The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-05-11
STORY OF MOSES.
One of the Grandest Characters of
All History.
Lawgiver, Poet and warrIor-A Career
from Which Rev. DIR. Talmage Ex-
tracts Some Practical Les
sons for His Hearers.

The following sermon by the popular
Washington preacher contains much
that is inspiring for all classes of peo-
pie. The text chosen as basis for his
remarks is Exodus: 3: l: "Now Moses
kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-
law, the priest of Midian."
In the southeastern part of Arabia a
man is sitting by well. 1t is an arid
country, and water is scarce, so that a
well is of great value, and focks and
herds are driven vast distances to have
their thirst slaked. Jethro, Midianite
sheik and priest, was SO fortunate as
to have seven daughters; and they are
practical girls, and yonder they come
driving the sheep and cattle and camels
OF their father to the watering. They
lower the buckets and then pull them
up, the water FLASHING on the stones
and chilling their feet, and the troughs
are filed Who is that man out there
sitting unconcerned and looking on?
Why does he not come and help the
women in this hard work of drawing
water? But no sooner have the dry lips
and painting nostrils of the focks be-
gun to cool little in the brimming
trough than some rough Bedouin shep-
herds break in upon the scene, and
with clubs and shouts drive back the
animals that were drinking, and af-
fright these girls until they fly in re-
treat, and the focks of these i'll
hammered shepherds are driven to
the troughs, taking the places of the
other flocl2s Now that man sitting
by the well begins to color up, and
his eyes flashes with indignation,
and all the gallantry of his nature is
aroused. 1t is Moses, who naturally
had quick temper anyhow, as he
demonstrated on one occasion when he
saw an Egyptian expressing an Israel
lite and gave the Egyptian a sudden
clip and buried him in the sand, and as
he showed afterward when he broke
all the ten commandments at once by
shattering the two granite slabs on
which the law was written. But the
injustice of the treatment of the seven
girls sets him on fire with wrath, and
he takes this shepherd by the throat,
and pushes back another shepherd till
he falls over the trough, and aims a
stunning blow between the eyes OF
another as he cries: "Begone, you vii.
lainsm and he boots and roars at the
sheep and cattle and camels of these
invaders and drives them back; and
having cleared the place of the desper.
ADDE'S he told the seven girls of this
Midianite sheik to gather their fiocks
together and bring them again to the
watering.
Q, you ought to see fight between
the shepherds at well in the orient
as | saw it in December, 1890. There
were here group of rough men who
had driven the cattle many miles, ant
here another group who had driver
their cattle as many miles. Who
should have precedence? Such clash
ing of buckets! Such hooking of horns
Such kicking of hoofs! Such vehe
mence in language l fortunately
could not understand! Now the sheer
with peculiar mark across theil
woolly backs were at the trough, anC
now the sheep of another mark. L
was one of the most exciting scenes
ever witnessed.
One of these girls, Zipporah, her name
meaning 'littte bird" was fascinated
by this heroic behavior of Moses; fol
however timid woman herself may be
she always admires courage in man
Zipporah became the bride of Moses
one of the mightiest men of all the cen
turies: Zipporah little thought tha
that morning as she helped drive hel
fathers flock to the well, she wa!
splendidly deciding her own destiny
Had she stayed in the tent or house
while the other six daughters of thu
sheik tended to their herds, her life
would probably have been tame anC
uneventful life in the solitudes. Bu
her industry, her fidelity to her father
interest, her spirit of helpfulnes
brought her into league with one o
the grandest characters of all history
They met at that famous well, anC
while she admired the courage o
Moses, he admired the flial behavior
of Zipporah.
The fact that it took the sever
daughters to drive the flocks to tn,
well implies that they were immens'
focks and that her father was a maj
of wealth. What was the use of Zip
porah's bemeaning herself with worl
when she might have reclined on tn,
hillside near her fathers tent anC
plucked buttercups, and dreamed ou
romances, and sighed idly to the winds
and wept over imaginary songs to tn,
\ brooks? No. she knew that work wa
honorable, and that every girl ough
to have something to do, and SO sh,
starts with the bleating and lowing
and believing and neighing droves t,
the well for the watering.
Around every home there are flock
and droves OF cares and anxieties, anC
every daughter of the family, thougl
there be seven, ought to be doing he
part to take care of the hocks. Ii
many households, not only is Zipporah
but all her sisters, without practica
and useful employments. Many of then
are waiting for fortunate and prosper
GUS matrimonial alliance, but som,
lounger like themselves will comt
along, and after counting the larg'
number of father Jethro's sheep anC
camels will make proposal that viii
be accepted; and neither of then
having done anything more practica
than to chew chocolate caramels
the two nothings will start OF
the road of life together, ever,
atar more and mora n foilura Tho,