“The Dead Raven.”  A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one winter, on account of business being so dull.  He begged earnestly of his employer to let him have work; but he said it was impossible.  Well said he, “I’m sure the Lord will help.”  When he came home and told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed.  He tried to comfort her with the assurance—­“The Lord will help.”  But as he could get no work, their money was soon gone; and the day came at last, when there was neither food nor fuel left in the house.  The last morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast.  “What shall we do for dinner?” asked his wife.

“The Lord will help”—­was still his reply.  And see how the help came.  Soon after breakfast, his wife opened the front window, to dust off the sill.  Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven in through the window.  It fell at the feet of the pious weaver.  As he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, “There, old saint, is something for you to eat.”  The weaver took up the dead raven, saying as he did so:—­“Poor creature! you must have died of hunger!”

But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed something hard in it.  And wishing to know what had caused its death, he took a knife and cut open its throat.  How great was his astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall into his hand!  His wife gazed at it in amazement.  “Didn’t I tell you,” he asked, in grateful gladness, “that the Lord will help?”

He went to the nearest jeweler’s, and telling how he had found the precious jewels, borrowed some money on them.  On making inquiry about it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good weaver’s late employer.  It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.  One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been dismissed.  On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman, the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him liberally for returning it—­but took him back into his employ, and said he should never want work again so long as he had any to give.

How willing, and how able our glorious Saviour is to help those who trust in him!

“The Sailor Boy’s Belief.”  One night there was a terrible storm at sea.  All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over on her beam ends.  “She’ll never right again!” exclaimed the captain.  “We shall all be lost!”

“Not at all, sir!” cried a pious sailor boy who was near the captain.  “What’s to hinder it?” asked the captain.  “Why you see, sir,” said the boy, “they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at Glasgow for all sailors in danger:  and I feel sure that God will hear their prayers:  Now see, sir, if he don’t!”

These words were hardly out of the boy’s mouth, before a great wave struck the ship, and set her right up again.  And then a shout of praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the deck of that saved ship.