The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-04-09

faded calico. I find il in the Inca
ments of the woe-begone countenance.
Not Mary, nor Bertha, nor Agnes, but
Hagar in the wilderness May God
have mercy upon woman in her tolls,
her struggles, her hardships, her desc
lation, and may the great heart of Di-
vine sympathy inclose Der foreverl
Again, l find in this oriental scene
the fact that every mother leads forth
tremendous destinies.
You say: THAT isn't an unusual
scene, a mother leading her child by
the hand" Who is that she is leading?
Ishmael, you say. Who is Ishmael? A
great nation is to be founded-a nation
so strong that it is to stand for thou
sands of years against all the armies of
the world. Egypt and Assyria thunder
against it, but in vain. Gaulus brings
up his army, and his army is smitten.
Alexander decides upon a campaign,
brings up his host, and dies. For a
long while that nation monopolizes
the learning of the world. 1t is the
nation of the Arabs Who founded it.
Ishmael, the lad that Hagar led into
the wilderness. She had no idea she
was leading forth such destinies.
Neither does any mother. You pass
along the street and see and pass boys
and girls who will yet make the earth
quake with their influence.
Who is that boy at Sutton pool, Plym-
outh, England. barefooted, wading
down into the slush and slime until his
bare foot comes upon a piece of glass,
and he lifts it, bleeding and pain
struck? That wound in the foot de-
cides that he be sedentary in his life,
decides that he be a student. That
wound by the glass in the foot decides
that he shall be John Kitto, who shall
provide the best religious encyclopae-
dia the world has ever had provided,
and, with his other writings as well,
! throwing a light upon the word of
God such as has come from no 9TH
er man in this century. O mother,
mother, that little hand that wanders
over your face may yet be lifted to
hurl thunderbolts of war or drop bene-
dictions! That little voice may bias
pheme God in the groggery or cry
"Forwardn' to the Lords hosts as they
go out for their last victory. My mind
this morning leaps 80 years ahead, and
| see a merchant prince of New York.
One stroke of his pen brings ship out
of Canton. Another stroke of his pen
brings a ship into Madras. He is
mighty in all the money markets
of the world. Who is he
He sits on Sabbath beside you in
church. My mind leaps thirty years
forward from this time and l find my
self in relief association. A great
multitude of Christian women have
met together for generous purpose.
There is one woman in that crowd
who seems to have the confidence of all
the others, and they all look up to her
for her counsel and her prayers.
Who is she? This afternoon you
will find her in the Sabbath school,
while the teacher tells her OF
that Christ who clothed the naked, and
fed the hungry, and healed the sick.
My mind leaps forward 80 years from
now, and l find myself in an African
Jungle; and there is a missionary of the
cross addressing the natives, and their
dusl1y countenances are irradiated
with the glad tidings of great joy and
salvation. Who is he? Did you not
hear his voice to-day in the openi nc
song of your church service?
Look up, where Hagar looked. She
never would have found the fountain
at all, but when she heard the voice OF
the angel she looked up, and she saw
the finger pointing to the supply. And,
. soul, if to-day with one earnest, in
tense prayer you would only look up
to Christ, He would point you down to
the supply in the wilderness: Look
unto me, all we ends of the earth, and
be We saved, for l am God, and there is
none else!' Look! Look as Hagar
looked!
Yes, there is a well for every desert
of bereavement. Looking over my au
dience notice signs of mourning and
woe. Have you found consolation
Oh, man bereft, oh, woman bereft
have you found consolation? Hears'
after hearse. We step from on,
grave hillock to another grave hillocl1
We follow corpses, ourselves soon to b.
like them. The world is in mourning
for it's dead Every heart has becom,
the sepulcher of some buried joy. Blu
sing we to God; every wilderness has ;
well in it; and come to that well to
day, and begin to draw water for yol
from that well.
Have you seen the Nyctanthes? Il
, is beautiful flower, but it gives very
! little fragrance until after sunset
, Then it pours its richness on the all
, And this grace of the Gospel that
commend to you now, while it may b
, very sweet during the day of prosper
ity, it pours forth its richest arom'
after SHUTDOWN. And it will be sun
down with you and me after awhile
l When you come togo out of this world
will it be desert march, o
/ will it be drinking at a fountain?
: A converted Hindoo was dying, an
t his heather comrades came arount
him and tried to comfort him by read
e ing some of their theology, but h
S waved his hand, as much as to say: 9
S don't want to hear it." Then the
| called in a heather priest, and h
/. said: IF you will only recite tn
. Numtra it will deliver you fron
S hell" He waved his hand, a
E much as to say: Il don't wan
70 baar that" Then thew saiC