St. Tammany farmer., 1901-09-07
pot amia had . STONE on T. vh,ch L

Potamia had stone on It, which
must be removed before the sheep
could be watered, and I find on the
well 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-
pei. In your case the impediment is
pride of heart. You cannot bear to
come to SO democratic a fountain;
you do not want to come with so
many others. It is as though you
were thirsty and you were invited to
slake your thirst at the town pump
instead of sitting in a parlor slipping
out OF a chased chalice which has
just been lifted from silver salver.
Not SO many publicans and sinners.
You want to get to Heaven, but you
must be in special car, with your
feet on q Turkish ottoman and a
band of music on board the train.
You do not want to be in company
with rustic Jacob and Rachel and be
drinking out of the fountain where
10000 sheep have been drinking be-
fore you. You will have to remove
the obstacle of pride or never find
your way to the well. You will have
to come as we came, willing to take
the water Of eternal life in any way
and at any hand and in any kind of a
pitcher, crying out: "Oh, Lord Je-
sus, am dying Of thirst! Give me
the water of eternal life, whether in
trough or goblet! Give me the wa
ter of life! I care not in wnat it
comes to me-" Away with all your
of pride from the wells
Here IL another man who is kept
back from the water of life by the
stone of an obdurate heart which
lies over the mouth of the well. You
have no more feeling upon this sub
ject than if God had yet to do you
the first kindness or you had to do
God the first wrong. Seated on His
lap all these years, His everlasting
arms sheltering you, where is your
gratitude? Where is your morning
and evening prayer? Where are your
lives? I say to you, as
Daniel said to Belshazzar: ''The God
in whose hand thy breath is, and all
thy way, thou hast not glorified." "
If you treated anybody as badly as
you have treated God, you would have
made 500 apologies; yea, your whole
life would have been an apology.
Three times a day you have been
seated at Gods table. Spring, sum-
mer, autumn and winter He has ap-
appareled you. Your
health from Him, your companion
from Him, your children from Him,
your home from Him, all the bright
of your life from Him.
Oh, man, what dost thou with that
hard heart? Canst thou not feel one
throb Of gratitude toward the God
that made you, and the Christ who
came to redeem you, and the Holy
Ghost who has all these years been
you? If you could sit
down five minutes under the tree
Of a Saviour's martyrdom and feel
His lifeblood trickling on your fore
head and cheek and hands, methinks
you would get some appreciation OF
what you owe to crucified Jesus.
Heart Of stone, relept, relent,
Touched by Je4us' cross, subdued;
See His body mangled, rent,
Covered with gore OF blood.
Sinful soul. what hast thou done?
Crucif1ed the Eternal Son!
There are men who are perfectly
Unhappy in the past,
unhappy to-day, to be unhappy for
ever, unless you come to this Gospel
we'll. This satisfies the soul with .
high, deep, all absorbing and eternal
It comes, and it offers
the most unfortunate man so much of
this world as is best for him, and
throws all Heaven into the bargain.
The wealth of Croesus and all the
Rothschilds is only poor, miserable
shilling compared with the eternal for
tunes that Christ offers you to-day.
In the far east there was a king who
used once year to get on the scales,
while on the other side the scales were
placed gold and silver and gems-in-
deed, enough were placed there to
balance the king. Then, at the close
of the weighing, all those treasures
were thrown among the populace. But
Christ to-day steps on one side the
scales, and on the other side are all
the treasures of the universe, and He
says: "All are yours; all height, all
depth, all breadth, all eternity-all are
yours" We do not appreciate the prom
lses Of the Gospel.
Come also to this Gospel well, all
ye troubled. I do not suppose you
have escaped. Compare your view
of this life at Is years of age with
what your view is of it at 40 or 60
Or 70. What great contrast Of opin-
ion! We're you right then or are you
right now? Two cups placed in your
hands, the one sweet cup, the
other a sour cup. A cup of joy and
a cup of grief. Which has been the
nearest to being full, and out o.
which have you the more frequently
partaken? What different place the