St. Landry democrat., 1886-07-10
The mercy that will cover al be-

grave. The mercy that will cover al be-
tween.
Again, this story OF the text impresssa
me that relief came to this prophet with
the most unexpected and with seemingly
impossible convey ance. II 1t had been
robin -redbreast or a musical meadow lark
or a meek turtle dove or a sublime al
batross that had brought the food to
Elijah it 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 passion
for picking out the eyes of men and of
animals. 1t loves to maui the sick and the
diving. 1t swallows with vulturous guzzle
everything it can put its beak on; and yet
all the food Elijah gets for six months
or year is from ravens. So your supply
is 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. 1t
will not be a chaffinch with breast and
wing dashed with white and brown and
chestnut, it will be 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
a black providence comes toward us, and
we saw: "Oh, that is disasterw The white
providence comes to you, and you have
great business success, and you have $780,
600, and you get proud, and you get inde-
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 provisions for hundred years.
Then a black providence comes. and it
sweeps every thing away, and then you
begin to pray, and you begin to feel your
dependence, and begin to 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 dissonant was
your greatest mercy. It was a 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
great many questions, genealogical and
chronological. You said-and you said
truthfuIly-that white angel flew
through the room and left the little one
there. That little one stood with its two
feet in the very center of your sanctuary
of affection, and with it's two hands it
took hold of the altar of your soul. But
one day there came one Of the three
scourges of children-scarlet fever, or
Group, or diphtheria-and all that bright
scene vanished. 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 toward that cradle, and
took the little one in his arms, and walked
away with it 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 a week, az
formerly, you are thinking of it all the
time, and you are more pure and tendere
hearted than you used to be, and you are
patiently waiting for the daybreak. 1t is
not self-righteousness in you to acknowl.
edge that you are better man than you
used to be-you are q better woman than
you used to be. What was it that brought
you the sanctifying blessing? Oh, it was
the dark shadow on the nursery; it was
the brooding of great black trouble; it
was raven-it was raven! Dear Lor d,
teach this people that white providences
do not always mean advancement, and
that black providences do not always
mean retrogression.
Children of God, get up out of your de.
spondency. The Lord never had so many
ravens as he has this morning. Fling
your fret and worry to the winds. Some-
times under the vexations of life you feel
like my little girl of four years, who said
under some childish vexation: ooh, wish
could 60 to Heaven and see God and
pick fowersn He will let you go when
the right time comes to pick flowers. Uns
til then, whatever you want, pray for. l
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 prayerless. put it in the boldest
shape possible and / am willing to risk
my eternity on it; ask God in the right
way for what you want, and you shall
have 1t if it Is best for you.
My friend, YOU have a right to argue
from precedent that God is going to take
care of you. Has He not done it two or
three times every day? That is most mar.
velous. look back and wonder that God
has given me food three times day reg.
ularly all my lifetime, never missing but
once, and then / was lost in the mount"
aims; but that very morning and that very
night met the ravens.
8, the Lord is so good that I wish all
this people would trust Him with the two
lixzas Lo LEO living and tn al