The Tupelo journal., 1902-12-05

" 111 80 -
ward the thought of the coming Mes
siah, the One Who when He came
would tell them all things, and then
with sublime simplicity declared UNI
to her: Il that speak unto thee am
He" The world stands to-day with
the readiness of the Samaritan wom-
an to argue the question as to which
is the proper place to worship, at the
Mount Gerizim of this school of
thought, or at the Jerusalem of that
advanced learning and thinking, and
while the argument goes desperately
on, and while the learned searchers
are delving down deep and taking the
-four winds of heaven to gather their
knowledge, the lowly presence of the
Eternal Truth Of God stands in their
midst. AS He spoke to the Samaritan
woman so He will speak to every
heart and make His presence known.
Oh, that the world would turn its gaze
from the Mount Gerizims and the
Jerusalems and see the mighty rock
of Eternal Truth in its midst!
The Bright Light of Hope.-'lt is a
NaSC VI L III
say there is no hope for me in this
climate, that l must get away as quickly
as possible and spend the rest of my
days in the sunny, fiowery land of Cal
ifornia." And off the poor, sick, worm
out body goes in quest of life. Sweet
life! new hope burns brightly within
the feverish heart, and the change,
, md 4ba eAft lraa1aU a n Il h nantla c1n
seem to give new grip on life, and the
days may be prolonged. All, how far
the journey will be taken if the bright
hope of renewed life burns in the dis
lance. Seas will be crossed, CONT
nents covered, mountains scaled in the
ceaseless search for the fountain of
life and youth. This shows how pre-
cious life is. 1t is the boon that money
cannot buy. 1t is the vital spark III
the house of clay, which is chung to
with such piteous tenacity as to make
deathbed scenes a narrowing memory.
And if life is SO sweet and precious,
the life that is but a span, that covers
a possible three score and ten or u four
score and ten. and then disappears into
the grave, NldU UuuSl IL iilSdH W oih
into the presence of Him, who said:
81 am the Life" The mind of finite
man cannot grasp the thought OF
eternity. Did you ever try to think out
what eternity meant? Begin to set
down the figures for the years, pile
them up as fast as you a write until
they touch the moon, keep on and on
and pass the sun in its glory, and write
and write and write on and on and on
to the farthest star, and the border
land of eternity has not yet been en-
tered. Take even the span of a life and
you cannot compass it in thought.
Break the so years up into their separ-
ate cycles, count back through the
years and the months and the weeks
and the days, trace the moments and
hours Of the day as they are counted
off in the life. Who is there who car
J take in the scope of a life in all of its
detail at a single stretch of the mind?
1t annot be done. And yet Jesu-
comes to you and me and says: Il am
the Life" Il give to you Eternal
Life" Don't try to grasp the thought,
don't try to understand it. You can
not. You must just believe it, and
when the ages of eternity roll beneath
your feet, as they rest within the
eternal city of God, you will only begin
to understand something of the match
less gift of Eternal Life.
Count Ponce de Leon sought the
springs of perennial youth in the ever
glades and garden spots of Florida.
He braved the perils of the almost
unknown sea and faced the h~ardships
of a sojourn in a wild and unbroken
country that he might search out the
tabled spring and drink of its miracu-
lous waters. He died in disappoint-
ment. Old Mother Earth has been
lavish in her gifts of health-giving
waters, but none have the power to
restore the vigor of youth or ward off
the stroke of death. No, the Hand
which nodded the earth and caused
the gushing springs to burst forth has
done better than that. He has given
to all the world the Eternal Life of the
Son, and w~hosoever will may drink al
the Divinely-appointed fountain anf
never tHlIst again. IoI lle uIdiSDl OF
Living Water, which Christ the Life
will give, will "become a well of water.
s%pringing up into Everlasting Life"
Jesus the Way. and the Truth and the
Life; no one cometh unto the Father
but by Him. Is it strange that when
God has so w~ondrously provided for
the needs of the soul in Christ. the
Nov tha Tr1th onl 4ha r ;fa 4LaS -
should be absolutely the only way into
the presence OF God and the eternal
glories of Heaven? o soul. as YOU look
down into the unmeasured lengths of
the years and gaze across the border
land of death. in what are you trust
ing? Hear Christ speak, the Son of
the Living God. the One Who is all He
claims to be-: 81 am the Way, and the
Truth. and the Life: no man cometh
unto the Father but by Me-" Hear
the multitude Of the saints in all ages
lift their voices as they sing:
Thou art the Way-to Theealone
From sin and death we flee;
Ard he who would the Father seek.
Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.
Thou art the Truth-Thy Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
Thou only canst instruct the mind,
And purify the heart.
Thou art the Life-the renGing tomb
Proclaims Thy conquering arm;
And those who put their trust in Thee,
Nor death nor he'll shall harm.
Thou art the Way. the Truth, the Life;
Grant us that Way to know,
That Truth to keep, that Life to win,
Who's lows eternal flow