The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-01-28
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
UPPER AND NEITHER SPRINGS"


rho Rev. Dr.. J.. Wilbur Chapman DISCO
An Old Testamont Story - o Parallel to
IIiuatrste b Grsat Blessings We Re
eelvs From Our Heavenly Father.
NEW YORK CITY.-The following scr
mcu 10 one Of a series prepared some time
sincs by the Rev. DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman:
the distinguished evangelist. 1t is entitled
THE Upper and the Neither Springs" and
preached from the text And he gave
her the upper springs and the neither
springs" Joshua xv.: 10.
Half way between Hebron and Beershe.
ba there once stood the ancient city OF
Debir. 1t was the city of brains and books
and the centre Of intellectual culture Of the
older days. At the same point now may
be seen a rude ~assemtlage Of stone novels,
many of which are hn,f standing, But the
others are entirely broken down.
One OF the names given to this city,
being translated, means the City Of Brooks,
or Of learning-what Athens was TO Greece
the city of Debir was to Southern Pales-
tine. It was supposed that ell the records
Of antiquity Of the nation we're stored
there. It was, indeed, a famous place:
Caleb, the sor, Of Heron, Of the tribe OF
Judah, Y as very anxious to secure posscs-
" VI IL Sltys ~ Shho AoSS So 6N~S
rise to the text. His name is very familiar
to US. He was one Of the twelve spies
sent by Moses over into Canaan, and he
and Joshua were the only two born in
Egypt who were given the privilege OF en-
tering Canaan, with the possible exception
Of the Levitcs, and that. not only because
they had brought o truthful report OF the
land they had explored, but were also will:
ing to take God at His word, and put all
their trust in Him.
Forty-fve years after, when the wander
ings were over, Caleb applied TO Joshua
for the share Of the land which had been
promised him, and among other portions
there was granted to him Debir, the city OF
hold Of the giants of Canaan, and must be
captured to be possessed.
Caleb then made the proposition that he
would give his daughter Achsah in mar
rage to any one who was able to a K the
city, and one Othniel, who had been much
of q warrior, for he had delivered the chill
dren Of Israel from the King OF Mesopota-
mia, marched against Debir. After a great
struggle the gates were broken down, the
giants were captured or driven away: and
the City of Books lay at the feet Of the
eonqueror. When the victory was won
Caleb was rs good as his word, and hrs
daughter was given in marriage to the sol.
der. With her ne also gave MS an inherit
ance, a peculiar piece of property, known
as '"The South Land" valuable for some
reasons, but it was mountainous and sloped
southwark toward the deserts OF Arabia,
the hot winds Of which again and again
swept across it.. Before Achsah left her
fathers house she besorght him Tor his
blessing. The south land was not enough.
she would also have springs OF water. and
fN-vl -.---lAI " nDna anil 01Vn h0r
more than she had asked, for we read in
the text: He gave her the upper springs
and the neither springs" From an exceed
ingly fertile territory the land was chosen.
It contained no less than fourteen springs.
The valley was beautiful, for look which
way yoa would you could see them gushing
forth. Their presence in the field meant
not only a blessing for the field in which
they were found, but Tor all the country
around them.
find in this beautiful story a good illus.
tration of all that We receive from our
Father.
All that has been bestowed upon US is as.
ISOLATED with victory, and that was won by
Him whose name was called in the pro-
phets the Conqueror. 1t was Tor Him 4
fierce struggle, but He came of more than
.conqueror. Then. after that, He was called
the bridegroom OF the church, which IS to
be His bride, and with Him we have re-
ceived not only the gift Of salvation, but in
Him we are also blessed with all spiritual
blessings. Paul gives W this when he
writes to the Ephesians. blessed he the
God and Father OF our Lord Jesus Christ.
who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus" =,
/. God starts His children in this world
=. C.,.L nk..koJ Ii, I,nrhtor with M in
heritance. No one is 50 poor but God has
given him something.
Some have taken the inheritance and
treated it as the man with the five talents,
they have gained other FIVE also: others
like the man with one talent. have wrapped
it in a napkin, and so .a.,ey leave the world
as poor as when they entered it. God has
been very good to us. He has given us this
world with all its beauty, its green pas.
lures, its still waters, its rivers ard its seas,
its starry canopy stretching out above.
The world is filled with forces of all kinds,
but man has seemed to gain control over
0 conqucrer in the midst of them all.
But the inheritance is better than that.
He has given us all the faculties of mind
and all the powers OF body. The mind, the
heart. the hands, the feet-no one is sent
into the world a pauper. God has thus
placed a fortune in the grasp Of every
child Of His. It Is such q great thing to
have a mind. for with It man is able to
search the deem things OF God and really
take hold of the thought Of the Eternal.
The science Of geometry was worked ont
from a few simple principles by Euciid
and Archimedcs. by pure reasoning out OF
their minds, and on the sands of the floor
Of the room where they were studying
Archimedes traced the curves in which. ac-
cording to science. the heavenly bodies
scope was invented. the Galaeos and the
Newtons beheld with reverent wonder that
the heavenly bodies were sweeping along
in the came curves described so long ago by
the great Mathematician. 1t is, indeed, q
wonderful thing to have a mind.
But IL these things which l have men.
toned as our natural inheritance are all
what we possess, then, with the success
that may be gained by means of them we
may still be Of all men the most miserable.
For they are like the south land of Ach.
sab, they stretch of toward the deserts OF
sorrow and care and darkness. and the hot
winds OF despair come sweeping past us
again and again. The most miserable REQ
pie in the world. sooner or later. arc those
who have just the world AID nothing e!se.
Men are born unto trouble as the sparks
fy upward. and this south land Of the
world IL q poor portion. It is beautiful: it
is the handiwork of God. But we must
have more than that IL the soul be salts
fed. THE stars are beautiful. but they
pour no light into the midnight of a
troubled soul. The flowers arc sweet. hut
they pour no balm into the wounded
heart" There are times when the hungry.
thirsty. fcvered soul must have what tic
natural inheritance can not give, and God
hss made provision for that.
Man signs with g~roanings which can not
be uttered for the infinite. II YOU Put a
seashcll to your ear yoa will find in it
"reminiscences Of its original home. the roar
Of the sea, the wall Of the wind. the groan