Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-03-25
WEARY WAYFARERS.
WELLS OF COMFORT IN UNEXPECTED
PLACES.
DR.. Talmago Draws Some Stirring Lessons
From the Story of Bagar and Ishmael
In the Descrt-Finding and Keeping Our
Proper Stations In Life.

In the Descrt-Finding and Keeping our
Proper Stations In Life.
copyright. 1895 by American Press Asso-
ciationl
WASHINGTON, March 20.-This dis
course of DR.. Talmage draws from an
oriental scene some stirring lessons and
points to wells of comfort i'll unexpected
places; text, Genesis xxi, 10, land God
opened her eyes, and she saw well OF
water. and she went and filled the bot
tie with water and gave the lad drink.
Morning breaks upon Boersheba
There is an early stir in tho house Of
old Abraham. There has been trouble
among the domestics. Hagar, an assist
ant in the household, and her son,
brisk lad Of 16 years, have become I'M
pudent and insolent, and Sarah, the
mistress of the household, puts her foot
down very hard and says that they will
have to leave the premises. They are
packing up now. Abraham, knowing
that the journey before his servant and
her son will be very long and across
desolate places in the kindness of his
heart sets about putting up some bread
and bottle with water in it, 1t is
very plain lunch that Abraham pro
vides. but | warrant You there would
have been enough of it had they not lost
their way. "God be with you, " said
old Abraham as he gave the lunch to
Hagar and good many charges as to
how she should conduct the journey.
Ishmael, the boy, l suppose, bounded
away in the morning light, Boys al
ways like a change. Poor lshmaell He
has no idea Of the disasters that are
ahead Of him. Hagar gives one long
lingering look on the familiar place
where she had spent so many happy
DAYS, each scene associated with the
pride and JOY Of her heart, young lsh
mael.
The scorching noon comes on. The an
is sitting and moves across the desert
with insufferable suffocation. lshmael
the boy, begins to complain and lies
down, but Hagar rouses him up, saying
nothing about her own weariness or the
sweltering heat, for mothers can endure
ANYTHING. Trudge, trudge, trudge.
Crossing the dead level Of the desert,
how wearily and slowly the miles slip!
A tamarind that seemed hours ago to
stand only just little ahead, inviting
the travellers to come under its shadow,
now is as far off as ever, or seemingly
so. Night drops upon the desert, and
the travellers are pillowless. lshmael,
very weary, | suppose, instantly falls
asleep. Hagar as the shadows Of the
night begin to lap over each other
Hagar hugs her weary boy to her bosom
and thinks of the fact that it Is hei
fault that they are in the desert. \ stai
looks out ana every falling tear II
kisses with a sparkle. \ wing Of wind
comes over the bot earth and lifts the
locks from the feyered brow of the boy
Hagar sleeps fitfully and in her dreams
travels over the weary day and hal
awakes her son by crying out IN hei
sleep: "Ishmaell Ismael! !"
Lost In the Desert.
And so they go on day after day apt
night after night, for they have los
their way. No path in the shiftlni
sands, no sign in the burning sky TIT
sack empty Of the flour, the water gon'
from the bottle. What shall she do: y
she puts her fainting Ishmael under
stunted shrub Of the arid plain she see
the bloodshot eye and feels the no
hand and watches the blood bursting
from the cracked tongue, and there Is
shrek in the desert Of Beersheba: w
shall die! We shall die" Now, n
mother was ever made strong enough
TO hear her son cry in vain for drink
Heretofore she had cheered her boy b.
promising a speedy end Of the journe.
and even smiled upon him when sh
felt desperately enough. Now there
nothing to do but place him under
shrub and let him die She had though
that she would sit there and watch un
E iii the spirit Of her boy would 90 ava
! forever, and then she would breathe on
! her own life on his silent heart. But q
the boy begins to claw his tongue ]
agony Of thirst and struggle in distoi
tion and begs his mother to slay hi
she cannot endure the spectacle. Sh
puts him under q shrub and goes OF
bowshot and begins to weep until a
! the desert seems sObbing, and her CT
strikes clear through the heavens an
an angel of God comes out on clou
u and looks down upon the appallin
grief and cries, "Hagar, what ailet
thee?" She looks up and she sees IL
angel pointing to we'll Of water, whel
she fills the bottle for the lad. Than
=, God Thank Godl
| learn from this oriental scene,
the first place, what a sad thing II
when people do not know their pla'
and get too proud for their busines
Hapar was an assistant in that nous
]. hold. but she wanted to rule there. u
ridiculed and jeered until her son Isl
z mael got the same tricks. She dash'
ont her own happiness and threw Sara
into q great fret, and if she had sta
Z muoh longer in that household 81
would have upset calm Abraham
equilibrium. My friends, one-hat
). the trouble in the world today com
from the fact that people do not kno
m their place, or, finding their place, W
not stay in it. When we come into I
D world. there is always place ready
us. A place for Abraham. A place
Sarah. A place for Hagar' a place !
Ishmael. A place for you and pla
for me.
Find Your Sphere.
Our first duty is to find our sphel
Re our second is to keep it, We may
n. born in sphere far OF from the Q
for which God finally intends us. .
tus V was born on the low ground a
was swineherd; God called him mp
fu wave a scepter Ferguson spent
early days in looking after sheep; y
he called him mp to look after stars ana
:, a shepherd watching the tiocks OF ilgI
w ON the hillsides of heaven. Hogartn
gan by engraving pewter pots; [
az raised him to stand in the enchan
L