Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-08-16
"A GREAT REFRESHMENT,
DR.. Talmage Says God is Fountain OF
Joy That is Unappreciated.
An Everlasting Well of Gladness :. Water
for the Thirsty.
ICopyriQht 1901. 1


WASHINGTON, d. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage represents religion as q
great refreshment and invites all the world
to come and receive it; text, Genesis xxx,
s, 1--WE cannot until all the focks 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 focks of sheep lying
down waiting for the watering. ! hear
their hleating coming on the bright air
and the laughter of young men and maid
ems indulging in rustic repartee. L look
off, and I 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. see her APP :
preaching followed by her fathers flock
of sheep. 1t was memorable meeting.
Jacob married that shepherdess: The
Bible account of it is, Jacob kissed Rach-
ell and lifted up his voice and wept." 1t
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:
we are all goou nelgnDors, anu as maj
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 filled, and
the sheep are satisfied. We cannot until
all the f1ocks are gathered together and
till they roll the stone from the wells
mouth; then we water the sheep"
Oh this iS n thirsty worldi Hot for
the head 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 a cross and feet cut to
the bleeding, explored the desert passages
of this world, and one day came across a
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 voice strong and
musical that rang through the ages, "Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come We to the
waters"
Now, great flock of sheep to-day
gather around this gospel WELL There
are great many thirsty souls. wonder
why the focks 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 focks be gathered to-
gether and till they roll the stone from
the wells mouth; then we water the
sheep"
If herd of swine come to well they
angrily jostle each other for the prece-
dence; if drove of cattle come to we'll
they hook each other back from the
water, but when a 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 a great multitude to come around
who do not like a crowd; they think
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 flocks were gathered, and
the more focks 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; 90 to the rich
and tell them they are INDECENT without
the gospel of Jesus; goto the poor and tell
them the aff1uence there is in Christ; go
to the blind and tell them of the touch
ludt gives cleIudl liluInlIldClOn, 20 10 CQe
lame and tell them of the Joy that will
make the lame man leap like hart
Gather all the sheep off all the mountains;
none so torn of the dogs, none so sick,
more so worried, so dying, as to be omit
ted. Why not gather 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 mt ont tho hurpipo fhircf Of ho
600, 200, 900 of the race. Do not let the
church by a 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, 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 well of salvation
Christ, our Shepherd, will meet you com.
ing up with your long hocks of cares and
anxieties, and He will stretch out His
hand in pledge of His affection while all
bridegroom cometh! Go We out to meet
Him."
You notice that this we'll 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 be
removed in order that you may obtain
the refreshment and life Of this gospel.
In your case the impeachment is pride of
heart. You cannot bear to come to SO
democratic a fountain. You do not want
to come 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
just been lifted from silver salver. Not
want to get to heaven, but you must be
ish ottoman and 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 TO-
600 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
any way and at any hand and in any kind
of pitcher, crying out: 20 Lord Jesus, /
am dying of thirst! Give me the water of
eternal life, whether in trough or goblet
Give me the water of life. I care not in
what it comes to me-" Away with all
your hindrances of pride from the wells
mouth!
Here is another man who is kept back
from this 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 subject than if God had yet to
do you the first kindness or you had to do
God the first wrong. Seated on His lap