The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-07-04

think OF anything that can be added 10 il.
| FOR Years there has not been the suggestion
OF single trouble Bright and happy chill
dren NIL the house with laughter and song.
Books TO read, Pictures TO look at.
io Lounges fsu to .T rest on, Cup Of domestic
night drops. Pillow hot. Pulses futter,
Eyes close. And the foot whose well known
steps on the door sill brought the whole
household out at eyentide, crying: Fathers
coming" will never sound ON the door sill
again. "A long, deep grief plowed through
Ill that hghtness of domestic life. Paradise
Iosti Widowhoodl Hagar in the wildernessi
How often 1t Is we see the weak arm of
woman conscrlpted for this battle with the
rough world Who is she, going down the
street in the early light of the morning, pale
with exhaustlng work, not half slept out
with the slumbers of last night, tragedies OF
suffering written all over her face, her luster-
less eyes looking far ahead as though for the
coming Of some other troublep Her parents
called her Mary, or Bertha, or Agnes on the
day when they held her up to the font
and the Christian minister sprinkled on
the infants face the washings of holy
baptism. Her name is changed now. Ihear
i In the shuttle of the worn out shoes, / SEQ
i In the figure of the faded calico. find It
In the lineaments of the woe begono
countenance. Not Mary, nor Bertha, nor
God have mercy upon woman in her tolls,
her struggles her hardships, her desolation,
and may the great heart Of Divine sympathy
inclose her forever.
again: ma IN this oriental scene the facu
that every mother leads forth tremendous
destinies. You say: THAT isn't an unusual
scene, mother leading her child by the
hand" Who Is it that she is leadingp
Ishmael, you say. Who is Ishmaelp A great
nation Is to be founded; nation so strong
that it is to stand for thousands Of years
against all the srmies of the world. Egypt
and Assyria, thunder against it, but In
vain. Gaulus brings up his army
and his army is snitten. Alex
ander decides upon q campaign, brings up his
hosts and dies, For a long while that nation
monopolizes the learning of the world. II Ia
the nation Of the Arabs, Who founded IT. Ish-
mael the lad that Hagar led into the wilder
ness She had no idea she was leading forth
such destinies. Neither does any mother.
You pass along the street, and see pass boys
and girls who will yet make the earth quake
with their influence. Who is that boy at
Sutton Pool Plymouth, England,
6,ars,footed; ws,ading down into the
comes upon piece of glass and he lifts it,
the foot decides that he DO sedentary in his
life, decides that he be a student. That
wound by the glass in the foot decides that
nc snail be John kltto who shall provide
the best religious encyclopedia the world has
ever had provided, and with his other writ
lngs as well, throwing a light upon the
Word of God such as has come from no other
man in this century. mother, mother
that little hand that wanders over your
face may yet be lifted to hurl thunderbolts
of war, or drop benedictions That little
voice may blaspheme God in the grog shop,
or cry: "Forwardr' to the Lords hosts, as
they go out for their last victory. My mind
to-day leaps thirty years ahead, and I see
merchant prince of New York. One stroke
Of his pen brings ship out Of Canton An
other stroke of his pen brings ship into
Madras, He is mighty in all the money mar
kets of the world. Who is her He sits to-
day beside you in the Tabernacle My mind
leaps thirty years forward from this
time, and [ find myself in relief u.s.
sociation. A great multitude of Chris
tinn women have met together for generous
purpose. There is one woman In that crowd
who seems to have the confidence of all the
others, and they all look up to her for her
counsel and for her prayers Who is she
To-day you will find her in the Sabbath-school,
while the teacher tells her Of that Christ who
clothed the naked and fed the hungry and
healed the sick. Ny mind leaps forward
thirty, years from now, and find
there is missionary of the cross adj
dressing the natives, and their dusliy
countenances are ilradiated with tho glad
tidings of great joy and salvation. Who is
he2 Did you not hear his voice to-day in the
first song of the service? My mind leaps for
ward thirty years from now, and find my
self looking through the wickets of prison.
see a face SCARED with every crime. His
chin on his open palm, his elbow on his knee
"a picture of despair. As Iopened the wick
ct he starts, and hear his chain clank. The
jail keeper tells me that he has been in there
now three times First for theft, then
for arson, now for murder He
steps upon the trap door. the rope is fastened
TO MS neck the plank 1alls his body swings
into the air, his soul swings off into eternity.
Who is he, and where is he? To-day playing
kite on the city commons Mother, you are
to-day hosting throne or forging a chain
you are kindling 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 revolutionize the de-
votions 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
L
mother reckless of her influence, rafting on
toward destruction, garlanded for the sacTi-
flee with unseemly mirth and godlessness,
gayly tripping on down to ruin, taking her
children in the same direction, | cannot help
but say: There they go, there they go
Hagar and Ishmaelr' | tell you there are
wilder deserts than Beersheba in many of the
domestic circles of this day. Dissi-
pated parents leading dissipated children.
Avaricious parents leading avaricious chill
dren. PrayerlesS parents leading prayerless
children They go through every street, up
every dark alley, into every cellar, along
every highway. Hagar and Ishmael! and
while pronounce their names it seems like
the moaning of the death wind-Hagar and
Ishmaell
l learn one more lesson from this
Oriental scene, and that is, that every
wilderness has a well in it. Hagar and
fsnmaeI gave up to die. Hagar's heart sanl
within her as she heard her child CRYING
Water waterl waterm "Ah, =" she says. my
darling, there is no water. This is a desert
And then Gods angel said from the cloud
what aileth thee, Hagarl" And she looked
up and saw him pointing to a well of water
where she filled the bottle for the lad Blessed
be GOD that there is in every wilderness 6
well, If you only know how to find it-fount.
aims for all these thirsty souls to-day. ''Or
that last day, on that great day of the feast.
Jesus STOOD and cried: IF any man thirst,
let him come to Ne and drink
| All these other fountains you find
are mere mirages of the des
ert. Paracalsus, you know, spent his time in
trying to find out the elixir Of iife-a LIQUID
which if taken, would keep one perpatually
| young in this world, and would change the
aged back again to youth. OF course, he
was disappointed; he found not the elixir.
But here | tell you to-day of the elixir o.
everlasting life bursting from the "Roci;
of Ages" and that drinking that water
you shall never get old and you will
never be sick and you viii never die. ''Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come 20 to the
| waters All, there is man who says;
II have been looking for that fountnin q
great while but can't find it.n And here is
some one else who says; Il believe all you
say, but have been trudging along in the
wilderness and can't find the fountain" Do
you know the reason? | viii tell YOU. You
never looked in the right direction. 80" you
say, II have looked everywhere. have
| looked north, south, east and west and
/ haven't found the fountain" Why,you are not
looking in the right direction at ell. Look up,
where Hagar looked. She never would have
found the fountain at all. but when she
neard me voice OF rha anrai She lnoIxed IN