The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-09-13
tCopyrlght i@Ll

An EVeFAnstlnE wen OF Alhuhoh1s
tCopyrlght 1911
WASHINGTON, ID. C.-fn this discourse
DR.. Talmage represents religion as a
great refreshment and invites al the world
TO come and receive IL; text, Genesis xxx,
8, eve cannot until an the locks be gath
cred together and till they roll the stone
from the wells mouth; then we water the
sheep"
A scene in Mesopotamia, beautifully
pastoral. A well of water OF great value
in that region. The fields around about
it white with three hocks Of sheep lying
down waiting for the watering. hear
their bleating coming on the bright air
and the laughter Of young men and maid
ems INDUCING in rustic repartee. ! look
off, and 1 see other Aocks Of sheep com.
ing. Meanwhile Jacob, a stranger, on an
interesting errand of looking for a wife,
comes to the well. A beautiful shepherd
ess comes to the same we'll / see her APP
preaching followed by her fathers flock
Of sheep 1t was a memorable meeting.
Jacob married that shepherdess. The
Bible account Of it is, Jacob kissed Rach-
ell and lifted up his voice and wept." 10
has always been mystery to me what he
found TO cry about. But before that scene
occurred Jacob accosts the shepherds and
asks them why they postpone the shaking
of the thirst Of these sheep and why they
did not Immediately proceed to water
them. The shepherds reply to the effect:
I'VE are all good neighbors, and as a mat
ter of courtesy we wait until all the sheep
of the neighboFhood come up. Besides
that, this stone on the wells mouth is
somewhat heavy, and several of us take
hold OF it and push it aside, and then the
buckets and the troughs are filled, and
the sheep are satisfied. We cannot until
all the hocks are gathered together and
till they roll the stone from the wells
mouth; then we water the sheep"
Oh, this is a thirsty world! Hot for
the bead and blistering for the feet and
parching for the tongue. The worlds
great want is a COOL refreshing, satisfying
draft. We wander around and we find
the cistern empty, Long and tedious
drought has dried up the worlds fountain,
but centuries ago shepherd, with crook
In the shape of cross and feet cut to
the bleeding explored the desert passages
of this world, and one day came across q
well a thousand feet deep, bubbling and
bright and opalescent, and looked to the
north and the south and The east and the
west and cried out with a voice strong and
musical that rang through the ages, "Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
Waters"
Now, a great flock of sheep to-day
gather around this gospel well. There
are great many thirsty souls. I wonder
why the flocks of all nations do not gath
er-why so many stay thirsty-and while
| am wondering about it my text breaks
forth In the explanation, saying, Owe can
not until all the hocks be gathered to-
gether and till they roll the stone from
the wells mouth; then we water the
| sheep"
If a herd of swine come to a well they
angrlly lostle each other for the prece-
| dence;. If drove of cattle come to a well
| they hook each other back from the
! water, but when q flock of sheen come.
though hundred of them shall be disap,
| pointed, they only express it by sad bleat.
ing, they come together peaceably. We
| want great multitude to come around
| the gospel well. l know there are those
| who do not like q crowd; they think a
| crowd is vulgar. If they are oppressed
for room in church, it makes them posi-.
lively impatient and belligerent. We have
had people permanently leave church be-
cause so many people come to it. Not so
| did these Oriental shepherds. They wait
ed until all the focks were gathered. and
| the more tlocks that came the better they
! liked it. And so we ought to be anxious
| that all the people should come. Go out
into the highways and the hedges and
compel them to come in; go to the rich
and tell them they are INDECENT without
! the gospelof Jesus; go ito the poor and tell
them the affluence there is in Christ; 20
to the blind and tell them of the touch
that gives eternal illumination; 90 to the
lame and tell them of the joy that will
make the lame man leap like a hart
Gather all the sheep off all the mountains:
none so torn of the dogs, none so sick
none so worried, SO dying, as to be omit.
ted. Why not gather a great flock? All
this city in a flock; all New York in a
flock; all London in flock; all the world
in flock.
This well of the gospel is deep enough
to put out the burning thirst of the
100000, 900 of the race. Do not let the
church by spirit of exclusiveness keer
the world out. Let down all the bars
swing open all the gates, scatter all the
invitations, "Whosoever viii let him
come" Come, white and black. Come
red men of the forest. Come, LaplandeI
out of the snow. Come, Patagonian, Out
OF the south. Come in furs. Come pant
ing under palm leaves. Come one. Come
all. Come now. As at this well of Meso
potamia Jacob and Rachel were betrothed
80 this morning at this well of salvation
Christ, our Shepherd, viii meet you com
ing up with your long focks of cares anC
anxieties, and He will stretch out Hi
hand in pledge of His affection while all
the heaven will cry out: Behold the
bridegroom cometh Go we out to meet
Him"
You notice that this well of Mesopota
mia had stone on it, which must be re
moved before the sheep could be watered
and find on the well of salvation to-day
impediments and obstacles which must bl
removed IN order that you may obtaiI
the refreshment and life of this gospel
In your case the impeachment is pride o
heart. You cannot bear to come to 81
, democratic fountain. You do not wan
to come with so many others. It is a
though you were thirsty and you were in
vited to slake your thirst at the town
| nnmn instnnh Of sittinr in n nnrlnr. nir,