Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-05-14

rule but whether there shall be any
home to rule: not one Of tariff, but whether
there shall be anything 70 tax. The
great questions with the vast majority OF
people are How shall l support my fam
ily? How shall | meet my notes. How
shall l pay my rent? How shall l give
food, clothing and education TO those who
are dependent upon mcs' Oh, II God
would help me today to assist you in the
solution Of that problem, the happiest man
i'm this house would be your preacher l
have gone ont on "a cold morning. with ex-
pert sportsmen 70 hunt for pigeons. l
have gone out on the meadows 70 hunt for
quail have gone ont on the marsh to
hunt for reed birds; but today l am out
for ravens
Notice, in the first place in the story
of my text, that these winged caterers
came TO Elijah direct from God.
Il have commanded the ravens that they
feed thee. we find God saying in an ad-
! Joining passage. They did not come out OF
some other cave. They did not just hap
| pen To alight there. God freighted them,
| God launched them and God told them by
| what cave TO swOOp. That is the same
| God that is going to supply you. He Is
your Father You would have to make an
| elaborate calculation before you could tell
me how many pounds Of food and how
many wards Of clothing would be necessary
for YOU and your family. But God knows
without any calculation. You have plate
at his table, and you are going 70 he walt
ed on, unless you act like naughty child
and kick and scramble and pound saucily
the plate and try to upset things.
God the All Wise Parent.
God has a vast family and everything is
methodized. and you are going to be served
If You will only wait your turn. God has
ALREADY ordered an the suits Of clothes you
will ever need down to the last suit in
which you will be laid out God has al
ready ordered all the food you will ever
eat down 10 the last crumb that Will DO
put i'm yourmouth in the dying sacrament
It may not De just the kind Of food or ap-
parel we would prefer. The sensible parent
depends on his own Judgment as TO what
ought 70 be the apparel and the food OF
tbe minor I'm the family. The child would
saw. "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 garment. "No, ~
SAYS the parent. THAT wouldn { be suit
able"
Now. God Is our Father and we arc
minors. and he Is going 70 clothe us and
feed us although he may not always yield
10 our infantile wish for the sweets and
glitter. These ravens Of the text did not
bring pomegranates from the glittering
plattor Of King Ahab. They brought
bread and meat. God had all tbs heavens
and the earth before him and under him,
and vet De sends this plain food because 1t
WA. best for Elijah to have IL. on, be
strong, my hearcr, in the fact that the
same God is going TO supply you - Is
never "h hard times with him. HIS shlps
never break on the rocks. His banks new
er fail. He has the supply for you, ana
be has the means for sending 1t. He has
not only the cargo but the ship. II it were
necessary. be would swing out from the
heavens flock Of ravens reaching from
his cate 10 yours. until the food would be
flung down the sky from beak 70 beak ana
from talon TO talon.
Notico 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 70 last all the week.
They did not bring enough one morning
70 last until the next morning. They
came twice day and brought just enough
for one time. You know as well a tDaI
the great fret OF the world is that we want
a surDlus. we want the ravens 20 Dflne
enough for SO years. You have more con
, fdence in the Washington banks or Bank
, of England than you have IN the royal
, bank Of heaven. You say: All tnaO i
very poetic. but you may have the placA
, ravens. Give me the gold eagles we ha1
better be content with just enough. II II
/ the morning your family eats up all th'
p, food there l. in the house, do not SIT doWi
: and cry and say, Il don't know wher'
the next meal is TO come from. ' About
= \ 5or6 or : o'clock i'm the morning Just
: look ND and YOU will see two black spot
ON the sky and you will hear the ilapplni
. of wings. and instead Of Edgar \. Poe
y insane raven alighJing on the champc
= door. "only this and nothing more, yo'
will find Elimh's two ravens, on two IA
yens Of the Lord, the orc bringing hrca'
, and the other bringing meat-Ilume'
Z butcher and baker
II Prayer That Brought Water.
d God is infinite in resource Mhcn u
n citv of Rochelle was hcsicgcd ana the I'D
e habitants were dying of the famine ID
\ tides washed up on the beach as never b,
10 fore. and as never since enough sheilNs
e to feed the whole city. God - go"u
There is no mistake about that. Histor
tells MS that in 1903 IN England there wa
a GREAT drought. The crops failed, hut
Essex. on the rocks, in place where the
. } had neither sown nor cultured, a grta
- cron Of meas grew until they filed hun
lred measures, and there were blossomln
- vines enough, promising as much more.
But why 90 so fars l can give you
family incident. some generations bac
= there was a great drought in Connecticut
- Ne,y England. The water disappeare
- from the hills and the farmers living o
the hills drove their cattle down toWar
30 the valleys, and had them supplied at ti
" wells and fountains of the neighDor
But these after awhile began TO fail, an
a, tho neiohbors said TO Mr. Birdsoye,
- whom shall speak: You must not sen
IA your flocks and herds down mere al
- rore. Our wells are giving out. NJ
L., / hirUSgNf. iln ilu Allt1tl"h iN"iAf r"N'--
-, his family at the altar and with his ian
:, uy he gathered the slaves Of the hous
VI bold-for bondage was then in vogue
! Connecticut-and on their knees beio
y, God they cried for water and the iAinl
- story is. that there was weeping and gre.
~, sobbinr at that altar that the fami
might not perish for lack OF water az az
en- that the herds and ilocks might not perle
OH The family rose from the altar NJ
to BIrdseye. the old man, took his stan al
at walked out over the hills, and in pla
he where he had been scores Of times witho
he noticing anything particular he saw !,
le, ground was very dark, and he took ,
q staff and turned up the ground and wat
on started. and he beckoned to his servant
it and they came and brought pals al
We buckets until all the family and ah I
,er aocks and the herds were cared for, al
or then they made troughs reaching FRO
that place down TO the house and bar
T. and the water flowed, and II is iyil
in fountain today.
,av Now l call that old grandfather Elija
,ce and l call that brook that began to r
n then. and is rolling still, the brook u
Of rith. and the lesson to me and TO all W
- -. 80, Ia, oraaf cfpOcs