Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-05-23

daughter Of Caleb thirsted after tho
water springs? 1t is no stagnant pond,
scummed over with malaria. but springs OF
water leaping from the Rock of Agesi Take
up one cup of that spring water, and across
the top Of the chalico will float the delicate
shadows of the heavenly wall the yellowof
jasper, the green of emerald, the blue OF sar-
donyx, the fire of jacinth. .- .....-....
wish could make you understand the
Joy religion is to some of us. Ii makes man
happy while he lives and glad when he
dies With two feet unon a char and
bursting with dropsies, heard an old
man in the poorhouse cry out: BLESS the
and said: 'FWhat has this man got to thank
God forY' It makes the lame man leap
like the hart, and the dumb sing. They say
that the old Puritan religion is juicelcss and
ioyless religion; but | remember reading OF
DR.. Goodwin, the celebrated Puritan, who i'll
his last moments said: I" Is this dying Why,
my bow abides in strength am swallowed
up in God" "Her ways are ways of pleasant
ness, and all her paths are peace" Oh, you
who have been trying to satisfy yourselves
with tho "south land Of this world, do you
not feel that you would, this morning, like
to have access to tho neither springs OF
spiritual comfort? Would you not like to
have Jesus Christ bend over your cradle and
bless your table and heal your wounds and
strew flowers of consolation ali up and down
the graves of your dead?
'Tls religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we hvei
'Tis religion supply ..
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But have something better to tell you,
suggested by this text. 1t seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day of his daugh-
ter wanted to make her just as happy as pos
sibIe. Though Othniel was taking her away.
ind his heart was almost broken because sh,
was going yet he gives her south landi
aot only that, but the neither springs MOI
,nly that, but the upper springs 0 God, my
Father, thank Thee that Thou hast given mt
| 'tsouth land" in this world and the nethea
prings Of spiritual comfort in this world,
but more than all, thank Thee for thl
upper springs in heaven. sa
It is very fortunate we cannot see HEAVIER
1ntil we get into it. oh, Christian man,
you could SOC what place it is, we woulG
never get you back again to the Office or store
Dr shop, and the duties you ought to perform
would go neglected. lam glad shalfnot SET
that world until enter it. Suppose wo wer
allowed to go on an excursion into that good
| and with the idea of returning Whom we got
there, and heard the song, and looked al
6heir raptured faces, and mingled in the su.
pernal society, we would cry out: LET us
stay! We are coming here anyhow. Why
| take the trouble of going back again to that
old world? We are here now; let us stay
! And it would take angelic violence to put
| Us out of that world, if once we got
there. But as people who cannot af.
ford to pay for an entertainment some
| times come around it and look through the
door ajar, or through the openings in the
| fence, SO we come and look through the
creviceS in that good land which God has pro
vided for us. We can just catch glimpse OF
| 1t. Wo come near enough to hear the
fumbling Of the eternal orchestra, though
not near enough to know who blows
the cornet or who fingers tho harp
| My soul spreads out both wings and clap:
them in triumph at the thought Of thost
upper springs. One of them breaks from
beneath tho throne; another breaks forth
from beneath the altar Of the temple; an
other at the door of "the house OF many
mansions" Upper springs of gladnessl Up
per springs of light! Upper springs of love
1t is no fancy of mine, "The Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall lead them te
living fountains Of water" Oh, Savior de
vine, roll in upon our souls one of those an
ticipated raptures! Pour around the roots oi
the parched tongue one drop of that hquiC
life! Toss before our vision those fountain.
of God, rninbowed with eternal victory
Hear it. They are never sick there; not SC
much as q headache, or twinge rheumatic
OF thrust neuralgic The inhabitant neve1
says: II am sick" They are never tired there
Flight to farthest world is only the play of 6
holiday. They never sin there. 1t is as easy
for them to be holy as it is for us to sin. They
never die there. You might go through al
the outskirts Of the great city and find no
one place where tho ground was broken TO
grave The eyesight Of tho redeemed j
never blurred with tears. There is health il
Ovcry cheek. There is spring in every foot
There is majesty on every brow. Their
is joy in every heart There is hosann
on every lip. How they must pit.
Us as they look over and down and Sc
us, and say: "Poor things away down in tina
world" And when some Christian is hurlet
into fatal accident, they cry: "Good! he i
comingr And when we stand around tn
couch of some loved one (whose strength /
going away and we shake our heads fore
bodingly, they cry: II am glad ho is worse
$ he is dead! Come home! Come home!
| Oh, if we could only get our ideas about tina
= future world UNFINISHED our thought of trans
fer from here to there would be as pleasant t.
us as il was to little child that was dying
? She said Papa, when will go home |?
And he said l'To-day, Florence" etc
dayp So soon' am so glad I"
wish could stimulate you with thes
thoughts, oh Christian man, to the highes
possible exhilaration The day Of your dc
tiveranco is coming, is coming. 1t isrollin
the Jet wheels Of the night. Every thumpo G
the heart is only hammer stroke striking oi
another chain of clay Better scour the dec
and coil the rope, the harbor is only six mile
away. Jesus will come down in the 'sNal
rows" to meet you. Now is your salvatio
nearer than when you believed. -.
Unforgiven man, unpardoned man, wi
YOU not to-day make choice between thes
two portions, between the south land" {
this world, which slopes, to the desert, "a an
this glorious land which thy Father offel
thee, running with eternal water courses
Why let your tongue be consumed with thir'
when there are the neither springs and I'll
upper springs, comfort here and glory her
Il afters -.
Let me tell you, my dear brother, that tl
silliest and wickedest thing man ever dot
is to reject Jesus Christ. The loss OF the sol
is a mistake that cannot be corrected 1t
downfall that knows no alleviation; it is
ruin that is remediless; it is O sickness ths
has no medicament; it is grave into whic
aman goes but never comes out. Therefor
putting my hand on your shoulder as or
brother puts his hand on the shoulder of
brother, say this day, be manly, and sa
render your, heart TO Christ. You have bee
long enough servingth world now begin
serve the Lord who bought you You hay
tried long enough to carry these burdens; L
Jesus Christ put His Shoulder under yot
burden. Do hear any one in the audient
say: h'I mean to attend to chat aftor awhil
it is not just tho timer IL is the time, fc
the simple reason that you are sure
no other; and God sends you hel
this morning, and He scnt mo hel
to comfort you with this me
sage; and you must hear now that Chri
died to save your SOUL and that