Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-09-12
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

subject: Religion a Great Refreshment -
Water For the Thirsty - God u Foun-
tain of Joy That Is Unappreciated -
An Everlasting Well of Gladness.
lCopyright 1901
WASHINGTON, d. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage represents religion as q
great refreshment and invites all the world
to come and receive it; text, Genesis xxx,
3, "We cannot until all the focks be gath
cred together and till they roll the stone
sheep"
A scene in Mesopotamia, beautifully
pastoral. well of water of great value
in that region. The fields around about
it white with three focks 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 indulging in rustic repartee. | look
off, and [ see other focks of sheep COM
ing. Meanwhile Jacob a stranger, on an
interesting errand of looking for wife
comes to the well. A beautiful shepherd
ess comes to the same well. l 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
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:
1--WE 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
| h,,a1 rDN, n.I
the sheep are satisfied. We cannot until
all the focks are gathered together and
till they roll the stone from the wells
mouth; then we water the sheep"
Oh, this is thirsty world! Hot for
the head and blistering for the feet and
great want is 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 a 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
well 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 We to the
waterc!"
Now, great flock of sheep to-day
gather around this gospel we'll There
are great many thirsty souls. L wonder
why the focks of all nations do not gath
er-why so many stay thirsty-and while
! am am wondering about it my text breaks
forth in the explanation, saying, eve can
not until all the flocks be gathered to-
gether and till they roll the stone from
J the wells mouth then we water the
sheep"
If herd of swine come to well they
angrily lostle each other for the prece-
dence; If drove of cattle come to a we'll
they hook each other back from the
water, but when flock of sheep come,
though hundred of them shall be disap-
pointed, they only express it by sad bleat,
ing, they come together peaceably. We
want wan. great multitude to come around
the gospel well. | know there are those
who dc. not like crowd; they think a
crowd is vulgar If they are oppressed
for room i'll church, it makes them posi-
lively inpatient and belligerent. We have
had people permanently leave church be-
did these Oriental shepherds They wait
ed until all the floclls We're gathered, and
the more tiocks that came the better they
hked 1t. 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 gospel of Jesus; go to the poor and tell
them the attiuence 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 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
flock all London in flock; all the world
ibis well of the. gospel is deep enough
to put out the burning thirst of the
l,6o0, 600 of the race. Do not let the
church by a spirit of exclusiveness keen
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. 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,
so this morning at this we'll of salvation
ing up with your long hocks of cares and
anxieties, and He will stretch out His
hand in pledge of His affection while all
the heaven will cry out: Behold the
bridegroom cometh! Go ye out to meet
Him."
mia had stone on it, which must be re-
moved before the sheep could be watered,
and | find on the we'll of salvation to-day
impediments and obstacles which must be
removed in order that you may obtain
the refreshment and life of this gospel.
In your case the impediment is pride of
heart You cannot bear to come to so
democratic a fountain. You do not want
to co, e with so many others. 1t is as
though you were thirsty and you were in
vited to slake your thirst at the town
pump instead of sitting in a parlor sip
ping 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 Turk
ish ottoman and a band of music on board
the train. You do not want to be in COM
| pany with rustic Jacob and Rachel and to
be drinking out of the fountain where I0,-
900 sheep have been drinking before 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, will
ing to take the water of eternal life in