Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-30

Oriental scene, and that is, that every
wilderness has a well in it. Hagar and
Ishmael gave up to die. Hagar's heart
sank within her as she heard her child
crying: Water! water! water!" "Ah!"
she says, my darling, there is no
Gods angel said from the cloud: What
aileth thee, Hgaar? And she
looked up and saw him pointing to
well of water, where she filled the DOT
Ii II the lad Blessed be God that
thore is in every wilderness well, II
you only know how to find it-foun-
tains for all these thirsty SOULS. on
that last day, on that great day OF the
feast, Jesus stood and cried: III any
man thirst, let him come to me ana
drink" All these other fountains you
find are mere mirages Of the desert.
Paracelsus, you know, spent his time
in trying to find out the elixir or lie
"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 disap-
pointed; he found not the elixir. But
here | tell you of the elixir OF overcast
ing 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
to the waters" All! here Is man
who says: II have been looking Tor
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 trudging along in the will
derness and can't find the fountain
Do you know the reason? l Will tell
you. You never looked in the right
direction. "Oh," you say, II have look
ed everywhere. l have looked north,
south, east and west. and 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 pointing to the supply. And,
o soul, if today with one earnest. in
tense prayer you would only look up
to Christ. he would point you down to
the supply in the wilderness. Look
unto me, all We ends Of the earth, and
be We saved; for l am God, and there
is none else!" Look! Look, as Hagar
looked!
Yes, there is well for every desert
of bereavement Looking over any au-
dience / 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 hill
lock to another grave hillock. we roi-
low corpses, ourselves soon to be ike
them. The world is in mourning Tor
its dead. Every heart has become the
sepulchre Of some buried JOY. But sing
We to God; every wilderness has well
in it; and come to that well today,
and I begin to draw water for you
from that we'll.
If you have lived in the country you
have sometimes taken hold of the rope
of the old well-sweep, and you know
how the bucket came up, dripping with
bright, cool water And / lay hold OF
the rope of Gods mercy and l begin to
draw on that Gospel well-sweep, and
see the buckets coming up. Thirsty
soul! Here is one bucket of life! Come
and drink of it. whatsoever will, let
him come and take Of the water or
life freely" / pull away again at the
rope, and another bucket comes up. 1t
Is this promise: weeping may en-
dure for night. but joy cometh In the
morning." I lay hold Of the rope
again, and I pull away with all my
strength, and the bucket comes up,
bright, and beautiful, and cool. Here
is the promise: "Come unto me, all
We who are weary and heavy laden, and
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