The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-01-15

God"
And never spring bursting from the
plains OF Gerar. o. irSn 'ar mountains OF
Lebanon, OF from the NA.eys or Canaan,
perform Sa"l misS,oA az thls nether
spring OF thc goSpc! wA.'N Is 'he gilt Oh
our God.
We haze seen the Gc,ds in tic time OF
drought looking rarched and apparently
dead and worthless. and then, sddder'f,
almost in the niEht. tho r1cadows We're
clothed with green. a1d The grain lhted
up it's head rejoicing. all because the rain
had fallen. BIT IN this nether spring OF
the gospel there is a more marvellous
power than that-he who comes 20 drink
Of its waters goes away with new life. and
his whole nature is changed. The an
clients believed in the existence OF spring
in which, if person hathcd. he would
renew his yoath and live forever. We
have found that spring TO-DAY in the text.
Tor The gift OF God is eternal life, The
Bible is all a-sDar:;.e with wells and
springs. rivers and seas. They toss up their
Brightness from almost every chapter. And
water is many times the type or inquire OF
that which enlivens, beauties aad gives
rev hfe."
Solomon. refreshed by the story of
heaven. exc,aims. "As cold water to.
thirsty soul. so is good news from far
country" Isaiah. speaking Of the blessed
ness of the children of God. writes, "They
shall spring as willows from the water
courses" The prophet. glowing with the
thought of the millennium. says. Streams
shall break forth from the desert
The mission of water in this world Is 10
b,ess and satisfy, refresh and help. but
ali the waters that ever ieapcd III the tor
rents. or foamcd in the cascade. or fell in
the summer shower. or hung in the morn
ing dew. have given 10 such comfort to the
troubled heart: no ssaeh rest and refresh,
ment to the siu-sick sou!. as that when
mav be drawn by you and by E.e from the
rcther spring OF the gosnel.
1t is a good type OF illustration OF The
gosnst because of its brightness. Ict here
i fails OF giving us perfect description or
idea. for where can you find sucn bright
ness as CLEANS in this neither spring:
David. unable to pu: it into words,
pays it on his harp. Christorhe- Wren,
unable to Uut it into language. springs It
in thr arches OF st. PaufS. Banyan. iail.
ing 10 present it in ordinary story, put 1t
in the form OF al.eao-y, which lives on to-
day with constantly increasing power.
Handel with ordinary music unable to
reach the height and sound the derth OF
The theme. thrills us with his o-atoro.
y, the e,adness. the brightness, thc 10y nm
uttcrab,e in that lie which is hid. with
Christ in God. And this ! may drink in
az come to the neither springs.
There is no life on earth so happy as
the Christians. Take the humblest child
of God yna know, and whv shouldn't he
be happy. According to the Bible he is
al the time under the shadow of Gods
wings. If he walks the angels bear him up;
il he sleeps they let down ladders from the
J y. kIn l1 M
to and fro. bringing down blessings OF
God. and hearing awav his heavy burdens.
Why. to gee within the door OF the king.
dom. to have place. not the nearest, hut
on the very outer circle. to bear the lowest
titIe of all the redeemed, to he the weakest
child of all the family OF God. to be the
dinnest jewel in His crown OF rejoicing;
to be the least, yea, less than least OF all
the saints is a hone which sets the heart
a-singing. All this I find and more: a
thousand times more, as stoop and drink
at the neither springs.
Water is also ike the gospel in its power
TO refresh. l remember the River Jordan
the day when Naaman came to its banks
with his leprosy. / see him going down
into its waters. once. twice, three times.
and then on until he had. according to the
instructions of the servant Of God bathed
seven times. and then, marvellous change!
his flesh became as it were the flesh Of a
little child.
But here is a greater change for the sin
full soul who will come to the neither
spring. Here came Newton, and left be-
hind him his sins which were as scarlet.
Here came Bunyan, cursing with every
step until lcwd people rebuked him, and
he went away. so changed that he gave to
the world the book that stands in the csti-
e - Ia fnr
ness and power. Here came Magdalen and
the Philippian jailor, Zacchaeus, and the
poor trembling thief on the cross, and they
drank of the waters and stand to-day IN
the company of the redeemed.
- l stand by the side of the waters to-day.
and with all the tenderness of saved sin.
ner. with all the assurance OF pardoned
child of God. with all the alarm of a friend
who sees his friends and neighbors going
down to death, away from the living wat
ers. I bid you come, come, come; w hoso'
ever will, let him come"
1t is marvellous spring OF which speak.
I recall the fact that when the Master met
the man who was blind from his birth He
anointed his eyes with clay and sspittlc and
then told him to 20 wash in the pool OF
Sloan; and when he had washed he came
seeing. imagine that first of all he saw
the face OF the Master Himself. This IS
the power of the neither spring Of the gos-
pei. The touch OF its waters will cause the
scales to drop from our eyes, and We shall
beJable to- see the wondrous things written
in the book of God, and not only so, but
we shall have given unto US the vision OF
the face of the Master Himself. 1t Is not
strange that We are unable, in our sinful
condition, to see things as they are in the
kingdom Of God, for we are blind. But If
you will only come with your blindness to
the neither spring you shall 60 away re-
joicing 1t is like the pool of Bethesda.
It has healing power, and we are not only
saved from the guilt of sin, but We may
likewise be saved from its power. The
only difference is that in the pool the sick
people must wait until the waters are
troubled before they may step in and be
healed, while in this neither spring the wat
ers are always ready. This is no new idea
so to represent the gospel Of Christ, for
read in the gospel OF John these words:
"But whosoverer shall drink of the water
that / shall give him shall never thirst.
But the water shall give him shall be in
him a we'll of water, springing up into
everlasting Gfe.' And in the Apocalypse
these words are found: 81 am the Alpha