Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-17
Unabated Interest in Rev. DR.. Tai
mage's Almost Realistic
SERMONS UPON THE HOLY LAND.
Lessons to be Drawn From Visit to
Jacobs Famous Well.
THE BATTLE FOR TIE WOODEN CROSS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH


both services the respective buildings were
crowded to their utmost capacity in five
minutes after the doors were opened, and all
who came later were unable to get in. DR..
Ialmage's subject was Among the Be.
doulns, and his text, Numbers 1921: For.
asmuch as thou knowest how we are to en-
camp in the wilderness" lie said:
Night after night we have slept in tent in
Palestine. There are large villages of Bedouins
without house, and for three thousand years
the people of those places have lived in black
tents, made out Of dyed skins, and when the
winds and storms wore out and tore lose those
coverings. others of the same kind took their
places. Noah lived in tent. Abraham in a
tent. Jacob pitched his tent on the mountain.
Isaac pitched his tent in the valley. Lot pitched
MS tent toward Sodon. In tent the woman
Jael nailed Sisera, the General, to the ground,
nrst having given him sour milk called '1eben''
as soporitc to make him soundly sleep, that
being the effect of such nutrition, modern
travellers can testify. The Syrian army in a
tent. The ancient battle shout was ITO your
tents, o Israelr' Paul was tent-maker. In
deed, Isaiah. magnihcently poetic, indicates
mat all the human race live under a blue tent
when he says that God "stretcheth out the
heavens a curtain and spreadeth them out as
tent to dwell m and Hezekiah compares
death to the striking of tent, saving My age
AN ILLUSTRATION EXPLAINED.
Nothing surprised me SO much as the per-
sis1ence OF everything. A sheep or horse falls
dead and, though the sky may one minute be-
fore be clear of all wings, in five minutes after
the skies are black with eagles cawing scream
ing, plunging. fighting for room, contending for
largest morsels of the extinct Quadruped. All,
now / understand the force of Christ's illustra-
tlon when He said: "Wheresoever the carcase
IS there will the eagles be gathered together"
The longevity of those eagles is wonderful.
They live 50 or 60 and sometimes 100 years. All
that explains what DAVID meant when he saws
Thy youth is renewed like the eagles" l saw
shepherd with the folds of his coat far bent
outward and l wondered what was contained in
that amplitude of apparel and / said to the
uraGoman. Nv hat has that shepherd got under
his coat?' And the dragoman said: at is a
very Young lamb he is carving: it is too Young
anu too weak and too cold to keep up with the
flock" AT that mon ent saw the lamb put
It's head out from the shepherds bosom and 1
SAID, There 1t is now. Isaiah's description of
the tenderness of God-'He shall gather the
lambs with His arm and carry them in His
BOSOM"
Passing by village home in the HOLY Land
about noon, saw = great crowd in and around
private house, and sald to the dragoman:
David, what is going on there?" He said:
somebody has recently died there and their
nelghbors go IN for several days after to sit
down and weep with the bereaved." There it is
said, the old scripuural custom: And many of
the Jews came To Martha and Mary. to comfort
them concerning their brother" Early in tie
morning passing by a cemetery in the Holy
Land, saw among the graves about so women
dressed IN black, and they were crying: 'Uh
my childm "Oh, my husbandr' ''Oh, nv
1atherl" "Oh, my mother Our dragoman
told us that every morning very early for three
mornings after burial. the women go to the
sepulchCe, and after that every week verv early
for year. As saw this group just after day
break, l said: There it is again, the same old
custom referred to IN Luke, the evangelist,
where he SAYS: Certain women which were
early at the sepulchre.''
A HISTORIC SPOT.
But here we found ourselves ar Jacobs well
the most famous well in history most dis
tiuguished for two things, because it belonged
TO the old patriarch after whom it was named
and for the wonderful things which Christ said
seated on this well curb the Samaritan
woman. We dismount from our horses in
drlzzling rain, and our dragoman, climbing up
10 the well over the slippery stones, stumbles
and frightens US all by nearly falling into it.
measured the well at the top and found it six
feet from edge to edge Some grass and weeds
and thorny growths overhang it, In one place
the roof is broken through. Large stones en-
bank the wall on all sides. Our dragoman took
pebbles and dropped them in, and from the
time they left his hand the instant they
clicked on the bottom you could hear it was
deep though not deep as once, for every day
travellers are applying the same test. and
though in the time OF Maundrell the traveller,
i
great is the curiosity Of the world to know
about that well, thar during the dry season a
Captain Anderson descended into this well: at
one place the sides were close he had TO mt his
hands over his head in order to get through
and then he tainted away and lay at the bottom
of the well as though dead, until hours after
recovery, when he came to the surface.
II il not like other wells digCed down to a
fountain that fills 1t. but reservoir to catch
the falling rains and to that Christ refers when
speaking TO the Samaritan woman about A
SuDD1Vs = har ha faclyo
have gwen her 'living water;" that is water
from flowing spring IN distinction from the
water Of that well which was rain water But
why did Jacob make a reservoir there when
there is plenty Of water all around and abund-
anCe Of springs and fountains and seemingly
no need of that reservoir? Why did Jacob . o
TO the vast EXPENSE of boring and digging
well perhaps 200 feet deep as first completed
when, by going little way off he could have
water from other fountains at little ex-
penseg An, Jacob was wise. He wanted his
own well. Quarrels and wars might arise with
other tribes and the supply of water might be
cut on. so the shovels and DIck-aXs and boring
instruments were ordered and the well of
nearly 1900 years ago was sunk through the
solid rock.
THE LESSON TO BE DRAWN.
When Jacob thus wisely insisted on having
his own well he taught US not to be unneces-
sGlrly dependent others. Independence of
business character. Independence Of religious
character. Have your own well of grace. your
own well OF courage. your own well of divine
supply. If you are an invalid you have a right
TO be dependent on others. But if God has
gwen you health. common sense. and two ewes
and two ears and Two hands. and two feet He
equipped you for independence of all the uni-
verse except Himself. If he had meant you to
be dependent on Others YOU would lave been
built with cord around your waist to tie fast
TO somebody else. No; you are built with com
mon sense TO fashion your own opinions with
eyes TO nnd 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 that is God. Have
Nour own well and the Lord will fill it, Dig il
need be through go feet of solid rock Dig il
with your pen, or dig it with your yard-stick
or dig II with your shovel, dig it with your
Bible.
In my small way l never ACCOMPLISHED any,
thing for God or the church. or the world, or
my family. or myself except in contradiction to
human ADVICE and In obedience to divine coun-
sci. God Knows everything, and what is the
use OF going Tor advice 20 human beings who
know so little that no one but the all-seeing God
can realize how little it is. / suppose that
when Jacob began TO dig this well on which we
are sitting this nOonIIde. people gathered
around aud said: What useless expense Won
are going to. when rolling down from wonder
Mount GeriZim and down from wonder Mount
Ebal, and out yOnder in the valley is Dlenrv of
watsrr' "Ob," replied Jacob, that is all true
but suppose my neighbors should get anpered
against me and cut off my supply of mountain
beverage, what would do, and what would INV
family do, and what would my focks and herds
dor Forward, We brig ide OF pick-axs and crow
bars and go down into the depths of these
rocks and make me independent of all except
Il i'm who fills the bottles of the clouds! l must
bsva my own WellI'