The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-21
LOST THE RIGHT WAY IN LIFE.
TALMAGE breaches on HAGAH
DRIVEN INTO THE DESERT.

"a Keen the places God Has Pro-
Vided for Them.
Washington, d. c., March 20, 1S9S.-Ihis
discuorse of DR.. Talmage draws from an
Oriental scene some stirring lessons ana
POINTS to wells Of comfort in unexpected
places. Text, Gen. 2119: And God opened
her eyes. and she saw well of water and
she went and filed the bottle with water
and gave the lad drink"
= Morning breaks upon Beersheba. There
is an early stir in the house of old Aora-
ham. There has been trouble among the
domestics. Hagar, an assistant in the
household and her son, a brisk lad Of 10
wears have become impudent and inso-
lent and Sarah, the mistress of the house
hold. puts her foot down very hard ana
saws that they will have to leave the
premises. They are packing up now. Alb
raham. knowing that the journey before
his servant and her son will be very long
and across desolate places, in the kind
ness of his heart sets about putting up
some bread and bottle with water IN IL.
II is a very plain lunch that Abraham pro-
vides. but 1 warrant you there would nave
been enough of il had they not lost their
way. God be with YOU" said old Abra-
ham. as he gave the lunch to Hagar and
a good many charges as to how she should
conduct the journey. Ishmael the boy, !
suppose, bounded away in the morning
light Boys always like a change Poor
Ishmael! He has no idea of The disas>
tiers that are ahead of him. Hagar gives
one long. lingering look on the familiar
place where she had spent so many happy
days, each scene associated with the pride
and joy of her heart young Ishmael
The scorching noon comes on. The
air is sitting and moves across the desert
with insufferable suffocaton. Ishmaei'
the boy, begins to complain and lies down,
but Hagar rouse him up. saying nothing
about her own WEAKNESS or the swelter-
ing heart; for mothers can endure any
thing. Trudge, trudge. trudge. Crossing
the dead level of the desert, how YEARLY
and slowly the miles slip! A tamarlnd
that seemed hours ago to stand only just
a little ahead, inviting the travellers to
come under its shadow, now is as far Oft
as ever, or seemingly so. Night drops
upon the desert, and the travellers are pill
lowless. Ishmael, very weary, l suppose
instantly falls asleep. Hagar, as the shad-
ows of the night begin to lap over each
cther-Hagar hugs her weary boy 10 her
bosom and thinks of the fact that it is her
fault that they are in the desert. A star
looks out, and every falling tear it kisses
with a sparkle A wing of wind comes
~, rtb nd ba
the fevered brow of the boy. Hagar
sleeps fitfully, and in her dreams travels
over the weary day. and half awakes her
son by crying out in her sleep, "lshmaei!
Ishmeal!'
And so they go on day after day and
night after night, for they have lost their
way. No path in the shifting sands; no
sign in the burning sky. The sack empty
of the flour; the water gone from the bot
tie. What shall she do? As she puts her
fainting Ishmael under stunted shrub
of the arid plain, she sees the blood-shot
eye and feels the hot hand, and watches
the blood bursting from the cracked
tongue and there is a shrek in the desert
of Beer-sheba 1--WE shall die! We shall
die!' Now, no mother was ever made
strong enough to hear her son cry in vain
for a drink. Heretofore she had cheered
her boy by promising a speedy end Of the
journey, and even smiled upon him when
she felt despartely enough. Now there is
nothing to do but place him under shrub
and let him die. She had thought that
she would sit there and watch until the
spirit of her boy would go away forever,
and then she would breathe out her own
life on his silent heart; but as the boy be-
gins TO claw his tongue in agony of thirst
and struggle in distortion, and begs his
mother to slay him, she cannot endure the
spectacle. She puts him under shrub
and goes off a bow-shot, and begins TO
weep until all the desert seems sobbing,
and her cry strikes clear through the
heavens: and an angel of God comes out
on a cloud, and looks down upon the APP
palllng grief and cries: "Hagar, what all
eth thee?" She looks up and she sees the
angel pointing to a well of water. where
she fills the bottle for the lad. Thank God!
Thank God!
/ learn from this Oriental scene, in the
first place, what a sad thing it is when
people do not know their place, and get
too proud for their business Hagar was
an assistant in that household, but she
wanted to rule there She ridiculed and
jeered until her son. Ishmael, got the same
tricks. She dashed out her own happi-
ness, and threw Sarah into a great fret;
and if she had stayed much longer in that
household she would have upset calm
Abraham's equilibrium. My friends, one
half Of the trouble In the world to-day
comes from the fact that people do not
know their place, or, finding their place,
will not stay in it. When we come into
the world there is always a place ready
for us. place for Abraham. place
for Sarah A place for Hagar A place
for Ishmael. A place for you and a place
for me.
Our first duty is to find our sphere; our
second is, to keep it. We may be born in a
sphere far off from the one for which God
finally intends us. SiXtus V. was born on
the low ground, and was a swineherd; God
called him up to wave a scepter. Fergu-
son spent his early days in looking after
sheep; God called him up to look after
stars. and be a shepherd watching the
focks of light on the hillsides of heaven.
Hogarth began by engraving pewter pots;
God raised him to stand in the enchanted
realm of a painter. The shoemaker
bench held Bloomfield for a little while:
but God raised him to sit in the chair of
philosopher and Christian scholar. The
soap-boiler of London could not keep his
son In that business, for God had decided
that Hawley was to be one Of the greatest
astronomers of England.
On the other hand, we may be born in a
sphere a little higher than that for which
God intends us. We may be born I'm a