Sharp County record., 1890-12-04

after recovery, he came to the surface.
1t is not like other wells digged down
to fountain that fills it, but a NSer'
voir to catch the falling rains, and to
that Christ refers when speaking to the
Samaritan woman about spiritual sup
ply, He said that He would. if asked,
have given her "living water;" that is,
water from flowing spring in distinc-
tion from the water of that we'll which
was rain water. But why did Japob
make a reservoir there when therd is
plenty of water all around and abun-
dance of springs and fou ntains and
seemingly no need of that reservoirs.
Why did jacob 60 to the vast expense
OF boring and digging we'll perhaps
two hundred feet deep as first COM
pleted, when, by going little waypff
he could have water from other folylt-
aims at little or no expense? All, Jacob
was wise. Ho wanted his own we'll.
Quarrels and wars might arise with
other tribes and the supply Of water
might bo cut off, so the shovels and
pick-axes and boring instruments were
ordered and the well of nearly four
thousand years ago was sunk through
the solid rock.
When Jacob thus wisely insisted on
having his own well he taught us not
to be unnecessarily dependent on 9TH
ers. independence of business charac-
ter, Indepe peudence of moral character
Independence of religious character.
Have your own we'll of grace, your own
well of courage, your own we'll of Di-
vine supply If you are an invalid you
have right to be dependent on others.
But if God has given you good health,
common sense, and two eyes, and two
ears, and two hands, and two feet He
equipped you for independence of all
the universe except Himself. If He
had meant you to be dependent on
others you would have been built with
a cord around your waist to tie fast to
somebody else. No; you are built with
common sense to fashion your own
opinions, with eyes to find your own
way, with ears to select your own
music, with hands to fight your own
battles. There is only one being in the
universe whose advice you need and
tina t is God. Have your own we'll and
the Lord will fill it. Dig it if need
be through two hundred feet of solid
rock Dig it with your pen, or dig it
with your yard-stick, or dig it with
your shovel, or dig it with your Bible.
Young man, drop cigars and cigar
cites and wine cups and the Sunday ex-
cursions and build your own house and
have your own wardrobe and be your
own capitalist why, l have only
five hundred dollars income q year"
says some one. Then spend four hup-
dred of it in living and ten per cent. Of
it, or fifty dollars, in benevolence and
the other fifty in beginning to dig yo1r
own well. Or, if you have a thousand
dollars year, spend eight hundred of
it in Livingston per cen>, ore one htd-
dred dollars, in benevolence, and the
remaining one hundred dollars in be-
ginning to dig your own we'll The
largest bird that ever flew through the
air was hatched out of one egg, and the
greatest estate was brooded out of one
dollar.
Much Is said about good luck" but
people who are Industrious and self.
denying almost always have good luck.
You can afford to be laughed at because
Of your application and economy, for
when you get your we'll dug, and filled,
it will be your turn to laugh.
But look up from this famous we'll,
and sec two mountains and the plain
between them on which was gath
cred tho largest religious audience
that ever assembled on earth, about
five hundred thousand people, Mount
Gerizim, about eight hundred feet high
on one side, and on the other, Mount
Ebal, the former called the Mount
of Blessing and the latter called the
Mount Of Cursing. At Joshuas COM
mand six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim
and read tho blessings for keeping the
law, and six tribes stood on Mount Ebal
reading the curses for breaking the law,
while five hundred thousand people on
the plain cried amen, with an emphasis
that must haye made the earth trem-
bic, 81 do not believe that" says some
one, 'for those mountain tops are two
miles apart and how could voice be
heard from top to top?" My answer is
that while the tops are two miles apart,
tho bases Of the mountains arc only half
n milo apart, and tho tribes stood on the
sides of tho mountains, and the air is 50
clear and tho acoustic qualities Of this
great natural amphitheater so perfect
that voices can be distinctly heard from
mountain to mountain, as has been
demonstrated by travellers fifty times in
the last fifty years.
On and on wo ride until now we have
como to Shiloh, dead city on hill
surrounded by rocks, sheep, goats, olive
gardens and vineyards Hero good Eli
fell backward and broke his neck and
lay doad at tho news from his bad boys,
Phinols and llophni; and liro is not
worth living aitor ones children have
turned out badly, and moro fortunate
was Eli, instantly expiring under such
tidngs, than those parents who, their
children rocroant and proHigate, live
on with broken hearts to sec them going
IAun iplA l,n,n, al -,