East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-03-08

it possible that my soul is lost tonight?
How can 1 know that l am lost?
will tell you. First, have you noticed
that a man who is lost wanders about
and never gets anywhere? How
much nearer are you to accepting
Christ today than you were 10 years
ago? How much nearer than six
months ago? You have arrived at
no conclusion concerning this great
question of life. Have you noticed
again that a person who is lost usual
ly goes about in a circle? Have you
not wandered about from one doubt
to another and then come back again
to the same old reasoning?. 1t is not
necessary that you be far away from
God in order to be lost.
Two brothers were once travelling
through piece of woods; they knew
the path but darkness overlook them
and they lost their way and wandered
aimlessly about, only to find that they
were returning each time to the
same place. Finally they gave up
and waited for the morning light.
When it came they found they were
but short distance from home. You
may not be a murderer or an adul-
terer, as one who has gone far from
God; but in your relation to Him you
may be as one near home, and yet
be lost.
We notice in the third place, when
poor Hagar realized her lost condition
she also realized that the bottle was
empty, and the child was crying for
water and she found herself in a will
derness, with an empty bottle and a
dying child. She had not counted on
this. Can we picture the situation?
suppose we cannot realize the con-
dition of one who is literally dying
for water or food. Mrs. Clough, in
her book on Telugus, relates her ex-
perience during the famine in India.
The starving people pushed into the
mission station clamoring for food.
They would not be restrained, but
snatched the half-cooked food from
the kettles, crying, I'VE are dying;
give US foodi" And after they had
filled themselves, they would lie
down and die. This was the terrible
condition that faced Hagar. She
placed the boy underneath the bushes
"for," she said, 1 cannot see my
child die," and went apart a bowshot,
and there she poured out her soul.
What dark hour for Hagar and her
child! But do you not realize that
| there will come time when your
tongue will be dry, not for want of
water or food, but because God calls
you to face Him. Not all the water
in wells of earth will quench your
thirst at such a time, but only the
Water of Life that Christ came to
give.
But the best part of the story is to
come. When Hagar realized her per-
ishing condition she lifted up her
voice and God heard and said, 'Ha-
gar, what aileth thee2" And 1 repeat
to you the question God asked of Ha-
gar, Are you sick; what is the mat
ter; why this unsettled condition :?
Why this indifference to the cause of
God? Why this dryness in your life
Are not these the symptoms of a soul
that is wandering, lost, and perish
ing? God says to you tonight, What
aileth thee?" Can you not answer
truthfully these questions? This in
difference, or it may be this dryness
in your Christian life is because you
have not been letting the dew OF
heaven into your life through prayer.
If man stops his prayer life, he
shuts off his spiritual life completely
| read also that not only did God
speak to her, but he opened her eyes
and as she looked she beheld a wei
of water and she ran to give the boy
a drink. How glad the heart is wher
it understands the word of God! Goo
can open your eyes that you shall see
the way of salvation. And only a!
He does this can you behold it. En-
quire in your own heart now, how
much of Gods truth can you see
You are unable to behold it because
your eyes of faith are closed to thu
spiritual truths. You say, 81 can
feel" II don't know" or 81 an
afraid" 1 say, But your eyes arr
closed"
In conclusion let me add: This vel
of water to Hagar meant new leas,
of life. A renewal. desire to leav'
this closing thought with you that i
you will drink of the water that Chris
offers, you shall never thirst ant
more than that, you shall have 1
new lease on life that will be of ever
lasting nature. Supposing that Ha
gar had seen the we'll and left he
boy to die? Have you noticed tn
way of salvation and not turned int
it? 1t is very near you. God says
"Open your eyes" Grandfathe
Chase thought the world of his littl
= granddaughter, Grace. He noticed
l one day that the doll that she wa
playing with was old and dirty. H
thought "she should have a bette
|, one" accordingly he purchased
when he went to town, a better on
t the finest and most expensive do
y he could find. Coming home with hi
o prize he found the little one out in tn
t kitchen as usual. playing with the oil
e thing. Watching his opportunity h
d snatched it away and then held tn
: nice new one over her head. Bu
It the child seeing that her dolly wa
n gone, began to cry. The grandfathe
said, "See, Oracle; see what grandp
Il has. See; look up, Oracle" But tn
d child would not look up. Thus it
= God knows what is best for us an
k sometimes the things that we priz
: most are snatched away from us; W
" cannot tell why hut God knows An