National Republican., 1886-09-13

BaN"N.N@
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day. His taber-
nacle was repalnted and reupholstered and
otherwise improved during the vacation
that ended last Sunday, when the vast
thropgs greeting the return Of their pastor
responded literally to bis appeal on behalf
OF the sufferers by the earthquake at
Charleston.
Dr. Talmages subject to-day was, "Cast
Out but Rescued" and the text Genesis,
chapter XXI, verse 10--"Aud God opened
her eyes, and she saw we'll Of water; aud
cha went and filled the bottle with water
and gave the lad drink" The preacher
said:
Morning breaks upon Beersheba. There
Is an early stir In the house Of old Abraham.
There has been trouble among the domes-
tics. Hagar, an assistant In the household,
and her son, brisk lad OF 10 years, have
become impudent and insolent, and Sarah,
the mistress OF the household, puts her foot
down very hard and says that they will
have to leave the premises. They are pack
ing up now. Abraham, knowing that the
Journey before bis servant and her son will
be very long and across desolat6 places, In
the kindness OF his heart sets about putting
mp some bread and bottle with water
in II. IL is a very plain lunch that Abraham
provided, but warrant you there would
have been enough Of It II they had not lost
their way. "God be with you" said old
Abraham as he gave the lunch to Hagar,
and good many charges as to how she
should conduct the journey. Ishmael, the
boy, suppose, bounded away In the morn
ing light. Boys always like change.
Poor Ishmacl Tie has no Idea of the dis
asters that are ahead Of him. Hagar gives
one long, lingering look on the familiar
place where she had spent SO many happy
al With tba
and Joy OF her heart young Ishmael.
The scorching nvon comes on. The air Is
sitting and moves across the desert with In
sufferable eufrocation. Ishmael, the boy,
begins to complain and lies down, but
Hagar rousos him up, saying nothing about
ASSher own wearlness or the sweltering heat;
fer mothers can endure anything. Trudge-
trudge-trudge. Crossing the dead lgel OF
the desert, how wearily ana slowly the miles
slip A tamarind that seemed hours ago to
stand only Just 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, very weary, l suppose
instantly falls asleep. Hagar-as the
shadows Of the night begin TO lap over each
other--Hagar. hugs her weary boy
TO her bosom and thinks Of
the fact that. II is her fault
that they are in the desert. A star looks
out and every falling tear II kisses with
sparkle. A wing OF wind comes over the
hot earth and lifts the locks from the
fevered brow of the boy. Hagar sleeps 1T
fully and In her dreams travels over the
weary day and half awakes her son by cry
ing out in her sleep: "lshmael Ishmael ~
And so they go on day after day and
night after night, for they have lost their
way. No path in the shifting sands; no
sign In the burning sky. The sack empty
of the flour; the water gone from the bottle.
What shall she do-p As she puts her faint
ing Ishmael under stunted shrub Of the
arid plain, she sees the bloodshot eye, and
feels the hot hand, and watches the blood
bursting from the cracked tongue, and
there is shrek In the desert OF Beersheba:
'We shall die We shall die !" Now, no
mother was ever made strong enough to
hear her son cry in vain for drink. Here
tofore she had cheered her boy by promis-
ing speedy end OF the journey, and even
fmied upon him when he felt desperately
enough. Now there is nothing TO do but
place him under shrub and let him die.
She had thought that she would sit there
aud watch until the spirit OF her boy would
go away forever, and then she would
breathe out her own life on his silent heart;
but as the boy begins to claw his tongue 10
agony Of thirst, and struggle in distortion,
and begs his mother to slay him. she can
not endure the spectacle. She puts him
under shrub, and goes of bow-shot,
and begins to weep until all the desert
seems sobbing, and her cry strikes clear
through the heavens, and an angel OF God
comes out on a cloud and looks down upon
the appalling grief and cries, "Hagar, what
aileth thee ~ She looks up and she sees
the angel pointing to well Of water, where
she fills the bottle for the lad. Thank
God Thank God
/. learn from this oriental scene In the
fret place what sad thing 1t Is when peo-
pie do not know their place, and get too
proud for their business. Hagar was an as
sistant In that household, but she wanted
10 rule there. She ridicued and jeered un-
I'll her son, Ishmael, got the same tricks.
She dashed out her own happiness and
threw Sarah into a great fret, aud II she
had stayed much longer in that household
she would have upset calm Abraham'f
equilibrium. My friends, one half Of the
trouble in the world to-day comes from the
fact that people do Lot know their
place, or, finding their place, will not
stay in it. When we come into into
ready for us. A place for Abraham. A
place for Sarah. A place for Hagar. A
place for Ishmael. A place for you and q
place for me. Our first duty is to find oui
sphere; our second is, to keep 1t. We may
be born in q sphere far off from the one foI
which God finally intends us. Sixtus V
was born on the low ground, and was Q
swineheId God called him up to wave O
scepter. Ferguson spent his early days In
looking after sheep; God called him up tc
look after stars and be shepherd watching
the nocks of light on the hillsdes OF
heaven. Hogarth began by engraving
pewter pots; God raised him to stand In the
enchanted realm Of a painter. The shoe
makers bench held Bloomfield for little
while; but God raised him to sit In the chat
of philosopher and Christian scholar Thl
soap.boiler Of London could not keep h!t
son In that business, for God had decided
that Hawley was to be one Of the creates
astronomers Of England.
On the other hand, we may be born In
sphere little higher than that for whicl
God intends us. We may be born In cas-
tie, and play in costly conservatory, AM
feed high.bred pointers, and angle for golt
fish In artificial ponds, and be familiar will
princes; yet God may better have fitted u
for a carpenters shop, or dentists forceps
or weayer's shuttle, or q blacksmith
forge. The great thing ia TO find Just th
sphere for which God intended us, and thel
to occupy that sphere, and occupy IL for
ever. Here is man God fashioned q
make plow. There Is q man God fashlone'
to make constitution. The man VIII
makes the plow is just as honorable as tn
man who makes the constitution. There
a woman who was made to fashion a,rObC
and yonder Is one Intended to be quee
aud wear II, 1t seems to me that In th
one case as In the other, God appoints th
sphere, and the needle Ia just as respectabl
IN his sight as the sccpter do not know
hut that the world would long ago hay
been saved, II some Of the men out OF til
ministry were In It, and some of those VIII
are IN II were out OF 1t. really think tina
Cnehalf the world may be divided in tw
Quarters-those who have not found thel
sphere and those who, having found Il
are not willing to stay there. How man
ere struggling for position little hlghC