Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-08

wickets of prison. see . face scared
with every crime. His chin Is on his open
palm, his elbow on his knee-a picture Of
despair. As open the wicket he starts,
and l hear his chain clank. The jail
keeper tells me that ne 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 afternoon
playing kite on the city commons. Mother,
you are this morning hoisting throne or
forging chain; you are kindling o star or
digging dungeon.
A good many years ago 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 re-
volutionize the devotions of the whole
earth, and thrill the eternities with his
Christian influence. Lamphier said it was
his neither 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 intiu-
ence, rafting on toward destruction, gar
landed 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
frlvolity, death of shame, and an etennity
OF disaster, cannot help but say: "rAere
they go-there they go; Hagar and 1sh-
mael!" tell you, there are wilder deserts
than Beersheba in many of the fashionable
circles of this day. Dissipated parents
leading dissipated children. Avaricious
parents leading avaricious children. Pray
erless parents leading prayerless children.
they go through every street, up every
dark alley. into every cellar, along every
highway. Hagar and Ishmael, and whileI
pronounce their names it seems like the
moaning of the death wind: aHagar az
Ishmael!"
4. learn one more lesson from this on
entail scene, and that is, that every wilder
ness has we'll in it. Hagar and Ishmael
gave up to die. Hagar's heart sank
within her as she heard her child crying:
water! Water! Water!" "Ah," she says,
my darling there is no water. This is
desert" And then Gods angel said from
And she looked up and saw him pointing
to we'll of water, where she filled the
bottle for the lad. Blessed be God, that
that there is in every wilderness we'll, if
you only know how to find Mountains
for all these thirsty souls this morning.
On that last day, on that great day of the
feast, Jesus stood and cried: eff any man
thirst let him come to Me and drink" ALI
these other fountains you find are mere
mirages of the desert. Paracelsus, you
know, spent his time in trying to find out
the elixir of life, liquid which if taken
would keep one perpetually young in this
world, and would change the aged back
again to youth. OF course he was disap-
pointed; he found not the elixir. But here
| tellyou this morning of the elixirof ever
Ages" and that drinking that water you
shall never get old, and you will never be
sick, and you will never die. "Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters"
All! here is man who says: IL have been
looking for that fountain a great while,
but can't find it." And here is some one
else, who says: II believe all you say, but
have been trudging along in the wilder
ness and can't find the fountain" Do you
know the reason? I will tell you. You
never looked in the right direction. "Oh,"
you say, 81 have looked everywhere. I
have looked north, south, east, and
west, and haven't found the fountain"
Why. you are not looking in the right di-
rection at all. Look up, where Hagar
looked. She never would have found the
fountain ut all, but when she heard the
voice of the angel she looked up, and she
saw the finger pointing to the supply. And,
o soul, if to-day with one earnest, intense
prayer you would Only look up to Christ,
He would point you down to the supply in
the Wilderness. "Loek unto Me, all We
ends of the earth, and be ye saved; for I
am God, and there is none else!" Look!
Look, as Hagar looked!
Yes, there is we'll for every desert of
bereavement. Looking over the audience
this morning, notice All unusual number
OF signs of mourning and woe. Have you
found consolation? o man bereft, o wo-
man bereft, have you found consolation?
Hearse after hearse. We step from one
grave hillock to another grave hillock. We
follow corpses, ourselves soon to be like
them. The world is in mourning for its
dead. Every heart has become the
sepulcher of some joy. But sing ye to
God; every wilderness has we'll in it; and
I come to that we'll to-day, and l begin to
draw water from that we'll. If you have
lived in the country you have sometimes
taken hold of rope of the old well-sweep,
and you know how the bucket came up,
dripping with bright, cold water. And I
lay hold of the rope of Gods mercy this
morning, and begin to draw on that gospel
well-sweep, and see the buckets coming
up.
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 prophecy of evil if o cluster of stars
stood in another relation, that would be o
prophecy Of good. What superstition!
But here is new astrology in which put
all my faith. BY looking up to the star of
Jacob, the morning star Of the Redeemer,
can mike this prophecy in regard to those
who put their trust in God: "All things
| work together for good to those who love
God" Do you love Him? HIVE you seen
the nyctantes? It is beautiful flower,
but it gives very little fragrance until after
s..nset. Then it pours its richness on the
air. And this grace of the gospel that I
commend to you this morning, while it
may be very sweet during the day of pros
perity, it pours forth its richest aroma
after shutdown. And it will be shutdown
with YOU and me after awhile. When you
come to go out of this world will it be a
desert march, or will it be drinking at a
fountain?
A Christian Hindoo was dying, and his
heather comrades came around him and