The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-17

BNooItyN, y. y, June l6.--The Rev..
T. Dc Witt Glmage, ID, preached ut
the Tabernacle today A vast congroga-
ton filled the spacious building to over
flowing, After making an exposition OF
Scripture the pastor gave out the hymn
beginning
GLORY to God on high.
lct heaven and earth ttply,
which the great body OF wonhipors sang
with majestic effect. Tho subject OF DIR.
Talmago's discourse was: "Peoplo who
have lost their way" lie took for his
text "And God opened her eyes and she
saw well Of water and she went and
filed the bottle with water and gave tho
lad drink" Genesis xx., 10. The elo-
qucnt preacher said
Morning breaks upon llcer.sheha. There
is an early stir In the house Of old Abra-
ham. Thoro has been trouble among the
domesiics. llaglr, an assistant in the
household, and her son. brisk lad Of six.
teen ycas, have become impuIcnt and
insolent, aud Sarah. the mistress Of tho
household, puts her foot down very hard,
aud says that they will have to leave tho
premises. They are packing up now.
Abraham, knowing that the journey
before his servant and her son will DO
very long and across dcso!ate places, in
the kindness Of his heart sets about put
ting up some bread aud bottle with
water In il. IL IL very plain lunch that
Abraham provides, but warrant YOU
there would have boon enough Of Il had
they not lost their way. God be with
youl' said Abraham, as he gave the lunch
to llagar, aud good many charges rs to
how she should conduct the journey. Ish-
macl, the boy ! suppose bounded away
in the morning light. Boys always like
q change. Poor Ishmacll llc has no idea
OF the disasters that are ahead Of him.
llagar gives one long. lingering look on
the familiar place where sho had spent a.
many happy days. each scene associated
! with Mepr,do and 10y OF her hcmt-young
| lshmael
The scnrhing noon comes on. Tho air
IL sitting and moves across toe desert
with iusulcmblc suilocaton. lshmael,
| tho boy, begins a. complain. aud lies
] down, but llHgar rousrs him up. saying
] nothing about her own wcnrinpss or tho
| sWvliCung heats for mothers eau endure
| anything Trudgc, trulec, iru,lrc. Cross
I ing the dead level Of the desert, how
| YEARLY aud slowly the miles slip. A
. tamafiud that seemed hOun AGO 10 stand
only Just a liulo ahead, inviting tho
travellers 10 come under IT, shadow. now
| h ~ iar of aR ever. ~ seemingly 10. Nisht
drops upon tho dcseri. aud the travellers
are p.llowlcs hhnacl, very weary, |
suppose, instantly falls asleep llagar, rs
the shadows Of the nigh, begin 20 lap over
each othor-llnrnf hugs her weary boy 60
her bosom, and thinks Of the fact that IL
is her fault that they are In the desert. A
star looks out aud every falling tear il
kisses with sparkle. 4 wing oi wind
/ comes over the hot earth and lifts tho
locks from the icycrcd brow Of the boy.
| llagar sleep, iiuully and Ia her drcams
travels over the weary day, aud bali
awakcs her son by CT ing out Ia her sleep,
| "lshmacl' lshmaell" Aud 80 they 10 on,
| day after DAY and night after night, for
| they have lost their way. No path in tho
| shining sands, no sign In the burning sky.
| Tho sack empty OF Hour, tho water gone
! from the bottle. What shall she do? As
she puts her iaintiug lshmacl under
stuntrd shrub " the arid plain. she secs the
! bloOdshot eye, and feels the hot hand,
aud watches the blood bursting from
the cracked tongue, aud them isashnek ia
| lhc desert Of lccr-shcbG eve shall dicl
We shall dig'" Nov. no mother was ever
made strong enough 10 hear her s0n crJ In
vain ioi a drink. Heretofore she had
| chccrcd her boy 10y promising speedy
end OF the Journey. even smiled upon him
when be- lcll desperately enough. Now
there IA n0,h.ngto DO but place him under
a shrub and let him die. She had thought
that she would st thcru aud watch until
the spirit Of her boy would 90 away for
ever, aud then she would breathe out her
own life on bis silent heart, but as tho
boy begins TO claw his tongue In agony Of
thirst aud struggle In distortion, aud beg
his mother 10 slay him. aho cannot endure
the spectacle. She puts him under
shrub aud goes OF a bow shot aud begins
10 weep until al the desert seems sobbing,
aud her cry strikes clear through tho
heavens, and an angel Of God comes out
on q cloud and looks down upon the APP
pallng grief and cries "llagar, what
ailoih thccf' She looks up and she secs
the angel pointingtoa well Of water, where
sho ills the bo,lo for the lad. Thank
Godl Thank Godl
learn from this Oriental scene, IN tho
first place, what a sad thing Il is when
IfVllruV not KNOW Auelf pace, anu 4ft
too proud ior their business llagar was
an assistant In the household, but she
wanted 10 rule there. She fidiculcd aud
jccrcd until her sou, lshmao got tho
same tricks She dashed out her own hap
pincss aud throw Sarah into q great fret,
and u she had stayed much longer In that
household she would have upset calm
Abraham's equilibrium. My iricndA, one.
half Of tho trouble Ia the world today
comes from tho fact that people do rot
know their places. or, finding their place,
will not stay In Il. When We como into
the world lhcrc Is always place ready for
us. A place Tor Abraham. a place for
Sarah. A place for uaglr A place Tor
lshmacl A place for you and place for
me. Our first duty is TO ilnd our sphere
our second 3. to keep Il. We may be born
In a sphere tor oil from the one iot which
God finally Intends us sextus V. was
born on the low ground, aud was
swinchcrd. God called him up 20
wave sccpier Ferguson spent bis
early DAYS IN looking after Tho sheep
Il Gol called him up 10 look after stan, aud