St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-06-12

While. then, we watch the ravens
feeding Elijah, let the swift dove of
Gods spirit sweep down the sky with
divine food, and on outspread wing
pause at the lip of every soul hunger
ing for comfort.
On the banks of what rivers have
been the great battles of the world?
While you are looking over the map of
the world to answer that, will Ail
you that the great conflict to-day is On
the Potomac, on the Hudson, on the
Mississippi, on the Thames, on the Sa-
vannah, on the Rhine, on the Nile. on
the Ganges, on the Hoang-Ho. 1t is
. battle that has been going on for
5000 years. The troops engaged in it
are sixteen hundred million, and those
who have fallen by the way are vaster
in number than those who march. It
is battle for bread.
Sentimentalists in cushioned
chair. in their pictured study, with
their slippered feet on q damask otto
man, and say that this world is a great
scene of avarice and greed. Itdoes 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 toiling
in New England factory? or going
through roll of bills in the bank? or
measuring a fabric on the counter?
He is 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 behalf of some
asylum of mercy that has to be sus-
tained. 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 Deborah, one
of the Lords heroines. battling against
Amalekitish want, which comes down
with iron chariot to crush her and
hers. The great question with the
vast majority of people to-day is not
.home rule" f" but whether there shall be
any home to rule; not one of tariff, but
whether there shall be anything to
tax. The great question with the vast
majority of people is: ''How shall
/ support my family? How shall l
meet my notes? How shall 1 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 happiest
man in this house would be your
preacher! have gone out on a cold
morning with expert sportsmen to hunt
for pigeons; have gone out on the
meadows to hunt for quail; 1have gone
out on the marsh to hunt for reed birds;
but to-day 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 G cd saying in
an adjoining passage. They did not
come out of some other cave. They did
not just appen to alight there. God
freig hted them, God launched them,
and God told them by what cave to
swoop. That is the same God that is go
ing tosupply you. He syour Father. You
would have to make an elaborate cal
culation before you could tell me how
many pounds of food and how many
yards 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 to be waited on, unless you act
like a naughty child, and kick, and
scramble, and pound sauciiy the plate
and try to upset things
God has a vast family, and every
thing is methodized, and you are 60
ing 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 will be laid out God has al
ready 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 pre-
fer. 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 confections. I"
''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; shat wouldn't
be suitable"
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 infantiie 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 it was
best for Elijah to have it. Oh, be strong,
my hearer, in the fact that the same God
is going to supply you! 1t 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 the cargo. but the ship.
If it were necessary, He would swing
out from the heavens q 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 to
hoard up . surplus They did not
bring enough on Monday to last all
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