Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-08-12


as 4 great refreshment and invites all
the world to come and receive it; text,
Genesis xxx, s, I'VE cannot until all
the fiocks be gathered together and till
they roll the stone from the wells
mouth; then we water the sheep
y scene in Mesopotamia, beautifully
pastoral. \ well of water of great
value in that region. The fields around
about it white with three locks of
sheep lying down waiting for the wa
tering | hear their bleating coming on
the bright air and the laughter of
young men and maidens indulging in
rustic repartee. l look off, and l see 9TH
er flocks of sheep coming. Meanwhile
Jacob, Il stranger, on an interesting err
rand of looking for a wife, comes to the
well. \ beautiful ShepherdesS comes
TO the same well. / see her approach
ing, followed by her fathers flock of
sheep. 1t was a memorable meeting.
Jacob married that shepherdesS. The
Bible account of it is, Jacob kissed
Rachel and lifted up his voice and
wept." 1t has always been a mystery
TO me what he found to cry about. But
costs 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 neighbOrhOOd 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 filed. and the sheep are satisfied.
We cannot until all the fiocks are gath
cred together and till they roll the stone
from the wells mouth; then we water
the sheep"
Oh. this is Il thirsty world! Hot for
the head and bHstering for the feet and
parching for the tongue. The worlds
great want is n cool, refreshing. salts
flying draft. We wander around. and
we find the cistern empty. Long and
tedious drought has dried up the
worlds fountain, but centuries ago
4 shepherd. with crook in the shape Of
a cross and feet cut to the bleeding,
explored the desert passages OF this
world and one day came across Il we'll
a thousand feet deep. bubbling and
bright and opaIescent, 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
4hirsteth. come We to the waters
Gathering the FIocI1s.
Now, 4 great flock Of sheep today
gather around this gospel well. There
are & great many thirsty souls. l won
der why the f0cl1s Of all nations Go not
gather-why SO many stay tlIirsty-and
while l am wondering about it my
text breaks forth in the explanation,
saying. We cannot until all the GOcks
be gathered together and till they roll
the stone from tie wells mouth; then
we water the sheep"
If 4 herd Of swine come to 4 well.
they auGrily jostIe each other for the
precedence; if Il drove of cattle come
to wen, they hook each other back
from the water, but when a flock of
sheep come. though 4 hundred of them
shall be disappointed, they only ex-
press it by sad bleating, they come to-
geth2r peaceably. We want great
multitude to come around the gospel
well. l know there are those who do
not Ike Il crowd; they think 4 crowd is
vulgar. If they are oppressed for room
in church. it makes them positively i'm
patient and beIIigerent. We have had
people permanently leave church be-
cause so many other people come to it.
Not so did these oriental shepherds.
They waited until all the focks were
<r0Tl hot
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 70 come in; go to the rich and tell
them they are INDECENT without the Cos
pei of Jesus; go to the poor and tell
them the afflUence there is in Christ;
go to the blind and tell them of the
touch that gives eternal illumination;
go to the lame and tell them of the joy
that viii 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 50 worried. so dying.
as to be omitted. Why not gather 4
great flock? All this city in 4 flock:
all New York in a flock; all London in
a flock; all the world in a flock.
Water For the Thirsty.
This well Of the gospel is deep enough
to put out the burning thirst of the
1,600,000,000 of the race. Do not let
the church by Il spirit of eXclusiveness
keep the world out. Let down all the
bars, swing open all the gates. scatter
all the invitations, ''Whosoever will, let
him come" Come, white and black,
Come, red men Of the forest. Come,
Laplander out Of the snow. Come. Pat
agOnian. out of the south. Come in furs.