90 years of age 10
support The widowed soul every day asked
God for all that was needed in the house
ho.d, and the servant even was astonished
ut The precision with which God answered
the prayers OF ihtt woman, it-in by item.
item by item One d y. rising from the
family altar. the servant said: ''You nave
not aske1 ( r coal, and the coal is outn Tnen
they stood and p aged for the cal One
hour nf err that the servant threw open the
door and said: This coal has come" A
generous man, whose rame / coul give you,
had sent-as never before and never since
a supply of coal You cannot understand it
do. Rlvensi Ravensi
My frien |. you have a right to argue
from precedent that God is going to take
care OF you. Has He not done II two or
~ na-
ve.ous. l luok back ard l wonder that
Col has givel me fool three times u day
regularly all my lifetime. never missing Tut
once anil then was lost In the mountain;
lut that very morning and that very night
i me tue ravens.