The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-02-20

49, - .u-hl tnt thutN they maze "
akin to that is what the neither eprina of
the gospel does Tor as. No one knows the
iulness OF his own being until be Is Allied
with the influence and power of the eorneI
\ lou walk, in the month Of January. over
the most fertile place IN a field or through
the forest, and you win see the illustratisn
OF what man is IN his natural state The
earth Is full OF roots and the trees are INN
OF buds, all of which are closely bandaged
80 that they can not expand. but when the
spring time comes the roots In the earth
commence TO push forward and the budr
on the trees begin 20 unfold, and in a very
little time all nature is rejoicing. What 4
marvellous change, simply because the roots
have been. warmed by the sun and kissed
by the light! and yet il is not worthy To
be compared with a change which might
De wrought IN you, If you will but come 20
the neither spring and drink Of it's hfe-eiv-
ing waters, for there you will meet Him
who has said: Il am come that you might
have life, and that you might have it more
abundanty."
III. wish I might be able to make
plain to you all that there is SO mucb
more to the Christian life than simply
being saved. That is only the beginning
The whole experience stretches away froa,
that point, and gets brighter and briphtes
an the days go by With the hope that we
might learn the lesson together to-day /
have brought before you these two springs.
whether the strict exegesis OF the text will
allow the Interpretation or not / am very
sure that all will agree that it is a perfect
illustration, To drink at the neither
spring is salvation, but to drink at the up-
per spring is a high privilege that is Of
Tered to every child Of God. ] could bring
so many passages Of Scripture to YOU
which would serve as an illustration Of
what | mean. Take Ephesians j. 9.
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us
With all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus"
Or, Col. Ii: u: Buried with Him in hap
tism, wherein also We are risen with Him,
through the faith of the operation Of God,
who hath raised Him from the dead"
Or, take Col. iii: l-3 IF We then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ stitch on the right
hand Of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth FOR We
are dead, and your life is hid with Chriss
in God" Or, take Phil. ill., 90: For our
conversation is in heaven. from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ"
would that we might all drink at the
upper spring What peace would then fill
our hearts! When we drink at the lower
spring we come to be at peace with God,
but when we learn to drink also at the
upper spring we have the peace of God,
and there is a great difference between
the two, 1t is something like the differ
ence between a microscope and telescope.
With the first we can see things near, and
in bulk not larger than grain OF sand 1
can find a thousand million anmalculae,
but with the latter l can see things afar
off, l can actually study the Milky Way,
which il removed from me thousands and
thousands of miles. At the neither spring,
first of all, | see myself and all my sinful
ness; then l see Christ in all His righteous
ness; then / hear Him say that though
my sins be like scarlet they shall be as
white as snow, and there at the neither
spring l am made whole, but with the up
per spring 1t is different. Like the tele-
scope it is all about the things which are
above and as / drink at its waters [ find
myself being lifted above this world, and
my conversation, not only, but my very
life, may be in the heavenies.
And the way to this upper spring is
pointed out very plainly to us. / remem-
Der the dream of jacob as he was going
from Beersheba to Haran. 1t was Of the
ladder which was set upon earth, the top
of which reached up to heaven.
This ladder is set for US. 1t reaches to
the very brink Of the upper spring. The
ladder is Christ; His feet rest upon the
earth. His brow is bound with the glory
of heaven. The events of His earthly life
are the earthward end of the ladder; His
divinity, His finished Messiahship, His
perpetual priesthood the topmost end. In
distant city a fire was raging. 1t was
thought that all the inmates had been
saved, when to the horror of the bystand-
ers two children were seen standing at a
third-story window. It was before the
days of the almost perfect appliances for
ho &c LII
hurriedly splced together and lifted to
the slne OF the building. There was q
shout OF terror when it was found that
the ladder lacked six feet of reaching the
children. In moment a brave fireman
was mounting the ladder; he reached the
topmost round, and then stood for a mo-
ment balancing himself until he had caught
the window sill with his hand and then
over his body, which supplied the gap be-
tween the ladder and window the children
came slowly down until outstretched hands
reached them in safety. And this is what
the Lord Jesus Christ did for you and for
me! There was no way for us back to
heaven We were estranged from God.
And then He came in His incarnation, and
on the platform erected by the patriarchal,
legal and prophetic dispensation, He stood,
as 1t were, in His own body, reaching up
Ills hands, He took hold of God, and the
way was made complete. And SO it has
come. to pass that not only in Christ we are
saved, but it is also true that we mount by
Him into the very secret place of the Most
High. And this is drinking at the upper
spring.
Thus the secret of this great blessing is
to be found by abiding in Christ. DR.. Cor
don used to tell little circumstance which
came. beneath his eyes in New England,
which presents to us figure of It all.
Two little, saphngs grew side by side.
Through the action of the wind they
crossed each other. BY and bv the bare
of each became wounded and the sap be-
gan to mingle, until in some still day they
became united to each other. This pro-