Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-01-22
A SERMON FOR, SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
UPPER AND NEITHER SPRINGS"

AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
UPPER AND NEITHER SPRINGS"
The Rev. DIR. j. Wilbur Chapman Uses
an Old Testament Story as q Parallel to
illustrate the Great Blessings we Re-
ceive From Our Heavenly Father.
New YORK CITY.-The following SER
mon is one OF a series prepared some time
since by the Rev DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman,
the distinguished evangelist. It is entitled
1.-The Upper and the Neither Springs" and
was preached from the text And he gave
her the upper springs and the neither
springs Joshua XIV: 10.
Half way between Hebron and Beershe-
ba there once stood the ancient city of
Debir. It was the city of brains and books
and the centre of intellectual culture of the
olden days. AT the same point now may
be seen rude assemblage of stone, novels,
many Of which are half standing, but the
others are entirely broken down.
One of the names given to this. city,
being translated, means the City of Brooks,
OF ofllearning-what of Athens was to Greece
the Gty of Debir was to Southern Pales-
tine. 1t was supposed that all the records
of antiquity of the nation were stored
there. 1t was, indeed, a famous place.
Caleb, the son of Rezron, of the tribe Of
Judah, was very anxious to secure posses
sion pf the city 1t is this fact which gives
rise 10 the text. His name is very familiar
to rB. He was one of the twelve spies
sent by Moses over into Canaan, and he
Egypt who were given the privilege Of en-
teriIg Canaan, with the possible exception
of tie Levites, and that. not only because
they had brought truthful report of the
land they had explored, but were also will
ing TO take God at His word, and put all
theii trust in Him.
FGty-fve years after, when the wander
ings were over, Caleb applied to Joshua
for Ehe share of the land which had been
promised him, and among other portions
there was granted to him Debir, the city Of
learning. 1t was still, however, the strong
hold of the giants of Canaan, and must be
| captured to be possessed.
| Chleb then made the proposition that he
| would give his daughter Achsah in mar
riaee to any one who was able to take the
| citF, and one Othniel, who had been much
of b warrior, for he had delivered the chill
drtn of Israel from the King Of Mesopota-
mia, marched against Debir. After great
stnlgge the gates were broken down, the
giants were captured or driven away, and
the City of Books lay at the feet Of the
coIqueror. When the victory was won
Caleb was as good as his word, and his
| daughter was given IN marriage to the sol
de1. With her he also gave as an inherit
| ance. a peculiar piece of property, known
as 1.-THE South Land" valuable for some
| southwark toward the deserts of Arabia,
| the hot winds of which again and again
swept across it. Before Achsah left her
fathers house she besought him for his
blessing. The south land was not enough
she would also have springs of water, and
I Caleb responded at once, and gave her
more than she had asked. for we read in
| IJo hop ho 1uc
and the neither springs" From an exceed
mgly fertile territory the land was chosen
1t contained no less than fourteen springs
The valley was beautiful. for look which
way you would you could see them gushing
forth. Their presence in the field meant i
they were found, but for all the country
around them.
/ find in this beautiful story good illus
tration of all that we receive from oul
Father.
All that has been bestowed upon us is as
sociated with victory, and that was won by
Him whose name was called in the pro
fierce struggle, but He came off more thar
conqueror. Then, after that, He was calle6
the bridegroom of the church, which is tt
be His bride, and with Him we have re
ceived not only the gift of salvation, but il
Him we are also blessed with all spiritua
blessings. Paul gives us this when h
God and Father Of our Lord Jesus Christ
who hath blessed us with all spiritua
blessings in heavenly places in Chris
Jesus"
/. God starts His children in this worl,
as Caleb started his daughter. with an in
heritance. No one is so poor but God ha
given him something.
Some have taken the inheritance an
treated it as the man with the five talents
they have gained other five also; other
like the man with one talent, have wrappe
it in napkin, and so they leave the worl
as poor as when they entered it. God ha
been very good to us. He has given us thl
world with all it's beauty, its green pas
lures, its still waters, its rivers and its seas
it's starry canopy stretching out above
The world is filed with forces of ali kinds
but man has seemed to gain control owe
them, until to-day he stands himself lik
conquerer in the midst of them all.
But the inheritance is better than thai
. He has given us all the faculties of min
, and all the powers Of body. The mind, tn
heart. the hands. the feet-no one is sen
into the world pauper. God has thu
t placed fortune in the grasp of ever
child Of His. Tt is such a great thing
have mind, for with it nan n is able e.,5
take hold of the thought Of the Eterna
The science Of geometry was worked OF
from few simple principles by EucH
and Archimedes. by pure reasoning out I
l their minds. and on the sands Of the foe
= Of the room where they were studyir
Archimedes traced the curves in which a
> cording to science, the heavenly bod.
q must move. And long after, when the tie:
scope was invented the Galileos and tt
Newtons beheld with reyerent wonder tn;
> the heavenly bodies were sweeping alo1
:. in the same curves described so long ago
d the great Mathematician. It is, indeed,
6 wonderful thing to have mind.
But if these things which | have me
/ toned as our natural inheritance are 6
+ what we possess, then, with the succe
v that may be gained by means of them y
:. may still be of all men tie most miserabl
3 For they are like the south land of Ac
y sab, they stretch off toward the deserts
n sorrow and care and darkness, and the h
o winds of despair come sweeping past
again and again. The most miserable pc
/ pie in the world. sooner or later. are tho
Il who have just the world and nothing els
e Men are born unto trouble as the sDar
:, fly upward, and this south land of t
> world is poor portion. It is beautiful;
e is the handiwork of God. But we mu
u have more than that il the soul be sat
70 fed. 1sThe stars are beautiful. but tn
= pour no light into the midnight of
E troubled soul. The flowers are sweet, b
j. they pour no balm into the wound
Il IL