The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-03-07
THIRST IN 4 CAVERN.
DIR. TALMAGE's SUNDAY SERMON.
The Water Of The Well of Bethlehem.
Which is by the Gate.

Text: son, thGs one could qire me drink
y the ,coter of the acell of Bethlehem, 7ohich
oythe gots.a'-2 Samuel, xiii, Is.
War. always distressing, is especially ruin
ss in harvest time. When the crops are all
eady for the sickle, to have them trodden
town by cavalry horses and heavy supply
rains outlying the fields. is enough to make
my mans heart sick When the last great
Ear broke out in Europe. and France and
germany were coming into horrid collision, I
lode across their golden harvests, and saw the
ents pitched, and the trenches dug in the
very midst OF the ripe fields, the long
cythe OF battle sharpening to NOW
down harveStS of men in great
Einrows of the dead. 1t was at this season
f harvest that the army of the PhiliStines
:ame down upon Bethlehem Hark to the
:lamor Of their voices, the neigh;ng Of their
chargers, the bsare of their tru,npets, and the
slash of their shields.
Let David and his men fall back! The
lords host sometimes loses the day.
But David knew where to hide. He
aad been brought up in that country.
Boys areinqu:S.tive, and they know all about
:heregion where they were born and brought
cp. If You should go back to the old home
stead, you could, with Your eyes shut, find
-FOUR way to the meadow, or the orchard, or
The hill back of the house, with which you
we're familiar thirty or forty years ago. So
IN his boyhood days, he had played hide
ln6-Seek' with his comrades all about
the old cave; and though others
might not have known it, David did.
Travellers say there is only one way of get
Sng into that cave. and that is by g very
oarrow path; but David was stout, and
teady-headed, and steady. nerved; and so,
with his three brave staf-ohcers, he goes
along that path, finds his way into the cave,
sits down, looks around the roof and the
dark passages Of the mountain, feels very
must have, or die. I do not know but there
may have been drops trickling down the side
Of the cavern, or that there may
have been some water in the
goat-skin slung to his girdle; but
that was not what he wanted. He wanted a
deep, full, cold drink. such as man gets
only out of an old we'll with moss-covered
bucket David remembered that very near
that cave of Adu'lan there was such well
as that, well to which he used to 90 in
boyhood-the well of Bethlehem; and he al
most imagineS that he can hear the liquid
plash of that well and his parched tongue
moves through his hot lips as he says: ''Oh.
chat one would give me drink of the water of
the well of Bethlehem. which is by the gaten'
It was no sooner said than done. The three
brave staff-offce-s bounded to their feet and
start. Brave soldiers will take even a hint
from their commander. But between them
and the well lay a host of the PhiliStincs; and
what could three men do with a great army?
Yet where there is will there is q way, and,
with their swords s,ashing this way and that,
they make their path to the we'll While the
Phil:stines are amazed at the seeming fool
hardness Of these three men, and cannot
make up their minds exactly what it means,
the three men have come to the well.
They drop the bucket They bring
up the water. They pour it in the
pail, and then start for the cave ''Stop
them' cry the Philistines. Clip them with
your swords, Stab them with your spears!
Stop those three men!" Too late! They are
gone around the hill. The hot rocks are
splashed with the overfowing water from
the vessel at it is carried up the cliffs The
three men go along the dangerous path, and
with cheeks fiu $hed with the excitement, and
all out of breath in their haste they fling their
swords, red with the skirmsh, to the side Of
the cave. and cry out to David: "There,
Captain of the host, is what you wanted; a
drink of the well Of Bethlehem, which is by
the gaten
4 tcet is Of no use to me unless I can find
Christ in it; and unless can bring a Gospel
out of these words, that will arouse and COM
fort and bless, shall wish had never seen
them; for your time would be wasted. and
against my soul the dark record would be
made that this day 1 stool before great au-
dience of SHINING, suffering, and dying men.
and told them of no rescue. BY the cross Of
the Son of God, by the throne Of the eternal
Judgment, that shall not be! May the Lord
Jesus help me to tell you the truth to-day!
You know that carrier pigeons have some
times letters tied under the wing. end they
fly hundreds Of miles-one hundred miles in
thought I would like to have it now. Oh,
aeavenly Dove! bring under thy wing
to-day, to my soul and to the souls Of this
people, some message of Light, and love, and
peace!
It is not an unusual thing to see people
gather around we'll in summertime. The
husbandman puts down his cradle at the well
curb The builder puts down his trowel The
traveller puts down his pack. Then one draws
very last. The cup is passed around, and
the fires Of thirst are put out; the traveller
starts on his Journey and the workman takes
up his burden.
NY friends, we come to-day arourd the
Gospel we'll. We put down our pack II bur
deEs and our implements Of toll One man
must draw the water for those who have
gathered around the well. I will try and
draw the water to-day; and if, after / have
poured out from this living fountain for your
soul, Just taste of it myself, you win not be-
grudge me a drink from the water of the
well OF Bethlehem, which is by the gate"
the text, is a well of Bethlehem David had
known hundreds of wells of water, but be
wanted to drink from that particular one,
and he thought nothing could SlaSe his thirst
like that. And unless your soul and mine can
get access to the Fountain open for sin and
Uncleanness we must die. That fountain IS
the well of Bethlehem 1t was dug in the
night. It was dug by the light Of lantern
the star that hung down over the
rnanger. It was dug not at the gate OF
Caesars palaces, not in the park OF Jeru-
salem bargain maker. 1t was dug in barn.
The camers lifted their weary heads to listen
as the work went on. The shepherds, unable
to sleep, because the heavens were filed with
bands of music, came down to see the open
ing of the well. The angels Of God, at the hrst
gush Of the living water, dipped their chalices
Of ioy into it, and drank to the health OF
earth and heaven, as they cried: "Glory TO
God in the highest, and on earth peace: y
Sometimes in our modern barns the water IS
brought through the pipes OF the city to tne
very nostrils Of the horses or cattle; but this
wen in the Bethlehem barn was not so much
for the beasts that perish as for our race,
thirst-smittten, desert-traveled and simeon
struck Oh. my soul, weary with SIN, stoop
down and drink to-day out Of that Bethlehem
well,
Gas the heart panteth after the water
brooks, so my soul panteth after thee, Y
Cod You would get better understand
ing of this amidst she Adirondacks in sum
mer-tine. Here comes swift-footed deer.
The hounds are close on the track; it has
La ali &c