The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-04-28
UNEXPECTED HELPS.
Lessons from the Trials of Hagar
in the Wilderness.
Rev. Dr. Talmage Take, Up the Old
Story of Iiagar and Ishmael in the
Desert and Points Out Some
of Its Teachings.


In this discourse Rev. L. Dewitt Tai
mage takes a well-known biblical
story and draws from it some stirring
| lessons. The text is:
| And God opened her eyes. and she sa : well
| of water; and she went ana filled the bottle
| with water and gave the lad to drink.-Gcnesis
XXI. l9
| Morning breaks upon Becrsheba.
| There is an early stir in the house of
old Abraham. There has been trouble
among the domestics. Hagar, an as
sistant in the household, and her son,
a brisk lad of l6 years, have become
impudcnt 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, know
ing 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 a bottle with water
in it. 1t is a very plain lunch
that Abraham provides, 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 IIagar and a good
many charges as to how she should
conduct the journey. 1shmael, the
boy suppose, bounded away in the
morning light. Boys always like a
change. Poor Ishmael. He has no
idea of the disasters that are ahead Of
him. llagar gives one long, lingering
look at the familiar place where she
had spent so many happy days, each
scene associated with the pride and
JOY of her heart, young Ishmael.
The scorching noon comes on. The
air is stining and moves across the
desert with insafferable sutfocation.
lshmael. the boy, begins to complain
and lies down, but Iagar rouses him
up, saying nothing a5olt 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 raiics slip! A tanarnd that
seemed hours ago to stand only just a
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 trav-
elers are pillowless. Ishmael, very
weary. suppose, instantly falls asleep.
llagar. as the shadows of the night be-
gin to lap over each other-Hagar hugs
her weary boy to her bosom and thinks
of the fact that it is her fault that they
are in the desert, A star looks out.
and every falling tear it kisses with a
sparkle. A wing of wind comes over
the hot earth and lifts the locks from
the fevered brow of the boy. Hagar
sleeps itfully, and in her dreams trav-
els over the weary day, and half
awakes her son by crying out in her
sleep, ''Ishmael! Ishmael.'
And SO they go on day after day and
night after night, for they have lost
their way No path in the shifting
sands: no sign in the burning sky.
The sack empty of the flour; the water
gone from the bottle. What shall she
do? As she puts her fainting Ishmael
under a stunted shrub of the arid plain.
she sees the bloodshot eye, and feels
the hot hand. and watches the blood
bursting from the cracked tongue, and
there is a Shrek in the desert of Beer
shcba: I'VE shall die. We Shall die.
enough to hear her son cry in vain for
a drink. Heretofore she had cheered
her boy by promising a speedy end OF
the journey, and even smiled upon
him when she felt desperately
enough. Now there is nothing to
do but place him under shruu
and let him die. Sac had thought
that she would sit there and watch un-
til the spirit Of her boy would go away
forever, and then she would breathe
out her own life on his silent heart;
but as the boy begins to claw his
tongue in the agony OF thirst and strug
gle in distortion, and bcgs his mothe,
to slay him, she can not endure the
spectacle. She puts him under shrut
and goes off a bow-shot, and begins tt
weep until all the desert seems sob
bing, and her cry strikes clear through
the heavens; aai al angel of Goo
comes out on a cloud, and looks dowr
upon the appalling grief and cries
''Hagar, what ailetl thee?' Sac looks
up, and she sees the angel pointing to
well of water, where sh, fills the bot
tie for the lad. Thank God! Thanh
God!
l learn from this oriental scene, il
the first place, what a sad thing it il
when people do not know their place
and get too proud for their business
Hagar was an assistant in that house
hold, but she wanted to rul,
there. She ridiculed and jeered unit
; her son, Ishmael, got the same tricks
{ She dashed out her happiness ant
threw Sarah into q great fret, and i
she had stayed much longer in tina
household she would have upset calm
Abraham's equilibrium Ny friends
e-half OF the troIole in the world to
day comes from the fact that people dt
not know their place, or, finding thei
place, will not stay in it. When w
: come into the world there is always
| place ready for Us. 4 place for Abra
haIa. 4 place for Sarah. A place TO