The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-21

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 for her prayers.
Who is she? This afternoon you will find
her in the Sabbath school, while the teach
er tells her of that Christ who clothed the
naked, and fed the hungry, and healed the
sick. My mind leaps forward thirty years
from now, and 1 find myself in an Afri-
can jungle! and there is a missionary of
the cross addressing the natives. and their
dusky 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 opening song of your church
service?
My mind leaps forward thirty years
from now and I find myself looking
through the wic1ets of a prison. 1 see
a face SCARED with every crime. His
chin on his open PALM his elbow on his
knee, a picture of despair. AS / open the
wicket, he starts and l hear his chain
clank. The jail-keeper tells me that ne
has been in there now three times-first
for theft, then for arson, now for muir
der He steps upon the trap door, the
rope is fastening to his neck the plank
falls, his body swings into the air, mis-
soul swings off into eternity. Who is he
and where is he? This afternoon playing
kite on IHe city commons. Mother, YOU
are now hosting a throne or forging
chain; you are kindling a star or digging
a dungeon.
A Christian mother a good many years
ago sat teaching lessons of religion to her
child and he drank in those lessons. She
never knew that Lamphier would come
forth and establish the Fulton street pray
er-meeting, and by one meeting revolution
ize the devotons of the whole earth and
thrill eternties with his Christian influ-
ence. Lamphier said it was his mother
who brought him to Jesus Christ. She
never had an idea that she was leading
forth such destinies. But, oh, when l see
mother reckless of her influence, rafting
on toward destruction, garlanded for the
sacrifice with unseemly mirth and god
lessness, dancing on down to perdtion,
taking her children in the same direction,
preparing them for a life of frivolity, a
death of shame, and an eternity of disas-
ter l cannot help but say: l"There they
go-there they go; Hagar and Ishmael!'
tell you, there are wilder deserts than
Beer-sheba I'm many of the fashiona ole
circles of this day. Disspated parents,
leading dlssipated children Avarcous
parents leading avaricious children. Pray
erless parents leading prayerless children.
They go through every street. up every
dark alley into every cellar, along every
pronounce their names, 1t seems like
the moaning of the desert wind: "Iagar
and Ishmael!'
learn one more lesson from this Orien-
tai scene, and that is, mat every wilder
ness has a well in it, Hagar and Ishmael
gave up to die Hagar's heart sank within
her as she heard her child cryingi IVA
ter! Water! Water!" "Ahg she says, my
| darling, there is no water. This is a des-
ert" And then Gods angel said from the
cloud. what aileth thee, Hagar?" And
she looked up and saw him pointing TO a
well of water, where she filled the bottle
for the lad. Blessed be God, that there is
in every wilderness well, if you only
know how to find it-fountains for all
these thirsty souls. On that last day, on
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried; If any man thirst, let him
come to me and drink" All these other
fountains you find are mere mrages of the
desert. Paracelsus, you know, spent his
time in trying to find out the elixir of life
"a liquid, which, if taken, would keep one
perpetually young In this world, and would
change the aged back again to youth. OF
course he was disappointed; he found not
the elixir. But here l tell you of the elixir
of everlasting life bursting from the Rock
Of Ages" and that drinking that water
you shall never get old. and you will never
be sick, and you will never die. "Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come We TO the waters"
All! here is man who says: Il have been
looking for that fountain a great while.
but can't find it," And here is some one
else who says; II believe all you say, but
I have been trudgng along in the wilder
ness and can't find the fountain" Do you
know the reason? l viii tell you You never
looked i'm the right direction. oh" you
say, II have looked everywhere. 1 have
looked north. south, east, and west, and I
haven't found the fountain" Why you are
not looking in the right direction at all.
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