Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-09-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINF9S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: The Droves at the Well
Delivered at Elmira, y. Y.

all the HOcEcS be gathered together, aid til
they roll the stone from the tceLrs mouth
then 1ce tcdteT the sheep."-Genesis xxx,
There are some reasons why it is appro-
pirate that should accept the invitation &C
preach at this great interstate fair, and tc
these throngs of countrymen and citizens
horsemen just come from their fine charg-
ers, the king OF beasts for take the crown
from the ion and put it on the brow OF the
morse, which Is in every way nobler); and
speak to these shepherds just come from
their hocks 1.-THE Lord Himself in one place
called Shepherd and in another place
called a Lamb and all the good are sheep;
and preach TO you cattle-men come up from
the herds, your occupation honored by the
fact, that God Himself thinks it worthy OF
immortal record that He owns the cattle on
a thousand hills" 1t is appropriate
that | come because l was a far.
mer's boy, and never saw a city until
I was nearly grown, and having been
born in the country / never got over it,
and would not dwell in cities a day If my
work was not appointed there. Ny love
to you now, and when l get through ]
will give you my hand, for though [ have
this summer shaken hands with perhaps
forty thousand people in twenty-one
States of the Union all the way through
to Colorado and North and South l will not
conclude my summer vacation till | have
shaken hands with you You old farmer
out there! How you make me think Of my
lou woman OuJ CQSTo
with cap and spectacIes' How you make
me think of my mother! And now
while the air of these fairgrounds
is filed with the bleating of sheep, and the
neighing of horses, and the lowing of cattle,
/ cannot find a more appropriate text
than the one [ read. 1t is a scene
In Mesopotamia, beautifully pastoral. A
well Of water Of great value in that
region. The fields around about it white
with three focks of sheep lying down
waiting for the watering l hear their
beating coming on the bright air, and
the laughter of young men and maidens
INDUCING in rustic repartee. l look off,
and | see other docks of sheep coming.
Meanwhile, Jacob, a stranger, on the in
teresting errand of looking for wife,
comes to the well. A beautiful shepherd
ess comes to the same we'll. l see her APP
preaching, followed by her fathers flock of
sheep. 1t was memorable meeting. Jacob
married that shepherdess. The Bible account
of it is: Jacob kissed Rachel. and lifted up
his voice and wept." 1t has always been a
mystery to me what he found to cry
about! But before that scene occur
red, Jacob @accosts the shepherds and
asks them why they postpone the shaking
OF the thirst of these sheep and why they
did not Immediately proceed to water
them. The shepherds reply to the effect:
1--WE are all good neighbors, and as a mat
ter of courtesy we wait until all the sheep
of the neighborhood come up. Besides
that this stone on the wells mouth is
somewhat heavy, and several OF US take hold
OF 1t and push it aside, and then the buckets
and the troughs are filled, and the sheep are
satisfied. " e cannot, until all the hocks be
gathered together, and till they roll the stone
from the wells mouth; then we water the
sheep"
Oh, this is thirsty worldl Hot for the
head, and blistering for the feet. and
parchlng for the tongue. The worlds
great want is cool, refreshing satisfying
draught. We wander al ound and find
the cistern empty. Long and tedious
drought has dried up the worlds fount-
aims, but nearly nineteen centuries ago
a Shepherd, with crook in the shape
of cross, and feet cut to the bleeding, ex-
plOred the desert passages Of this world, and
one day came across a well thousand feet
deep, bubbiing and bright and opaiescenG,
and looked to the north, and the south, and
the east and the west, and cried out with
Voice strong and musical that rang through
the ages: ''Ho. every one that thirsteth,
come We to the waters"
Now great flock Of sheep to-day gathered
around this Gospel we'll There are great
fiockS OF all nations do not gather-why SO
many stay thirsty; and while [ am wonder
ing about it. my text breaks forth in the ex-
PLANTATION, saying: Eve cannot, until all the
flocks be gathered together, and till they
roll the stone from the wells mouth; then
we water the Sheep
II nerd OF SWINE come to well they
angriIy jOstle each other for the precedence:
it drove Of cattle come to we'll, they hook
each other back from the water; but when
the mock OF sheep come, though hundred
of them shall be disappointed, they only
express it by sad bieating, they come to-
gether peacefully. We want a great muL-
tituue to come around the Gospel we'll. [
know there are those who do not like crowd
they think crowd is vulgar. If they are
otyccf
positively impatient and beligerent Not so
did these Oriental shepherds They waited
until all tue tiocks were together, and the
more focks that came, the better they liked
it. And so we ought to be anxious
60 out into the highways and the
hedges and compel them to come
in Go to the rich and tell them they are
indigent without the Gospel of Jesus. Go
to the Door and tell them the affluence there
\ urlst. 90 TO the Dllnd and tell them
-, the touch that gives eternal illuminate
nc the lame and tell them of the JOY that
will make the lame man leap like
hart. Gather all the sheep off Of all the
mountains. None so torn OF the dogs. none
so sick none so worried, none so dying, as to
be omitted. When the fall elections come
the wnole land is secured for voters, and if a
man is 100 weak or sick to walk to the
oils. carriage IS sent for hlan; but
Tnen the question is whether Christ
- uSNu Suau RUE luis "OFIu, 10" lie"
r.sre are 10 come out and seek the SICK and
Cue loS7, and the suffering, and the bereft,
and the lame, and induce their suffrages for
The Lord Jesus. Why not gather a great
dock: Ali America in a flock; all the
world III flock. This well of the
Gospel is deep enough to put out the burn
ing thirst of the fourteen hundred million
OF the race. Do not let the church by
spirit OF exciusiveness keep the world out.
Let down all the bars. swing open all the
gates. scatter al the invitations: Whose
ever will let him come" Come white and