Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-12-07

10 Too Much With Us-The BETTER
Life and the Advantages of Religion
The Story of Caleb and Otbrie..
TEXT: Thou hast given me a south land:
give me also springs OF water. And he
gave her the upper springs and the neither
springs. Joshua xv., 10.
The city OF Debir was the Boston Of an
Ciquity-a great place for brain ard book.
Caleb wanted It, and he offered his daugh-
ter Achsah as prize to any one who would
capture that city. 1t was a strange thing
for Caleb to do, and yet the man who could
take the city would have, at any rate, two
elements of manhood-bravery and patriot
ism. Besides, do not think tina. Caleb
was as foolish in Offering his daughter to
the conqueror Of Debir as thousands in
this day who seek alliances for their chill
dren with those who have large means
without any reference to moral or mental
requirements. or two evil would rather
measure happiness by the length OF the
sword than by the length OF the pocket
good element Of character; in the other
there may be none at all. With Caleb's
daughter as q prize to fght for, General
Othniel rode into the battle. The gates of
Debir were thundered into the dust and
the city Of books lay at the feet Of the con-
querors. The work done, Othniel comes
back to claim his bride. Having conquered
| the city, It is no great job for him to con-
quer the girls heart, for however faint
hearted woman herself may be she al
ways loves courage In a man. 1 never saw
an exception to that.
The wedding festivity having gons by.
Othniel and Achsah are al out 10 go TO
| their own home. However loudly the cyn-
| balls may clash and the laughter ring, par
ents are always sad when a fODdly cher
ished daughter goes off to stay, and Ach-
| sab, the daughter of Caleb. knows that now
ia the time aeE almost anvthin,r b..
| wants of her father. 1t seems that Caleb.
the good old man, had given as r wedding
| present piece of land that was mountain
| Gus, and, sloping southwark toward the
deserts OF Arabia, swept with some very
| hot winds. 1t was called "a south land p"
But Achsah wants an addition of property:
she want a piece of land thar is well
watered and fertile. Now it is no wonder
| that Caleb, standing amid the bridal party,
his eyes SO full OF tears because she Wis
| going away that that he could hardly see
| her at all, gives her more than she asks.
| She said to him: ''Tbou hast given me
south land; give me also springs of water.
And he gave her the upper springs and the
neither springs"
The fact is that as Caleb. the father,
| gave Achsah, the daughter, a south land,
| SO God gives to us His world. / very
| thankful He has given it to us. But ! am
| like Achsah in the fact that am not salts
| fed with the portion. Trees anu flowers
and grass aud blue skies are very well in
| their places, but he who has nothing but
this world for n portion has no portion at
| all. 1t is a mountainous land. sioping on
| toward the desert OF sorrow. swept by
| fiery siroccos; it is "a south land. poor
portion for any man that tries t. put his
trust in it. What has been your exppri-
| ence? What has be en- the eXperien: OF
| every man, OF every woman. that has tried
| this world for portion? Queen Elizabeth
| amid the surroundings OF pomp, is unhappy
| because the FAINTER sketches too mirutely
the wrinkles on her face, and she indig-
| nantly cries out, You must strike of my
likeness without any shadows!' HoSsrth,
at the very height of his artistic triumph,
is stung almost TO death with chagrin be-
cause the painting he had dedicated to the
king does not seem to be acceptable, for
George II. cries ont: '"Who Is this Ho-
garth? Take his trunpery out OF my pres
| ence'
BrinsIey Sheridan thrilled the earth with
his eloquence, but had for his last words,
Il am absolutely undone." Waiter Scott
fumbling around the iDkstand. trying to
write, says to his daughter: "Ob, take me
back to my room! There is no rest for Sir
Waiter but in the gravel step Ell Girard
the wealthiest man in his day, or at any
rate only second in wealth. says: II live
the life OF galley slave. When 1 arise in
the morning, my one effort is TO work so
hard that I can sleep when it gets to be
the world, in the very midst of his literary
triumph says: DO you remember, Bridget
| when We used to laugh from the shilling
gallery at the play? There are now nc
good plays to laugh at from the boxes. ,
But why go so far as that? 1 need to go nc
farther than your street to find an illustra-
! tion of what am saying.
Pick me out ten successful worldiings-
and YOU know what mean by thorough lily
successful worldlings-pick me out ten
successful worldliDgs and you cannot find
more than one that looks happy. Care
drags him to business: care drags him back
Take your stand at o'clock at the corner
| of the streets and see the agonized physiog.
Monies. Your high officials, your bankers
your insurance men, your importers, your
wholesalers and your retailers as Il class
| as n class, are they happy? No. Care dogs
their steps, and making no appeal to God
for help Or comfort many OF them are tossed
every whittier. How has 1t been with you
my hearer? Are you more contented ia
the house Of fourteen rooms than you were
In the two rooms you had in house wber
you started? Have you not had more car,
and worriment since you won tha $50, ,O0C
than you did before2 Some of the poores
men have ever known have been those OF
great fortune. A man OF small means may
Be put In great business straits, but the
ghastliest Of all embarrassments IS that OF
the man who has large estates. The men
who commit suicide because OF monetary
losses are those who cannot bear the bur
den any lore because they have only s50, :
900 left.
On Bowling Green, New York, there is a
house where Talleyrand used to go. He was
favored man. All the world knew him,
and he had wealth almost unlimited. Yet at
the close OF his life he says: "Behold,
eighty-three years have passed without
any practical result, save fatigue OF body
and fatigue Of mind. great disbursement
l f1- xha f,,N,, ND of fnr ha
past" Oh, my friends, this is "south
land" and it slopes of toward deserts OF
sorrows, and the prayer which Achsah
made to her father Caleb We make this
day to our Father God: "Thou hast given
me q south land; give me also springs OF
water. And he gave her the upper springs
and the neither springs"
Blessed be God, we have more advan
tages given US than we can really appre-
ciatel We have spiritual blessings offered
Us in this world which shall call the
neither springs and glories in the world to
come which shall call the upper springs.
Where shall I find words enough
threaded with lig-t to set forth the
pleasure of religion. David, unable to
describe it in words, played It on harp,
Mrs. Hemans, not finding enough power In
prose, sings that praise In canto. Chris
topher Wren, unable to describe 1t In Ian
guage, sprung 1t into the arches OF st.
PauPs. John Bunyan, unable to present 1t
In ordinary phraseology, takes all the fas-
cination Of allegory. Handel, with ordi-
nary music unable to reach the height OF
the theme rouses it up to an oratorio. oh
there is no life on earth so happy as n
really Christian lifei / do not mean q
sham Christian life, but a real Christian
ife. Where there is u thorn there is Il
whole garland OF roses. Where there is
one groan there are three doxologies
Where there is one day OF cloud there is
q whole season Of sunshine. Take the
, 1umblest Christian man that you know
. angels of God canopy him with theil
white wings: the lightnings of heaven
are his armed allies: the Lord is his : he
herd, picking out for him green pastures
Dy still waters. II he walk forth. HEAVIER
is his bodyguard. II he lie down to sleeI
ladders OF light, angel blossoming, are !,
into his dreams. II he be thirsty, til
. potentates OF heaven are his cupbearer
| II he sit down to food, his plain tab
= blooms into the Kings banquet. Men sa,
Toot that odd feIIow with the woman