The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-01-22

xviii
These words refer to Abraham, who
was almost one hundred years old at the
time referred to. He had been travelling
about the country some, part of the
time in company with his nephew Lot.
Not getting along much better together
than some uncles and nephews do in these
modern days-or, in fact, than any two
farmers do who quarrel about line
fence, Abraham and Lot met and agreed
to disagree. Lot removed his possessions
to the plains of Jordan, over against Sod
ON. Abraham dwelt in the land of Ca
naan. Abraham was good man and it
was unfortunate that his experience with
Hagar should have fallen to him-for it
is hard to believe that he treated that girl
just right, but this trait of Abraham has
been handed down even to this day.
There are thousands Of Hagars and Ish-
maels to-day wandering towards the will
derness of crushed hopes, or hiding in the
bushes of despair. 1t seems that Sarah
was to blame, too, for she treated the poor
girl just as women treat one another now,
under like circumstances. Hagar was a
splendid girl in Sarah's eyes, even after
the birth of IshmaeI, until the arrival of
the young Isaac, when Hagar was ordered
to pack her all and leave instanter. Ha-
gar took the infant Ishmael, and went to
the wilderness of Beer-sheba, her only
supplies on the way being a little bread
and bottle of water, given her by Abra-
ham, father of her child. This seems to
have been accepted ever since the days of
Abraham as the way of the world. After
greatly wronging frail woman, man, the
lord of creation, will cast her adrift, to
live on bread and water, or starve. But
Hagar had the Christians hope. The
Lord witnessed her despair, and spoke to
her with comforting assurances. Though
a social outcast, she still found favor in
the sight of the Great Father.
Surely, Abraham and Sarah, his wife,
were very happy after the driving off of
the other woman. yet it seems that even
so good man as Abraham was over
anxious to know what God thought of
him, and when on the occasion referred
to in the text, as he looked from the door
of his tent and beheld three angels, he
rushed to meet them, and made profuse
demonstrations of his hospitality. He
ordered Sarah to prepare the best meal
cakes the cupboard afforded. He rushed
to the herd and slew fine calf, and pre-
pared it for his visitors, and in every way
sought to favor the angels who surprised
him. And there was doubtless a great
load lifted from the mind even of this
good man, when he overheard the angels
proclaiming great blessings that were to
fall to him. The angels were willing to
let his past record drop out of sight, and
so sCas he!
Let us for moment suppose a case of
the Lord appearing, even unto his pro-
fessed follower, now, as suddenly as he
appeared on the plains of Mamre. Let
us imagine man sitting at the door of
his dwelling, and the angel of the Lord
appearing suddenly before him, and we
cannot conceive of the man rushing for
ward to meet the holy visitor, but the
rather as running back through the house
and hiding behind the barn. His past
life would rush before his mind with the
force of rushing, mighty wind, bringing
out prominently all the little waits of
wickedness floating here and there among
the breeZes. The modern man may not,
like Abraham, have told broadcast that
his wife was his sister, in order to keep
some lustful heather from taking her
away from him, but he may have told, in
his travels, that somebody else's sister
was his wife, in order to keep the hotel
clerk, or the officers, from taking her
away from him. In one thing, however,
he could outdo Abraham. 1t is said that
the latter, when he entertained the an
gels, "took milk and butter and placed be-
fore them." Fhe man of the present day
could not set before an angelic visitor the
average store butter, which would "smell
to Heaven" and tell of the strength" of
human charity-and inhuman neglect
Then the modern Abraham would possi-
bly, omit the "three measures OF fine
meal" and fill the measures with beer or
crab cider instead, if he could find
bravery enough to face his Lord at all.
In fact the very presence of one having
power to discern the condition of the in
ner life, would throw the modern profess
sor into some degree of CONSERVATION. 1t
was well with Abraham, because he not
only walked with God, but talked with
Him and thus had the sustaining grace, if
notsthe Divine restraint ever with him.
But the man of to-day may, in the whirl
and excitement of the busy world, forget,
for the moment, that the Lord sees him,
or knows aught of his acts. If he gets
out like Abraham, and stacks up and di-
vides with his next door neighbor because
their servants cannot agree, he might at
tract the attention of the Divine Father.
but if he should live smooth-even slip
pery-life, put raised bottom in his half
bushel measure, fatten his market-hogs
on carrion, tone his sugar-barrel up nice
ly with sand, take a few nips of whisky
in doggery, tell few lies upon his
neighbor, refuse to pay a debt, run Off
with his neighbor's wife, or any such
small matters as these, how is the Lord
going to know anything about it?. Does
he not loudly profess his goodness to the
Lord, every time he addresses him? The
Lord saw him sell that sack of apples, or
potatoes, for bushel, but did the Lord
see him measure them before he started
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