The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-07-21

Gno nObJrll IL Cl6hI buUuoIBou III b4lo OoOl
wave, and understand it: "As the hart
panteth for the water-brook, 80 panteth
my soul after thee, 0 Godp Oh, bring
me the water from that we'll. Little
child, who hast learned of Jesus in our
Sabbath.school, bring me some of that
living water. Old man, who didst first
find the we'll fifty yelrs ago, bring me
some Of that water. Stranger in a strange
land, who used to hear sung amid the
Highlands of Scotland, to the tune OF
Bonnie Doom" "The Star, the Star OF
Bethlehem" bring me some of that wa
ter. "WhosoeVer drinketh of this water
shall never thirst" "0h, that some one
would give me to drink of the water of
the we'll OF Bethlehem, which is by the
gate"
Again: This Gospel well, like the one
spoken of in the text, is a captured well.
David remembered the time when that
good water of Bethlehem was in posses
sion of his ancestors His father drank
there; his mother drank there. He re-
membered how that water tasted when
he was boy, and came up rom play
We never forget the old well we used to
drink from when we were boys or girls
There was something in it that blessed
the lips and refreshed the brows better
than anything we have found since
As we think of that old well, the mem
cries OF the past flow into each other
like crystalline Drops, sun-glinted; and,
all the more, we remember that the
hand that used to lay hold of the rope,
and the hearts that beat against the well
curb are still now. We never get over
these "reminiscences. George P, Morris,
the great song-writer Of this country,
once said to me that his song, Wood.
man, Spare That Tree" was sung in a
great concert hall, and the memories of
early life were 30 wrought upon the aud
fence by that song, Woodman, Spare
That Tree" that, after the song was
done, an aged man arose in the audience
overW helmed with emotion, and said /:
"Sir, will you please to tell me whether
the woodman really spared the tree"
We never forget the tree under which
we played. We never forget the foun'
tain at which we drank. AL E for the
man who has no early memories. Da.
vid thought of that well-that boyhood
well-and he wanted drink of it; but
he remembered that the Philistines had
captured it. When these three men
tried to come up to the well in behalf
OF David, they saw swords cleaning
around about it. Aud this is true of this
Gospel well. The Philistines have at
times captured it. Wren we come to
take full, old-fashioned drink of pardon
and comfort, don't their swords Of indig-
nation and sarcasm fashP Why, the
skept Cs tell us we can not come to that
fountain. They say the water is not fit
to drink, anyhow, IF you are really
thirsty now, there is the well of philoso.
ply there is the well of art there is
the well OF science" They try to substi-
tute instead of your boyhood faith an
ideal religion. They say great many
beautiful things about the soul, and they
try to feed our immortal hunger on rose
leaves, and mix a mint julep of worldly
stimulants, when nothing will sat sfy us
but "a drink Of the water of the we'll of
Bethlehem, which is at the gate"
They try to starve us on husks when
the Fathers banquet is ready; and the
best ring is taken from the Casket, and
the sweetest harp is struck for the music,
and the 5wiftest foot is already lifted for
the dance. They patronize heav, and
abolish hell; and try to measure eternity
with their hour glasses, and the throne
of the great God Iwith their yard.sticks
l abhor it. tell you the old Gospel well
is captured well. l pray God that there
may be, some where in the elect host,
three annointed men, with courage
enough to go forth in the strength of the
omnipotent God, with the glittering
swords Of truth to hew the way back
again to that old we'll. think the tide
is turning, and that the old Gospel is to
take it's plaCe again in the fam ly, and in
the university and in the legislative hall
Men have tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS,
and have found out that they do not give
any comfort, and that they drop an arc.
tic midnight upon the death pillow
They fail when there is dead chief in
the house; and, when the soul comes to
leap into the tathomless eternity, they
spar to cling to. Depend upon it, that
well will come into our possession again,
though has been captured. If there be
not three annointed men in the Lords
host with enough conservation to do the
work, then the swords will leap from Je-
hovah's bucklers and the eternal three
gill desCend-God the Father, Go / the
Son, and God the Holy Ghost-Conquer-
ing for our dying race the way back
onntv tr Nfba kar of n vunll Of paknln
hem, which is by the gate" If god be
for us, who can be against us? If God
spared not His own Son, but freely gave
Him up for US all, how shall ve not with
Him also freely give up things? For
| am per uaded that neither height, nor
depth, nor angelt, nor principali les, nor
powers, nor things present, no. things to
come, shall take from us into final cap.
tivity the Gospel Uf the Lord Jesus Christ,
Again: The G 1spel well, like the one
spoken # in my text, is we'll at the
gate. The traveller stops the camel to.
day, and gets down and dips out of the
val ey of the East some very beautiful,
clear, bright water; a. d that is out of
the very well that David longed for. Do
you know that that well was at the gate,
so hat nobody could go into Bethlehem
without going right past it2 And 20 it
is with The Gospel well-itisat the gate
it is in the first place at the gate of pu
rifcation. We cannot wash away our
sins unless with that water. I take the
responsibility of saying that there is
hardly any man, woman or child that
has escaped sinful deflement 1t is ou-
rageous and ungallant for me to make
such charge. We have all committed
a sin worse than murder. We have by
our sin recrucifed the Lord, and that is
Deicide and if there be any who dare
to plead mot guilty" to the indictment,
then the hosts of heaven will be impan.
eled as jury to render aunanim9us yer.
d ct against us-guilty one, guilty all.
With what sIashing stroke that one
passage cuts us away from all our preten.
sions There is none that doeth good,
no not one" "Oh," says some one, "al
we want--all the race wants-is develop.
ment." Now, l want to say that the race