The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-11-27

| ply, He said that He would. IL 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 Jacob
make a reservoir there when there Is
plenty Of water all around and abun-
dance of springs and fountains and
seemingly no need of that reservoir.
Why did Jacob go to the vast expense
OF boring and digging a we'll perhaps
two hundred feet deep as first COM
pleted, when, by going little way off
he could have water from other fount-
aims at little or no expense? All, Jacob
was wise. He wanted his own we'll
| Quarrels and wars might arise with
other tribes and the supply of water
might be 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 we'll he taught us not
20 le unnecessarily dependent on 9TH
ers. independence of business charac-
ter. Independence of moral character.
independence of religious character.
Have your own we'll OF grace, your own
well of courage, your own well Of Di-
vine supply. II 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. II 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
tha 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 a year!"
says some one. Then spend four hun
dred of it in living and ten per cent. OF
it, or fifty dollars, in benevolence and
the other fifty in beginning to dig your
own we'll. Or, if you have 3 thousand
dollars year, spend eight hundred of
| it in living, ten per cent, or one hun
| dred dollars, in benevolepce, 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 well dug, and filed,
it will be your turn to laugh.
But look up from this famous well,
and see two mountains and the plain
| between them on which was gath
cred the largest religious audience
that ever assembled on earth. about
five hundred thousand people, Mount
Gerizim, about eight hundred feet high
on Cne side, and on the other, Mount
Ebal, the former called the Mount
of Blessing and the latter called the
Mount of Cursing. At Joshua's COM
mand six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim
and read the 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 have made the earth trem-
BILE. ~ 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
the bases of the mountains are only half
a mile apart and the tribes stood on the
sides of the mountains and the air is so
clear, and the 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 we ride until now we have
come to Shiloh, dead city on hill
surrounded by rocks, sheep, goats, olive
gardens and vineyards. Here good Eli
fell backward and broke his neck, and
lay dead at the news from his bad boys,
Phineas and Hophni; and life is not
worth living after ones children have
turned out badly, and more fortunate
was Eli, instantly expiring under such
tidings, than those parents who, their
children recreant and profligate, live
on with broken hearts to see them going
down into deeper and deeper plunge.
There are fathers and mothers here to-
day to whom death would be happy re-
lease because of their recreant sons.
And if there be recreant sons here pres
ent and your parents be far away, why
not bow your head in repentance, and
at the close of this service GO to the
telegraph Office and put it on the wing
of the lightning that you have turned
from your evil Ways? Before another
twenty-four hosrs have passed take
your feet off the sad hearts at the old
homestead. Home to thy God. o prodi-
gal!
But / turn from this Shiloh of Ellis
sudden decease under bad news from
his boys, and find close by what is
called the Meadow of the Feast"
While this ancient city was in the
haioh% 81 thia