Newport weekly independent., 1901-08-16

sentS religion as a great refre shment, and invites all the world to come and receive it; text, Genesis, 29:S. "We cannot until all the focks be gathered 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 1t white with three t1ocks of sheep lying down waiting for the wa tering. l hear their bleating coming on the bright air and the laughter of young men and maidens indulging in rustic repartee. l look off, and I see other tiocks of sheep coming. Mean while Jacob, stranger, on the inter- esting errand of looking for a wife, comes to the we'll. A beautiful shep- herdess comes to the same well. see her approaching, followed by her fa ther's sheep. It was memorable meeting. Jacob married that shep- herdess. The Bible account of it is: "Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept." It has always been mystery to me what he found to cry about! But before that scene oc- cured Jacob accosts the shepherds and asks them why they postpone the slaking of the thirst of their sheep and why they did not imme diately pro- ceed to water them. The shepherds reply to the effect: "We are all good neighbors, and as a matter of cour- tesy we wait until all the sheep of the nefghborhood come up. Besides that, this stone on the wells mouth is some what 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 focks are gathered to- gether and till they roll the stone from the wells mouth; then we water the sheep"
 Oh, this is a thirsty world. Hot for the head, and blistering for the feet, and parching for the tongue. The worlds great want is a cool, refresh ing, satisfying draft. We wander around and we find the cistern empty. 4, Long and tedious drought has dried up tfe worlds fountain, but cen- turies ago Shepherd, with crook in the shape of a cross and feet cut to the bleeding, explored the desert pas sages If the world and one day came across a we'll thousand feet deep, bubbing 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, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters!"
 Now a great flock of sheep to-day gather around this Gospel we'll. There are great many thirsty souls. Iwon- der why the flocks of all nations do not gather, why so many stay thirsty. and while l am wondering about it my text breaks forth in the explanation, saying: We cannot until all the fiocks be gathered together and till they roll the stone from the wells mouth; then we water the sheep"
 This we'll of the Gospel is deep enough to put out the burning thirst of the 1,6O0, 100000 of the race Do not let the church by spirit of ex- clusiveness keep the world out. Let down all the bars, swing open all the gates, scatter all ethe invitations. \ "Whosoever will let him come" Come. \white and black Come, red men of \he forest. Come Laplander, out s Jf the snow. Come Patagonian, out of he south. Come in>furs. Come pant hg under palm leaves. Come one. " Come all. Come now. As at this well
 Mesopotamia Jacob and Rachel
 were betrothed, so this morning at this @AOf salvation Christ, our Shepherd, vAmeet you coming up with your long Soks of cares and anxieties, and He xA stretch out His hand in pledge
 His aFection, while all Heaven will S'Ss Vut: Behold, the bridegroom cometh Go ye out to meet him" R You notice that this well of Meso- N potamia had a stone on it, which N must be removed before the sheep N could be watered, and I find on the we'll of salvation to-day impediments
 and obstacles which must be re-
 moved in order that you may obtain
 the refreshment and life of this gos-
 pel In your case the impeachment is
 pride of heart, You cannot bear to II come to so democratic a fountain;
 ' you do not want to come with so
 | ymany others It is as though you
 were thirsty and you were invited to
 sake your thirst at the town pump
 instead of sitting in parlor slpping
 out of chased chalice which has
 iust been lifted from silver saIver.
 Not so many pGbIicans and slnhers'