The Yale expositor., 1899-06-09


"a south land" and it slopes off 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 a south
land; give me also springs of water.
And he gave them the upper springs
and the neither springs"
Blessed be God! We have more ad-
vantage given us than we can really
appreciate. We have spiritual bless
ings offered to us in this world which
l shall call the neither springs, and
glories in the world to come which l
shall call the upper springs.
Where shall | find words enough
threaded with light to set forth the
pleasure of religion? David, unable
TO describe 1t in words. played 1t on a
harp. Mrs. Hemane, not finding
enough power in prose, sings that
praise in canto. Christopher Wren.
unable to describe it in language.
sprung it into the arches of st. Paul's.
John Bunyan, unable to present 1t in
ordinary phraseology, takes all the
fascination of allegory. Handel, with
ordinary music unable to reach the
height OF the theme, rounds 1t up in an
oratorio. Oh, there is no life on earth
so happy as a really Christian life.
do not mean sham Christian life,
but real Christian life. Where there
is a thorn there is a whole garland of
roses. Where there Is one groan there
are three doXologies. Where there Is
one day of cloud there is a whole sea-
son of sunshine. Take the humblest
Christian man that you know-angels
of God canopy him with their white
wings; the lightnings Of heaven arc
his armed allies; the Lord Is his Shep-
herd picking out for him green pas
lures by still waters II he walk forth,
heaven is his bodyguard; II he sit down
to food. his plain table blooms into
the kings banquet. Men say: Look
at that old fellow with the WORKOUT
coat" The angels OF God cry: Lift
up your heads. We everlasting gates,
and let him come in" Fastidious
people cry: Get off my front steps,
the doorkeepers OF heaven cry: Come,
you blessed Of my Father. inherit the
kingdom" When He comes to die,
though he may be carried out in a
pine box TO the potter's field, to that
potter's field the chariots Of Christ will
come down and the cavalcade will
crowd all the boulevards OF heaven.
l bless Christ for the present salts
faction of religion. 1t makes man
all right with reference to the past; it
makes man all right with reference to
the future. Oh. these neither springs
of comfort. They are perennial. The
foundation OF God standeth sure hav-
ing this seal, The Lord knoweth them
that are His" The mountains shall
depart and the hills be removed, but
My kindness shall not depart from
thee; neither shall the covenant OF my
peace be removed saith the Lord, who
hath mercy upon them" Oh, cluster
OF diamonds set in FURNISHED gold!
Oh. neither springs OF comfort bursting
through all the valleys OF trial and
tribulation! When you see, you OF the
world. what satisfaction there Is on
earth in religion, do you not thirst
after it as the daughter OF Caleb
thirsted after the water springs? 1t
is no stagnant pond, scummed over
with malaria. but springs OF water
leaping from the Rock Of Ages! Take
up one cup OF that spring water, and
across the top of the chalice will float
the delicate shadows OF the heavenly
wall. the yellow jasper, the green OF
emerald, the blue OF sardonyx, the fire
of jacinth.
l wish l could make you understand
the JOY religion is to some of us. 1t
makes a man happy while he lives,
and glad when he dies. With two feet
upon a chair and bursting with drop
sizes, l heard an old man in the poor
house cry out: BLESS the Lord. oh,
my SOUL" l looked around and said:
What has this man got to thank God
for?" 1t makes the lame man leap
like the hart, the dumb sing. They
say that the old Puritan religion is
juiceless and joyless religion; but l
remember reading DR.. Goodwin, the
celebrated Puritan, who in his last mo-
ments said: els this dying? Why.
my bow abides in strength! l am
swallowed up in God" Her ways OF
pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace. Oh. you who have been trying
to satisfy yourselves with the south
land" of this world. do you not feel
that you would. this morning. like to
have access to the neither springs OF
spiritual comfort? Would you not like
to have Jesus Christ bend over your
cradle and bless your table and heal
your wounds, and strew flowers Of
consolation all up and down the graves
OF your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live;
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But | have something better to tell
you, suggested by my text. 1t seems
that old Father Caleb on the wedding
day of his daughter wanted to make
her just as happy as possible. Though
Othniel was taking her away, and his
heart wae aInoet hrolxon bocauso che