Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-17


discontinued Hagar and Ishmael.
Again: find in this Oriental scene lesson
| OF sympathy with woman when she goes trudg-
ing forth in the desert. What a great change
| it was for this Hagar There was the tent and
all the surroundings of Abraham's house, beau
uful and luxurious no doubt. Now She is going
out into the hot sands of the desert. 0, what a
change it was! And in our day we often see the
wheel of fortune turn. Here is some one who
lived in the very bright home of her father.
She had everything possible to administer to
her happiness. Plenty at the table. Music in
the drawing room. Welcome at the door. She
is led forth into life by some one who cannot
appreciate her. A dissipated soul comes and
takes her out in the desert. 1niquities blot out
all the lights of that home circle. Barsh
words wear out her spirits. The high hope
that shone out over the marriage altar while
the ring was being set and the VOWS given and
the benediction pronounced, have all faded
with the orange blossoms and there she is to-
day, broken hearted, thinking of past Joy and
present desolation and coming anguish Hagar
In the W1ldernessi
A SCENE OF HAPPINESS.
Here is beautiful home. You cannot think
of anything that can be added to it For years
there has not been the suggestion of single
trouble. Bright and happy children fll the
house with laughter and song. Books to read.
Pictures to look at Lounges to rest on. Cup
of domestic joy full and running over. Dark
night drops. Pillow hot. Pulses hutter. Eyes
close And the foot whose well-known steps on
the door sill brought the whole household out
at eventide, crying: Fathers coming, viii
never sound on the door sill again. A long,
deep grief plowed through all that lightness of
domestic life Paradise lost! Widowhood!
Hagar in the wilderness.
How often it is we see the weak arm OF
woman conscripted for this battle with the
rough world Who is she, going down the
street in the early light of the morning. pale
the slumbers of last night, tragedies of suffer
ing written all over her face, her lusterless
ey looking far ahead as though for the COM
ing of some other trouble? 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 a holy baptism. Her name is
changed now. / hear it in the shuttle OF the
worn-out shoes. 1 see it in the figure of the
faded calico l find il in the lineaments or the
woe-begone countenance. Not Mary, nor
Bertha. nor Agnes, but Hagar in the wilder
ness. May God have mercy upon woman in her
tolls, her struggles, her hardships, her desola-
tion, and may the great heart OF Divine sym.
pathy inclose her forever
Again: / find in this Oriental scene the fact
that every mother leads forth tremendous des-
times. You say: THAT isn't an unusual scene,
a mother leading her child by the hand" Who
is it that she is leading? Ishmael, you say.
Who is Ishmael? A great nation is to be
founded; nation SO strong that it is to stand
Tor thousands of years against all
THE ARMIES OF THE WORLD.
Egypt and Assyria thunder against it, but in
vain. Gaulus brings up his army and his army
is smitten. Alexander decides upon a cam
paign, brings up his hosts and dies. For a long
while that nation monopolizes the learning of
the world. 1t is the nation of the Arabs. Who
founded it? Ishmael, the lad that Hagar led
into the wilderness. She had no idea
she was leading forth such destinies.
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 Poo, Plym- |
outh, England, barefooted, wading down into |
upon piece OF glass and he lifts ii, bleeding |
and pain-struck? That wound in the foot de- |
cides that he be sedentary in life, decides that
,he foot decides that he shall be John Kitto,
who shall provide the best religious encyclo-
1edia the world has ever had provided, and,
with his other writings as well, throwing
light upon the Word of God such as has come
rom no other man in this century.
o mother, mother, that little hand that wan
lers over your face may yet be lifted to hurl
That little voice may blaspheme Goa in the
,rog shop OF cry "Forwardr' to the Lords
losts as they go out for their last victory. My
mind to-day leaps 80 years ahead, and 1 see
merchant prince of New York. One stroke of
lis pen brings ship out of Canton. Another /
troke of his pen brings a ship into Madras.
lie is mighty in all the money markets of the
world. Who is he? He sits to-day beside you
u the tabernacle. My mind leaps 30 years for
yard from this time and find myself in a re-
ief association. A great multitude of Chris
ian women have met together for generous
,urpose. There is one woman in that crowd
rho seems to have the confidence of all the
thers, and they all look up to her for her coun-
ou will find her in the Sabbath school, while
be teacher tells her of that Christ who clothed
he naked and fed the hungry and healed the
ick. Ny mind leaps forward so years from
low, and find myself IN an African jungle;
nd there is a missionary of the cross address
ng the natives, and their dusky countenances
re irradiated with the glad tidings of
GREAT JOY AND SALVATION.
Who is he? Did you not hear his voice to-
ay in the first song of the service? My mind
caps forward 30 years from now and find
lyself looking through the wickets off prison.
see a face SCARED with every crime His
hin on his open palm, his elbow on hi knee
picture of despair. As open the wicket he
tarts, and hear the chain clank. The jail
eeper tells me that he has been in there now |
hree times First for theft, then for arson,
ow for murder. He steps upon the trap door,
he rope is fastened to his neck, the plank falls.
is body swings into the air, his soul swings off
ito eternity Who is he, and where is he?
lother, you are to-day hoisting a throne or
orging chain-you are kindling star or
igging dungeon.
A good many years ago Christian mother
4
nd he drank in those lessons. She never
new that Lamphier would come forth and
;tablish the Fulton street prayer meeting, and ,
y one meeting revolutioniZe the devotions of
lie whole earth. and thrill the eternities with
is Christian influence. Lamphier said it was
Is mother who brought him to Jesus Christ
he never had an idea that she was leading
,rth such destinies. But o, when I see
other reckless of her influence, rattling on
1ward obstruction garlanded for the sacrifice
ith unseemly mirth and godlessness, gayly
ipping on down to ruin, taking her children
the same direction, 1 cannot help but say: ,
There they go, there they go-Hagar and
hmaelr' l tell you there are wilder deserts
ian Beersheba in many of the domestic circles
this day. DissIpated parents leading dissi {
aJed children: Prayerless parents leading {
rect, up every dark alley, into ever cellar,
ong every highway. Hagar and Ishmaell 4
nd while l pronounce their names, it seems
ke the moaning of death wind-Hagar and
hmaell
1 learn one more lesson from this Oriental ]
,ene, and that is, that every wilderness has a
ell in it Hagar and lshmael gave up to die.
agars heart sank within her as she heard her
lid crying: Water! water! water!' "Ah," .
lie says, my darling, there is no water. This
desert" And then Gods angel said from
e cloud: "What aileth thee, Hagar?' And
e looked up and saw him pointing to well
water, where she filled the bottle for the lad.
Iessed be God that there is in every wilder
,ss well, if you only know how to find it
untains for all these thirsty souls to-day.
THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 7
ION that last day, on that great day of the
asst Jesus stood and cried: If any man thirst,
t him come to me and drink" All these
her fountains are mere mirages of the desert.
you know, spent his time in trying
find out the elixir of life-a liquid which, if
ken, would keep one perpetually young in
is world, and would change the aged back
ain to youth. or course, he was disappointed;