Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-13

laeC cC<tAACA Win 1utl oAA
his open palm, his elbow on his knee-a
picture of despair. AS l open the wicket
he starts, and hear his chain clank. The
.jail-keeper tells me that he has been in
there now three times-frst for theft, then
for arson, now for murder. He steps upon
the trap door, the rope is fastened to his
neck, the plank falls, his body swings into
the air, his soul swings off into eternity.
Who is he, and where is he? This after
noon playing kite on the city common.
Mother, you are this morning hoisting q
throne or forging chain; You are kindling
q star or digging dungeon.
A good many years ago n Christian
mother sat teaching lessons of religion to
her child, and he drank in those lessons.
She never knew that Lamphier would
come forth and establish the Fulton
Street Prayer MeetinG, and by one meeting
reyolutiouize the dcvOtions of the whole
earth, and thrill the eternities with his
Christian influence. Lamphier said it was
his mother who brought him to Jesus
Christ. She never had an idea that she
was leading forth such destinies. But.
oh, when / see mother reckless of her in
fluence, rattling on toward destruction,
garlanded for the sacrifice with unseemly
mirth and godlessness, dancing on down
TO perdition, taking her children in the
same direction, preparing them for life
of frivolt death of shame, and IN eter-
nifty of disaster, l cannot help but say:
There they go-there they 60; Hagar
and Ishmaelr' tell you, there are Wild
er deserts than Beer-sheba in many of the
fashionable circles of this day. Dissipated
parents leading dissipated children. Ava
ricious parents leading avaricious chill
dren. Prayerless parents leading prayer
less children. They go through every
street, up every dark alley, into every
cellar along the highway. Hagar and
Ishmael! and while l pronounce their
names, it seems like the moaning of the
death winds: "Hagar and lshmael"'
". / learn one more lesson from this
Oriental scene, and that is, that
EVERY WILDERNESS HAS A WELL
in it. Hagar and Ishmael gave up to die.
Hagar's heart sank within her a. she
heard her child crying, Water! water!
waterr' "Ah," she says, "my darling,
there is no water. This is n desert" And
then Gods angel said from the cloud:
What aileth thee, Hagar?" And she
looked up and saw him pointing to well
of water. where she filled the bottle for
the lad Blessed be God that there is in
every wilderness q well, if You only know
how to find it-fountains for all these
thirsty souls this morning. On that last
day, on that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried: "lf any man thirst,
let him come to Me and drink" All these
other fountains you find are mere mlrages
of the desert. ParaeelsuS, you know, spent
his time in trying to find out the elixir OF
lite-a liquid which if taken would keep
one perpetually young i'll this world, and
would change the aged back again to
youth OfcOurSe he was disappointed; he
found not the elixir. But here tell you
this morning of the elixir OF everlasting
life bursting from the Rock of Ages, y
and that drinking that water yOu shall
never get old, and you will never he sick,
and YOU will never die. ''lio, every one
that thirSteth come yc to the waters All
here is Il man who says: 81 hav" been
looking for that fountana great while, but
can't find it," And here is some one else,
who says IL believe all You say, but |
have been trudging along in the wilder
ness and
CAN'T FIND THE FOINrAIN.'
DO you know the reason? will tell You.
You never looked in the right direction.
"Oh," you say, 81 have looked every
where. | have looked North, South, Fast
and West, and | haven't found the iom-
tain" Why, you are not looking in the
right direction ut all. Look up, where
Hagar looked. She never would have
found the fountain at Ill, but when she
heard the voice of the angel she looked up,
and she saw the finger pointing to the sup
ply. And, o soul, iftO-day with one earn
est, intense prayer you would only look
up to Christ, lie would point yOu down to
the supply in the wilderness. Look unto
me all We ends of the earth and he yc
saved; for am God, and there is none
else" Look, Look, rs Hagar looked!
Yes, there is Il well for every desert OF
bereavement Looking over the audience
this morning, notice an unusual number
of signs of mourning and voc.
Have YOU found consolation? o, man
bereit. OH woman, bereit, have you found
HcarSe after hearsc. We
step from one grave hillOck Ia another
grave hillock. We follow cOrpseS, our
selves soon to be like them. The world Is
in mourning for its dead, Every heart has
become the sepulchre of some buried JOY.
But sing We to God; every wilderness has Il
well in it; and come to that well to-day,
and begin to draw water from that well.
If you have lived in the country you have
sometimes taken hold of the rope OF the
old well-sweep, and you know how the
bucket came up, dripping with bright,
cool water. And lay hold OF the rope OF
Gods mercy this morning, and | begin to
draw on that Gospel well-sweep, and see
the bucket coming up.
THIRSTY. SOUL,
Here is one bucket of life! Come and
drink of il. "WhoSoever will, let him
come and take of the water of life freely"
| pull away again ut the rope, and another
bucket comes up 1t Is this PROMISE
Weeping may endure for night, but JOY
cometh in the morning" lay hold of
the rope again, and pull away with all
my strength, and the bucket comes up,
bright, and beautiful, and cool. Here is
the promise: Come unto Me all We who
are weary and heavy laden, and will
give We rest"
The old aStrologers used to cheat the
people with the idea that they could tell
from the position of the stars what would
occur in the future, and if cluster of stars
stood in one relation. why, that would be
a prophecy of evil if q cluster OF stars
stood in another relation, that would be a
prophecy of good What superstition! But
here is new astrology i'll Which put all
my faith. By looking up the star OF Jacob,
the morning star of the Redeemcr, | can
make this prophecy in regard 10 those
who put their trust in God: All
things work together for good TO those who
love God" DO you love him? Have you
seen the Nyctanthes? II is a beautiful
flower, but it gives very little fragrance
until after sunset. Then il paurs its rich
ness on the air. And this grace of the
Gospel that | commend 10 yOu this morn
ing, while il may be very sweet during the
day OF prosperity, it pours forth its rich
est aroma after sundOwn. And it will be
Spndowp with Won and me after awhile