The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-24
"lEVy SPRINGS OF JOY"
Sermon by Rev. 7. Dewitt 1almage,
D. D.
What Ca1eb's Wedding Gift to His Daush-
ter Achsah signifcs--No Life on
Earth So Happy a Really
.Jr Christian Lifos

south land; give me also springs OF water
And he gave her the upper springs, and the
neither springs"-Joshua XIV. 10. The elo
qucnt divine spoke as follows:
The city of Deblr was the Boston Of an
tiquity-a great place for brain and books
Caleb wanted it, and he offered his daughter
Achsah as prize to any one who would cap
ture that city. It was strange thing for
Caleb to Go; and yet the man that could
take Che city would have, at any rate, two
elements of manhood-bravery and patriot
ism. With Caleb's daughter as prize to
fight for, General Othniel rode into the bat
tie The gates of Debir were. Numbered
into the dust, and the city of books lay at
the feet Of the conquerors. The work done,
Othniel comes back to claim his bride.
Having conquered the city, it is no great
job for him to conquer the girls heart; for
however a woman faint hearted herself may
be, she always loves courage in a man.
never saw an exception to that. The we'd
ding festivity having gone by, Othniel and
Achsah are about to go to their new home.
However loudly the cymbals may clash and
the daughter ring, parents are always
sad when fondly cherished daughter goes
off to stay; and Achsah, the daughter of
Caleb. knows that now is the time to ask al
most any thing she wants of her father. 1t
seems that Caleb the good old man, had given
as wedding present to his daughter, piece
of land that was mountainous, and sloping
southwark toward the deserts of Arabia,
swept with some very hot winds. 1t was
called "south land" But Achsah wants
an addition of land; she wants piece of
land that is well watered and fertile. Now
it is no wonder that Caleb, standing amidst
the bridal party, his eyes so full of tears be-
cause she was going away that he could
hardly see her at all, gives her more than
she asks. She said to him: Though hast
given me south land give me also springs
of water. And he gave her the upper
springs, and the neither springs"
What suggestive passage! The fact is.
that as Caleb, the father gave Achsah, the
daughter, a south land, so God gives to us
His world. ! am very thankful He has given
it to US. But am like Achsah in the fact
that want large portion. Treeso, and
flowers and grass, and blue skies are very
well in their places; but he who has moth
ing but this world for portion has no por-
ton at all. 1t is mountainous land, sloping
off toward the desert of sorrow, swept by
fiery siroccos; it is a "south land" poor
portion for any man that tries to put his
trust in it. What has been your experienced
y
man, of every woman that has tried this
world for portion9 Queen Elizabeth,
amidst the surroundings of pomp, is I'M
happy because the painter sketches too
infinitely the wrinkles on her face, and she
Indignantly cries out: sYou must strike
off my likeness without any shadows"
Hogarth at the very height of his artistic
triumph, ; 4. 5ung almost to death with Cha
grin because the painting he had dedicated
to the king does not seem to be acceptable;
for George II. cries out: "Who is this Ho-
garth: Take his trumpery out of my pres
ence.'' Brinsley Sheridan thrilled the earth
with his elcquence, but had for his last
words: II am absolutely undone." sWalter
Scott, fumbling around the inkstand, trying
to write, says to his daughter: 80, take
me back to my room: there is no rest for
Sir Walter but in the grave" Stephen
Girard, the wealthiest man in his day, or, at
any rate, only second in wealth, says: 81
i've the life of a galley slave; when arise
in the morning my one effort is to work so
hard that / can sleep when it gets to be
night" Charles Lamb, applauded of all the
world, in the very midst of his literary
triumph says: ''Do you remember, Bridget,
when we used to laugh from the shilling
gallery at the play? There are now no good
pays W laugh az Ilohl CilO DohSS' ouo
why 20 so far as thatl / need to go no
further than your street to find an illustra-
ton of what am saying.
Pick me out ten successful worldlings-
without any religion, and you know what
mean by successful worldlings-pick me out
ten successful worldlings, and you can not
find more than one that looks happy. Care
drags him across the bridge; care drags him
back. Take your stand at two o'clock at the
corner of Nassau and Wall streets, or at the
corner Of Canal street and Broadway, and
see the agonized physiognomies. Your bank
ers, your insurance men, your importers,
your wholesalers, and your retailers as
class-as a class, are they happya No. Care
dogs their steps; and making no appeal to
God for help or comfort, they are tossed
eyeryWhither. How has 1t been with you,
nv nearer? Are you more contented in the
house of fourteen rooms than you were in
the two rooms you had in a house when you
started? Have YOU not had more care and
worriment since you won that $4,000 than
yeu did before? Some of the poorest men l
have ever known have been those of great
fortune. A man of small means may beput
in great business straits, but the ghastliest
of all embarrassments is that OF the man
who has large estates. The men who commit
suicide because of monetary losses are those
who ean not bear the burden any more, be-
cause they have only 100000 left.
On Bowling Green, New York, there is
house where Talleyrand used to 60 He was
fayorite man. All the world knew him,
and he had wealth almost unlimited; yet at
the close of his life he :"Behold, eighty
three years have passed without any practi-
cal result, save fatigue of body and fatigue
Of mind. great Encouragement for the
future and great disgust for the past" o,
ny friends, this is a ''south land and it
slopes off toward deserts of sorrow: and the
prayer which Achsah made to her father
Caleb, we make this day to our Father God:
''Thou hast given me south land; give me
also springs of water. And he gave her the
upper springs, and the neither springs"
Blessed be God! We have more advan-
taces given us than we can really appre-
ciete We have spiritual blessings offered
US in this world which I shall call the neither
springs. and glories in the world to come
which I shall call the upper springs.
Where shall find words enough threaded
with light to set forth the pleasures of relig
ions David, unable to describe it in words,
played it On harp Mrs. Hemans, not find
ing eaonrh power in prose, sings that praise
in 3 Ganto. Christopher Wren, unable to de