The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-01-15
UPPER AND NEITHER SPRINGS
Sunday Sermon By Rev. J. Wilbur Chap.
man.
An OH Tsstament Story as Parallel 10 Illus.
trate the Great Blessings We Receive
From Our Heavenly Father.

NEW YORK CITY.-The following SER
mon is one Of a series prepared some time
the distinguished evangelist. 1t is entitled
The Upper and the Neither Springs" and
was preached from the text And he gave
her. the, upper SPRING. and the neither
springs" Joshua XIV: 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
olden days. AT the same point now may
be seen a. rude assemblage OF stone novels,
many of which are. half standing, but the
others are entirely broken down.
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 all the records
of antiquity Of the nation were stored
there. 1t was, indeed, famous place.
Caleb, the son Of Heron, of the tribe of
Judah, was very anxious to secure posses
sion Of the city. II is this fact which gives
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
they had brought a 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
learning it was still, however, the strong
hold of the giants of Canaan, and must be
captured to be possessed.
Caleb then made the proposition that he
-, l. Al
riage to any one who was able to take the
city, and one Othniel, who had been much
of warrior, for he had, delivered the chill
dren of Israel from the King of Mesopota.
mia, marched against Debir. After great
struggle the gates were broken down, the
the City of Books lay at the feet of the
conqueror. When the victory was won
Caleb was as good as his word, and his
daughter was given in marriage to the SOL
der. With her he also gave as an inherit
ance. 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 besought him for his
blessing. The soath land was not enough,
she would also have springs of water, and
Caleb responded at once, and gave her
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
II 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
not only blessing for the field in which
they were found, but for all the country
around them.
find in this beautiful story a good illus
traton of all that we receive from our
Father.
sociated with victory, and that was won by
Him whose name was called in the pro-
phets the Conqueror. 1t was for Him a
fierce struggle, but He came off more than
conqucror. Then. after that, He was called
the bridegroom of the church, which is to
Geived not only the gift Of salvation, but in
Him we are also blessed with all spiritual
blessings. Paul gives us this when he
writes to the Ephesans, blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus"
l.. God starts His children in this world
as Caleb started his daughter, with an in
heritance. No one is so 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 napkin, and so they 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 stillwaters, its rivers and its seas,
ITS starry canopy stretching out above.
The world is filed with forces of all kinds,
but man has seemed to gain control over
them, until to-day he stands himself like
a GGonquerer in the midst of them all.
But the inheritance is better than that.
He has given us all the faculties Of mind
heart. the hands. the feet-no one is sent
into the world a pauper. God has thus
placed fortune in the grasp of every
child Of His. II is such great thing to
have 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 out
IRON few simple principles by Euclid
and Archimedes: by pure reasoning out of
their. minds, and lon the sands of the floor
OF the room where they were studying
Archlmedes traced the curves in which, .ac.
core. noralng , to science, the heavenly bodies
scope was invented. the Galileos and the
Newtons bcheld with reverent wonder that
the heavenly bodies were sweeping along
IN the same curves described 40 long ago by
the great Mathematician. 1t is, indeed, a
wonderful thing to have a mind.
:. But. II these things which / have men.
toned as our natural inheritance are all
what we possess, then, with the success
that NAV 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.
san, they stretch off 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 peo-
pie IN the world. sooner or later. are those
who have. Just the world and nothing else.
Men are born unto trouble as the SHARKS
ny upward, and this south land OF the
world Is poor portion. II is beautiful; it
70 the handiwork OF God. But we must
have more than that il the soul be satis-
ned. The stars are beautiful, but they
pour no light into the midnight of a
troubled soul. The flowers are sweet, hut
they .nour no balm into the wounded
heart" There are times when the hungry,
thirsty, fevered soul must have what the
natural inheritance can not give, and God
has made provision FOR that.
Man sighs with groanings which can not
be uttered for the infinite. If you put
seashell to your ear you will find in il
"reminiscences Of its original home. the roar
Of the sea. the wall OF the wind, the groan
OF the dying wave. all discernibie therein.
Il has the witness in itself that II belongs
to the mighty deep. And II you listen at.
constant proofs Of its destined abode. The
sighs, the yearnings, the dreams, the tears,
the sadness. the music. all testify that we
are made for God, and that only God can
satisfy our wants. And God knew this,
and So an well an qiviug us the aouth land