Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-09-11
DIR. TALMAGE,S SERMON.
THE DISCOURSE DELIVERED AT
ELMIRA, NEW YORK.
Tho Subject Rendered Appropriate by the
Fact That They Are Holding an Inter-
State Fair There-Text of the Sermon.
Genesis, xxx, 8.
Drove. at the Vol.

Elmira, n. ", to an immense multitude
that had gathered to attend the New
York and Pennsylvania Exposition. His
text was Genesis xxx, s, ssAnd they
said, we cannot until all the focks be
gathered together, aud till they roll the
stone from the wells mouth: then we
water the sheep"
There are some reasons why it is APP
proprate that should accept the invi-
to ton to preach at this great Interstate
fair, and to these throngs of country
men and citizcns-horsemcn just come
from their fine chargers, the king of
beasts, for take the crown from the
lion and put it on the brow of the horse.
which is in every way hobler-and speak
to these shepherds just come from their
focks-the Lord himself in one place
called Shepherd and in another place
called Lamb, and all the good are
Sheppard preach to YOU cattlemcn
come up from the herds. your occupa-
ton honored by the fact that God him
self thinks it worthy of immortal re-
cord that he owns ''thc cattle on
thousand hills
1t is appropriate that come, because
l was a farmers boy. and never saw a
city until was nearly grown, and, hav-
ing been born in the country, | never
got over it. and would not dwell in cities
day if my work was not appointed
there. My love to you now, and when
| get through will give you my hand,
for though l have this summer shaken
hands with perhaps 10000 people in
twenty-onc States of the Union, all the
way through to Colorado and North anG
South, l will not conclude my summe"
vacation till have shaken hands with
you. You old farmer out there. How
you make me think of my father You
elderly woman out there with can and
spectacles! How you make ME think of
my mother.
And now, while the air OF these fair
grounds is filled with the bIeating of
sheep, and the ncighing OF horses. ad
the lowing of cattle, l cannot find
more appropriate text than the one l
read. 1t is a scene in Mesopotam:a
beautifully pastoral. A well of water
OF great volue in that region. The
fields around about it white with these
focks of sheep lying down waiting Cor
the watering. l hear their bleat:ng
coming on the bright air, and the laugh
tcrof young men and maidcns indulging
i'll rustic repartcc. l look off, and / see
other flocks of sheep coming. Mean
while, Jacob, stranger. on the inter-
esting errand of looking for a wife,
comes to the WELL A beautiful snep-
herdess comes to the same we'll. / see
her approaching, followed by her
fathers flock of sheep. 1t was Mem-
orable meeting. Jacob married this
The Bible account of it is,
Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his
voice and wept."
1t has always been mystery with me
what he found to cry about! But before
that scene occurred Jacob accosts the
shepherds and asks them why they post
pone the shaking of the thirst of these
sheep, and why they Gid not Immediately
proceed to water them. The shepherds
reply to the effect: ''We are ali good
and as matter of courtesy
we wait until all the sheep of the neigh
borhood come up. Besides that. this
stone on the wells mouth is somewhat
heavy. aud several of us take hold of it
and push it aside. and then the buckets
and the troughs are filled and the sheep
are satisfied. We cannot, until all the
iiocks are gathered together. and till
they roll the stone from the Wells mouth:
then we water the sheep"
10 =. Oh. this is Il thirsty; world! Hot for
the head. and blistering for the fest, and
for the tongue. The worlds
great want is a cool. refreshing, satisfy
ing draft. We wander around and find
the cistcrn empty. Long and tedious
drought has dried up the worlds foun-
tains. but nearly nineteen centuries ago
a Shepherd. with crook in the shape of u
cross. and feet cut to the bleeding. cX-
pIored the desert passages of this world,
and one day came across q we'll thous-
and feet deep, bubbling and bright. aud
uEalescent, and looked to the North, and
the South, and the East, and the gWcst.
and cried out with a voice strong and
musical that rang through the ages: .'Ho.
every one that thirsteth, come We to tina
watcrS..''
Now, a great flock Of sheep to-dny
gather around this Gospel we'll. Their.
are Il great mauy thirsty souls. WOE.
der why the tlorlls of all nations do NO,
gathcr-why SO many stay thirsty: and
while am wondering about it, my test
breaks forth in the explanation, saving:
owe cannot. until all these flocks he
gathered together, and till they roll the
stone from the Wells mouth; then we
water the sheep"
Ii a herd of swine come to y we'll they
angrly ioS,lc each other for the prcce-
dcncc: if a drove Of cattle come to woll.
they hook each other back from the
water, but which the flock of sheep come,
though a hundred of them Shall be dis
appointed, they only express it by sad
bleating-thcy come together peacefully.
We want Il great multitude to come
around the Gospel well. l know there
arc those who do not like crowd--!hev
think Il crowd is vulgar Ii they arc cp-
pressed for room in church it makes
Them positively impatient and bclligercnt.
Not SO did these oriental shepherds.
They waited until all the locks we're
gathered, and the more hocks that came
the better they liked 1t.
And so we ought to be anxious that all
the people should come. Go out into the
highways and the hedges and compel
them to come in. Go to the rich and
tell them they are indisen. without the
Gospel OF Jesus. Go to the poor and
tell them the aitiuence there is in Christ.
Go to the blind ana tell them of the
touch that gives eternal illumination.
10 to the lame and tell them of the Joy
that will make the lame. man leap like a
hart. Gather all the sheep off Of I'll the
mountains. None so torn of the dogs,
cIfsI- ~