The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-11-30

on G2lIE. iASA AASt' 5t'Sit AAiS
q south Land; give me also springs Of
water. And he gave her the upper
springs and the neither springs.
Blessed be Goo, We have more ad-
vantages given US than we can really
appreciate. We have spiritual bless
ings offered US in this world which |
shall call the neither springs. and glories
in the world to come which | shall call
the upper springs.
Where shall l find words enough
threaded with light to set forth the
pleasure of religion? David, unable to
describe it in words, played it on harp.
Mrs. Hemans, not finding enough power
in prose, sings that praise in 4 canto.
Christopher Wren, unable to describe
it in language, sprung 1t into the arches
OF St. Paul's. John Bunyan, unable
to present it in ordinary phraseology,
takes all the fascination OF allegory
Handel, with ordinary music unable to
reach the height of the theme, rouses
it up in an sratorio. Oh, there IS no
life on earth so happy as really CHRIS
tian life, do not mean sham Chris
tian life. but real Christian life.
Where there is thorn, there is whole
garland of roses. Where there is one
groan, there are three doxologies.
Where there is one day of cloud, there
is a '. hole season of sunshine. Take
the lumblest Christian man that you
know-angels of God canopy him with
their white wings; the lightnings of
heaven are his armed allies: the Lords
is his Shepherd, picking out for him
green pastures by still waters. II he
walk forth, heaven is his bodyguard; if
he lie down to sleep, ladders of light,
angel blossoming, are let into his
dreams; if he be thirsty, the potentates
of heaven are his cup bearers; if he sit
down to food, his plain table blooms
into the Kings banquet Men say,
Look at that old fellow with the worn
out coat the angels of God cry, Lift
up your heads, ye everlasting gates, and
let him come in!' Fastidious people
cry, Get off my front steps" the door
keepers of heaven cry, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the king
DOM When he comes to die, though he
may be carried out in pine box to the
potter's field, to that potter's field the
chariots Of Christ will come down, and
the cavalcade will crowd all the boule-
wards of heaven.
I bless Christ for the present satisfac-
ton of religion. 1t makes man all
right with reference to the past. 1t
makes man all right with reference to
the future. Oh, these neither springs
of comfort. They are perennial. The
foundation of God stardeth sure hav-
ing this seal, ''The Lord knoweth them
that are his, % The mountains shall de-
part and the hills be removed, but my
kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant Of my peace
be removed, said the Lord, who hath
mercy upon thee" Oh, cluster of dia-
monds set in FURNISHED gold! Oh,
heather springs of comfort bursting
through all the valleys Of trial and tn
bulation! When you see, you OF the
world, what satisfaction there IS on
earth in religion, do you not thilst at
ter it as the daughter Of Caleb thirsted
after the water springs? 1t is no stag
nant pond, scummed over with malaria,
but springs of water leaping from the
Rock of Ages! Take up one cup Of
that spring water and across the top Of
| the chalice will float the delicate shad-
ows of the heavenly wall, the yellow
of jasper, the green Of emerald, the
blue Of sardonyx, the fire of jacinth.
Iwish I could make you understand
the JOY religion is to some Of US. 1t
makes man happy while he lives and
glad when he dies. With two feet upon
chair and bursting with dropsies, l
heard an old man in the poorhouse cry
out, "Bless the Lord, oh, my soul1' l
looked around and said, what has
this man got to thank God for?" 1t
makes the lame man leap as hart and
the dumb sing. They say that the old
Puritan religion is ajuiceless and JOY
less religion, ibut | remember reading
of DR.. Goodwin, the celebrated Purl-
tan, who in his last moment said: rs
this dying? Why, my bow abides in
strength am swallowed up in God!'
"Her ways are ways Of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace" Oh, you
who have been trying to satisfy your
selves with the south land Of this
world, do you not feel that you would
this morning like to have access to the
neither springs of spiritual comfort?
| Would you not like to have Jesus
| Christ bend over your cradle and bless
your table and heal your wounds and
strew flowers of consolation all up and
| down the graves Of your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we I've.
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But have something better to tell
you, suggested by this text. 1t seems
that old Father Caleb on the wedding
day of his daughter wanted to make
her just as happy as possible. Though
Othniel was taking her away, and his
heart was almost borken because she was
going, yet he gives her south land. y
Not only that, but the neither springs.
Not only that, but the upper springs.
O God, my Father, l thank thee that
thou hast given me ':south land" in
this world, and the neither springs
of spiritual comfort in this world, but
more than all I thank thee for the upper
springs in heaven!
1t is very fortunate that We cannot
see heaven until we get into it. y
Christian man, if you could see what a
place it is, we would never get you
back again to the Office or store or shop
and the duties you ought to perform
would go neglected am glad | shall