The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-01-22

as the days 60 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 perfect
| Illustration. To drink at the neither
spring is salvation. but to drink at the up
per spring is high privilege that is of.
fered to every child of God. could bring
so many passages of Scripture to you
what !! mean. Take Ephesans i: g:
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. "
Or, Col. IL II: buried with Him in hap
tisn, wherein also we are risen with Him,
through the faith Of the operation Of God,
who hath raised Him from the dead"
with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection on things
above. rot on things on the earth. For We
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God" Or. take Phil iii: 20: "For our
conversation is in heaven. from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
| 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 microscope and telescope.
With the first we can see things near. and
in bulk not larger than a grain of sand |
can find = thousand million animalculae.
but with the latter [ can see things afar
or. l can actually study the Milky Way.
which is removed from me thousands and
thousands of miles. At the neither spring,
first of all, l see myself and all nv sinful
ness; then 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 | am made whole. but with the up.
per spring it is different. Like the tele.
scope it is all about the things which are
above: and as ] drink at it's waters [ find
myself being lifted above this world, and
my my conversation, not only, but my very
life, may be in the heavenlies.
And the way to this upper spring is
pointed out very plainly to lis. I 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.
Ibis 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 e glo orv
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
a, distant city fire was raging. It was
thought that all the inmates had been
saved, when to the horror of the bystand-
ers two children were seen standing at
r6-Cf LIZ IL
days of the almost perfect appliances for
the saying Of lives. Two ladders were
hurriedly spliced together and lifted to
the side of the building. There was
shout Of terror when it was found that
the ladder lacked six feet of reaching the
children. In>a moment brave fireman
was mounting the ladder; he reached the
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
His 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 a little circumstance which
came beneath his eyes in New ENGLAND.
which presents to US figure of it all.
Two little sapEags grew side by side.
Through the action of the wind they
crossed each other. BY and bv the bark
of each became wounded and the sap be-
gan to mingle. until in some still dav they
became united to each other. This pro-
cess went on more and more until they
were firmly compacted. Then the stronger
began to absorb the life from the weaker:
it grew stronger while the other grew
weaker and weaker. until finally it dropped
away and then disappeared. And now
there are two trunks at the bottom and
only one at the top. Death has taken
away the one, life has triumphed in the
other