The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-05-14

ct to raven-God. There is one paasageI
will whisper in your ear. for | would
not want to utter it aloud, lest some
enc should drop down under its power
-''if any man shall take away from
the words of the prophecy of this
book. God shall take away his part
out of the book of life and out of the
holy city" While, then, we watch
the ravens feeding Elijah. let the
swift dove of Gods spirit sweep down
the sky with divine food. and on out
spread wing pause at the lip of every
soul hungering for comfort.
Sentimentalists sit in cushioned
chair, in their pictured study. with
their slippered feet on a damasl1 otto
man. and say that this world is great
scene of avarice and greed. 1t does
not seem so to me. If it were not for the
absolute necessities of the cases, nine
tenths of the stores, factories, shops,
banking houses of the land would be
closed tomorrow. Who is that man
delving in the Colorado hills? or toll
ing in New England factory? or go
ing through roll of bills in the bank?
or measuring a fabric on the counter?
He is a champion sent forth in behalf
of some home circle that has to be
cared for, in behalf of some church of
God that has to be supported, in be-
half of some asylum of mercy that has
to be sustained. Who is that woman
bending over the sewing machine or
carrying the bundle, or sweeping the
room, or mending the garment, or
sweltering at the washtub? That is De-
borah, one of the Lords heroines, bat
Ting against Amalekitish want, which
comes down with iron chariot to crush
her and hers. The great question with
the vast majority of people of to-day is
not ''home rule" but whether there
shall be any home to rule; not one OF
tariff, but whether there shall be 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 de-
pendent upon me?" Oh, if God would
help me to-day to assist you in the so
luton of that problem the happ;est
man in this house would be your
preacher. l have gone out On cold
morning with expert spOrtsmen 10
hunt for pigeons: have gone out on
the meadows to hunt for quail; | have
gone out on the marsh to hunt for
reed birds; but to-day l am out for
ravens.
God has a vast family, and every
thing is methodized, and you are going
to be served if you will only wait your
turn. God has already ordered all the
suits of clothes you will ever need,
down to the last suit in which you will
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 APP
parel 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.
Now. God is our father and we are
minors, and He is going to clothe us
and feed US, although He may not al
WAYS yield to our infantile wish for
the sweets and glitter. 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 1t
was best for Elijah to have it. Oh, be
strong, my nearer, in the fact that the
same God is going to supply you! II
|
ships never break on the rocks. His
banks never fail. He has the supply
for you and He has the means for send
ing it. He has not only the cargo, but
the ship. If it were necessary, He
would swing out from the heavens d
flock of ravens reaching from His gate
to yours, until the food would be flung
down 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 ~
hoard up a surplus. They did not
bring enough on Monday to last ali
the week. They did not bring enough
one morning to last until the next
morning. They came twice day, and
brought just enough for one time.
You know as well as l that the great
fret of the world is that we want )
surplus; we want the ravens to bring
enough for so years. You have more
confidence in the Washington banks
or the Bank of England than You have
in the Royal Bank of Heaven. You
say, 'All that is very poetic, but
you may have the black ravens; give
me the gold eagles" We had better
be content with just enough. If in
the morning your family eat up all the
food there is in the house, do not sit
down and cry and say, L don't know
where the next meal is to come from "
About five or six or seven o'clock in
the morning just look up, and you will
see two black spots on the sky, and
you will hear the tapping of wings,
and instead of Edgar a. POe's insane
raven alighting on the chamber door,
''only this and nothing MORE" you
will find Elijah's two ravens, or two