The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-03-19

And while they stand moment half ajar,
CLEANS from the inner glory -~,,,a
Stream brightly through the azure vault afar,
And half reveal the story. "8...
Oh, land unknown, oh, land of love divine! d
Father, all wise, eternal, .-.,..I ~
Guide, guide these wandering way.worn feet
of mine 49,. 81 4. &
Into those pastures vernal.
THE WE'LL IN THE DESERT, OR
..v.-.. HELP FOR ALL. s.. ..A
Extracts From Sermon Preached by
Rev. DR.. Talmadge in the Brook yn,
N.Y., Tabernacle, on Sunday, Feb.
20. ~ r. =
Text: Genesis xxi. 10, "And God opened
her eyes and she saw well Of water; and she
went and filed the bottle with water, and
gave the lad drink
Morning breaks upon Beer-Sheba.
There is an early stir IN the house of old
Abraham. There has been trouble
among the domcstics. Hagar, an assist
ant in the household, and her son, brisk
lad of sixteen years, have become i'm
pudent and insolent, and Sarah, the mis-
tress of the household, puts her foot down
very hard and says that they will have to
leave the premises. They are packing
up now. Abraham, knowing that the
journey before his servant and her son
will be very long and across desolate
places, in the kindness of his heart sets
about putting up some bread and bottle
with water in it. It is very plain lunch
that Abraham provides, but I warrant
you there would have been enough of it
had they not lost their way. "God be
with you," said old Abraham, as he gave
the lunch to Haga1, and a good many
charges as to how she should conduct the
journey. Ishmael, the boy, l suppose
bounded away in the morning light.
Boys always like change. Poor 1shmael!
He has no ideas of the disasters that are
ahead Of him. Hagar gives one long,
lingering look on the familiar place
where she had spent so many happy days,
each scene associated with the pride and
Joy of her heart, young Ishmael.
The scorching noon comes on. The
air is sitting and moves across the desert
with insuferable suffocatlon. Ishmael,
the boy, begins to complain and lies down,
but Hagar raises him up, saying nothing
about her own WEAKNESS or the swelter-
heat, for mothers can endure anything.
Trudge, trudge, trudge, crossing the dead
level OF the desert, how YEARLY and slow
ly the miles slip. A tamarind that
seemed hours ago to stand only just a
little ahead inviting the travellers to come
under its shadow, now is as far off as ever,
or seemingly so. Night drops upon the
desert and the travellers are pillowless
Ishmael, I suppose, instantly falls asleep
Hagar-as the shadows of the nigh
begin to lap over each other-hugs he
weary boy to her bosom and thinks O.
the fact that it is her fault that they ar
; in the desert. A star looks out and ever,
falling tear it kisses with a sparkle. I
wing of wind comes over the hot eartl
and lifts the locks from the fevered brow
E of the boy. Hagar sleeps ftfully, and il
her dreams travels over the weary day
and half awakes her son by crying out il
l her sleep, "Ishmael! Ishmael!" and S
, they 90 on, day after day and night afte
! night, for they have lost their way. N
4 path in the shifting sands, no sign in tn
burning sky. The sack empty of flou
i the water gone from the bottle; what sha
l she do? As she puts her fainting lshmae
/: upon stunted shrub of the arid plai
= she secs the bloodshot eye, and feels til
= hot hand, and watches the blood burstin
;, from the cracked tongue, and there is
= = shrek in the desert of Beer-Sheba, Nv
= = shall die! We shall die!" Now, no mott
er was ever made strong enough to hes
her son CRY in vain for drink. Heret,
y fore she had cheered her boy by promi
. ing speedy end of the journey, and eve
u smiled upon him when she felt desperat
ly enough. Now there is nothing to {
:, but place him under shrub and let hi
u die. She had thought that she would $
- there and watch until she weuld breati
IL out her own life on his silent heart; b.
y as the boy begins to claw his tongue j
II agony of thilst, and struggle in distortie
~ ~ and beg his mother to Stay him, 81
y cannot endure the spectacle. She pu
= him under a shrub and goes of DO
y shot and begins to weep until all the de
Y ert seems sobbing, and her cry strik
clear through the heavens, and an ang
of God comes out on cloud and lool
down upon the appalling grief and erie
"HagarIwhat aileth thee2" She looks I
If and sees the angel pointing to we'll
IL water, where she fills the bottle for t
in lad. Thank God Thank Godi
is LEARN from this Oriental scene, in tt
~ first place, what sad thing it is VIII
its people do not know their place and G
en- 100 proud for their business. Hagar W
a an assistant in that household, but 8
he wanted to rule there. She ridiculed al
It's jeered until her son Ishmael got the sar
lal tricks. She dashed out her own hapI
CHI ness and threw Sarah into great frt
n and if she stayed much longer in tt
m. household she would have upset cal
&C. Abraham's equilibrium. My frien.
&C. one. half the trouble in the world to d
ITS comes from the fact that people do y
MS know their place; or, finding their pla
nix will not stay in it. When we come il
are the world there is always place rea
all for US. A place for Abraham. A pill
ho for Sarah. A place for Hagar. A pls
ge for 1shmael. A place for you and
al! place for me. Our first duty is to fl