Connecticut western news., 1898-03-24

| self in a relief association. A great mul- | titude of Christian women have met to- | gether 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 for 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 I find myself in | an African jungle, and there is mis- sionary of the cross addressing the na- | tives, and their dusky countenances are
 irradiated with the glad tidings of great joy and salvation. Who is he?
 Did you not hear his voice today in the
 opening song of your church service? My mind leaps forward 80 years from
 now, and find myself looking through
 the wiokets of a prison. I see face scared with every crime. His chin on his open palm, his elbow on his knee, @ picture of despair. As I open the wicket he starts, and I hear his chain clank. The jailkeeper tells me that he has been in there now three times-first for theft, then for arson, now for murder. He steps upon the trapdoor, the rope is fastened to his neck, the plank falls,
 his body swings into the air, his soul
 swings of into eternity. Who is he and
 where is he? This afternoon playing kite on the city common. Mother, you
 are now hoisting a throne or forging chain, you are kindling star or dig ging dungeon!
 A Christian mother a good many years ago sat teaching lessons of religion to her child, and he drank in those les sons. She never knew that Lamphier would come forth and establish the Full ton street prayer meeting, and by one meeting revolutionize the devotions of the whole earth and thrill the eternities with his Christian influence. 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 see mother reckless of her influence, rattling on toward destruction, garlanded for the sacrifice with unseemly mirth and god lessness. dancing on down to perdition,
 taking her children in the same direc- tion, preparing them for a life of frivoli- ty, death of shame and an eternity of disaster, cannot help but say: "There they gol There they go; Hagar and Ish- maelp tell you there are wilder des- erts than Beersheba in many of the fashionable circles of this day. Dissi- pated parents leading dissipated chil- dren. Avaricious parents leading avari
 cious children. Pfayerless parents lead ing prayerless children. They go through every street, up every dark alley. into every cellar, along every highway. Ha- gar and Ishmael And while pronounce their names it seems like the moaning of the desert wind. "Hagar and Ish- maelp
 A We'll In Every Wilderness.
 I learn one more lesson from this oriental scene, and that is that every wilderness has we'll in 1t. Hagar and Ishmael gave up to die. Hagar's heart sank within her as she heard her child crying: ''Waterl Waterl Waterp "Ah," she says, "my darling, there is no water. This is desert. And then God 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 we'll, 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 mirages of the desert. Paraoelsus, 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 dis appointed. He found not the elixir. But here tell you of the elixir of ever lasting 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 ye 70 the waters" An, here is man who says, 1T have been looking for that fountain great while, but can't find it." And here is some one else who says, 1T believe all you say, but have been trudginR along in the wilderness and can't find the fountain. Doyou know the reason? I will tell you. You never looked in the right direction. "Oh," you say, 1T have looked every where. have looked north, south, east and west, and I haven't found the foun- lain." Why, you are not looking in the
 tight direction at all.
 Look up, where Hagar looked. She never would have found the fountain at Ill, but when she heard the voice of the angel she looked up, and she saw the
 finger pointing to the supply. And. O soul, if today with one earnest, intense prayer you would only look up to Christ he would point you down to the supply in the wilderness. Look unto me. all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for am God, and there is none elseP' Look Look, as Hagar lookedi
 Yes, there is we'll for every desert of bereavement Looking over any audi enoe notice signs of mourning and woe. Have you found consolation? Oh, man bereft, oh, woman bereft, have you found consolation? Hearse after hearse
 We step from one grave hillock to an- other grave hillock. We follow corpses, ourselves soon to be like them. The world is in mourning for it's dead. Every heart has become the sepulcher of some buried joy. But sing ye to God Every wilderness has we'll in it, and come to that we'll today, and I begin to draw water for you from that well.
 If you have lived in the country you have sometimes taken hold of the rope of the old we'll sweep, and you know how the bucket came mp dripping with bright, cool water. And lay hold of the rope of Gods mercy, and begin to draw on that gospel we'll sweep, and I