The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-02

In behalf Of some asylum OF mercy that
has 70 b sustained. Who II that woman
bending over the sewing-machine, or car
rying the bundle, or sweeping the room,
or mending the garment. or sweltering at
the washtubl That 10 Deborah, one Of the
Lords heroines, battling against Amale.
kitish want, which comes down with iron
chariot to crush her and hers.
The great question with the vast ma.
jority Of people to-day is not ''home rule"
but whether there shall be any homo to
rule; not one of tariff, but whether they
shall have any thing to tax. The great
question with the vast majority Of people
is: "How shall support my family? How
shall meet my notes? How shall pay
my rent? How shall give food, clothing
and education to those who are dependent
upon mel" Oh, il God would help me to-
day to assist you IN the solution of that
problem the happiest man in this house
would be your preacher: have gone out
on . cold morning with expert huntsmen
to hunt for pigeons; have gone out on
the meadows to hunt for quail; l have
gone out on the marsh to hunt for reed
birds; but this morning I am out for
ravens.
Notice in the first place in the story Of
my text, that these winged caterers came
to Elijah directly from God. 81 have
commanded tbs ravens that they feed
thee" we find God saying in an adjoining
passage. They did not come out of some
other cave. They did not just happen to
alight there. God freighted them, God
launched them, and God told them by
what cave to swoop. This is the same God
that is going to supply you. He is your
father. You would have to make an ella
how many pounds Of food and how many
yards Of clothing would be necessary for
you and your family; but God knows with
out calculation. You have plate at his
table and you are going to be waited on,
unless you act like q naughty child and
kick and scramble and pound saucily the
plate and try to upset things. God has q
vast family, and everything is methodized,
and you are going to be served if you will
only wait your turn. God has already or
dered all the suits of clothes you will ever
need, down to the last suit in which you
shall be laid out. God has already ordered
all the food you will ever eat. down to the
last crumb that will be put in your mouth
in the dying sacrament. 1t may not be
just the kind Of food or apparel we would
prefer. The sensible parent depends on
his own judgment as to what ought to be
the apparel and the food of the minor in
the family. The child would say:
"Give me sugars and CONNECTIONS"
"Oh, no." says the parent, "you must
have something palmer first"
The child would say: ''Oh, give me
these great blotches of color in the gar.
ment"
"No," says the parent, "that wouldn't bs
suitable"
Now, God is our father and we are
minors, and he is going to clothe US and
feed us, although he may not always yield
to our infantile wish for sweets and gilt
ter. These ravens of the text did not
bring pomegranates from the glittering
platter Of King Ahab. They brought
bread and meat. God had all the Heavens
and the earth before him and under him,
and yet he sends this plain food, because
it was best for Elijah 10 have it. Oh, be
strong, my nearer, in the fact that the
same God is going to supply you! It is |
never "hard times" with him. His ships |
never break on the rocks. His banks |
never fail He has the supply for you and |
He has the means for sending it. He has |
not only cargo but the ship. If it were |
necessary He would swing out from the |
Heavens flock of ravens reaching from |
his gate to yours, until the food would be |
flung down from the sky from beak to
beak and from talon to talon.
Notice again in this story OF the text,
that the ravens did not allow Elijah to
hoard up a surplus. They did not bring
enough on Monday to last all the week. |
They did not bring enough one m orning |
to last until the next morning. They
came twice a day and broug ht just enough
FOR one time. You know as we'll as that
the great fret of the world is that we want |
a surplus-we want the ravens to bring
enough to last for fifty years. You have
more confidence in the Fulton Bank or the |
Nassau Bank or Bank of England than
you have in the bank of hea ven. You
say:
"All that is very poetic. but you may
have the black ravens; give me the gold
eagles"
We had better be contented with just
enough. If in the morning your family
lat up all the food there is in the house,
10 not sit down and cry and say:
81 don't know where the next meal is to
come from"
About five or six or seven o'clock in the
just look up and you will see
,wo black spots on the sky, and you will
rear the Tapping of wings, and instead of
Edgar A. Poe's insane raven aligtting on
he chamber door. "only this and nothing
nore," you will find Elijah's two ravens,
" the two ravens of the Lord, the one
ringing bread and the other bringing
butcher and baker.
God is infinite in resource. When the
:ity Of Rochelle was besieged and the in
labitants were dying of the famine, the
ides washed up on the beach as never be-
ore, and as never since, enough shell-fish
o feed the whole city. God is good.
there is no mistake about that. History
ellis US that in 1855 in England there was
great drouth. The crops failed, but in
Essex, on the rocks, in place where they
lad neither sown nor cultured, q great
rop Of peas grew until they filed hun.
red measures; and there were blossom.
ng vines enough promising as much
nore.
But why go so far: can give you q
amily incident. Some generations back
here was a great drought in Connecticut,
lew England. The water disappeared
rom the hills, and the farmers living on
he hills drove their cattle down toward
be valleys and had them supplied at the
rells and fountains of the neighbors. But
hese after awhile began to fail, and the