The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-30

OuE OSty ~ X LA ~ - --hH~ . " 'S-sH '.-A
Stick TO Ir-we Are Prone so Try &c Ls~d
When We axe Only Fisse1 10 Follow.
IutI1ence OF Parents CT C:lg.uzea,
The discourse of DR.. Taimsge draws
from an oriental scene some stirring
lessons and points to wei!s Of coElfcrt
in unexpected places; text, Genesis
xxi, 19, And God opened MS eyes,
and she saw well OF water, S1d she
went and filed the bottle with waIer
and gave the lad drink.
Morning breaks upon Beersbeba.
There is an earIy stir N the house OF
old Abraham. There has been trouble
among the domes:ics. Hagac, an as
sistant in the household, and her son,
S brisk lad OF IL years, have become
impudent and insolent, and Sarah, ,Ihe
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 Ter soa will be very long
across desolate places, IL the kindness
Of his heart sets about putting up some
bread and bottle with water in it. L
is 8 very plain lunch that Abraham
provides, but I warrant you there
would have been enough OF it had
they not lost their way. God be with
you," said old Abraham as be gave
the lunch to Hagar and good nany
charges as to how she should conduct
the Journey. IshmaeI, the boy, sup
pose, bounded away in the morning
light. Boys slways like change.
Poor Ishmael! Re 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 associa,
ated with the pride and JOY Of her
heart, young Ishmael.
The scorching noon comes on. The
air is sitting snd moves across the de-
sert with insuferable sutfocation.
Ishmael, the boy, begins 10 complain
and lies down, but Ragar rouseS him
up, saying nothing about her own
WEAKNESS or the sEeltering hest; for
mothers can endure anything. Trudge,
trudge, trudge. Crossing the dead
level of the desert, how YEARLY ard
slowly the miles slip. A tsmariad that
seemed hours ago to stand only just q
little ahead, inviting the travellers to
come under its shadow, now is SIS far
off as ever or seemingly so. Night
drops upon the desert, and the travel
ers are pillowless. Ishmael. very
weary, I suppose instantly falls asleep.
Hagar, as the shadows Of the night
begin 10 lisp over each other-Ragar
hugs her weary boy to her bosom and
thinks of the fact that It is her fault
that they are in the desert. 4 star
looks out, and every falling tear it
kisses with sparkle. A wing CT wind
comes over the hot earth and lifts the
locks from the fevered brow Of her
boy. Eagar sleeps ftfully, and in her
dreams travels over the weary day and
half awakes her son by crying out in
her sleep: ''Ishmael. Ishnsel."
And SO they go on day after day and
night after night, for they have lost
their way. No path in thea shifting
sands; no sign in the burning sky.
The sack empty OF the -four; the water
gone from the bottle. What shall she
do2 As she puts her fainting IshmaeI
under s!unted 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 shrek in the
desert of Beersheba: 1--WE shall die!
We shall die!" Now, no mother was
ever made strong enough 10 hear her
son cry in vain for drink. Hereto
fore she had cheered her boy by prom
ising s speedy enc Of the journey, and
even smiled upon him when she felt
desperately enough. Now there is
nothing to do but place him under
shrub and let him die. She had
thought that she would sit there and
watch until the spirit Of her boy
would go away forever, and then she
would breathe out her own life on his
silent heart, but SIS the boy begins to
claw his tongue in agony OF thirst and
struggle in distortion, and begs his
mother to slay him she cannot endure
the spectacle. She puts him under q
shrub and goes off q bow shot. and be-
gins to weep until all the desert seems
sobbing, and her cry strikes clear
through the heavens, and an angel Of
God comes out on q cloud and looks
down upon the appalling grief and
cries, ''Hagar, what sileth thee" She
looks up and she sees the sngel point
ing to well of water, where she fills
the bottle for the lad. Thank Go6l
Thank God.
Our first duty is to find our sphere; !;
our second is TO keep it. We may be
born in sphere far on from the one
for which God finally intends US.
Sixtus V was born on the low ground
and was swineherd. God called him
up to wave scepter. Ferguson spent
his early days in looking after sheep.
God called HIM up to look after stars
and be a shepherd watching the focks
OF light on the hllsides CT heaven.
Eogarth began by engraving pewter
pots. God raised him to stand IN the
enchanted realm of painter. The
shoemaker's bench held Bloomfield
for q little while, but God raised him
to sit in the chair of a philosopher and
Christian scholar. The soap boiler OF
London could not keep hisson IN that
business, for God had decided that
Hawley was to be one of the greatest
astronomers OF England.
Again, find IL this oriental scene
lesson Of sympathy with woman when
she goes forth trudging IN the desert.
Whist q great change it was for this
Hagarl There was the tent, and all
the surroundings OF A0raham's house,
ceautiful and luxurious, no doubt.
Now she is going out into the hot
sands of the desert. On, what s
change. it was! And in cur day we
often see the wheel Of fortune turn.
Here is some one who lived N the
very bright home Of her father. she
hao everything possible TO administer