The Ordway new era., 1910-06-03

feast mcmOrialiZe or commemorate:
1t was the "Fcast OF Tabcrnacles. )"
What was that and what national
Significance did II have?
You remember that soon after
Moses led the children OF Israel out OF
Egypt into the wilderness, they came
into q section OF country that was
suffering from a terrible and prolonged
drouth. All vegetation had died
down. The earth was parchcd and
the very heavens seemed brass above
them. The people were smItten with
an unuttcrable thirst for water.
Their powers OF endurance had
reached the limit. To prolong this
agony many hours meant sudden and
terrible death TO one and all.
1t was In the midst OF this terrible
crisis that Moses smote the rock and
Instantly stream OF clear, pure
limpid water lcaped forth. The peo-
pies thirst was satisfied and the ma
tiOn saved.
Now In the time OF Christ the
"Feast Of Tabcrnacles" was held an-
nualIy In Jerusalem, but 1t was his
torical in its signiticance-it went
back and connected itself with some
thing that had occurred fourteen hun
drcd years before. The object or pur-
pose OF the feast was TO commemor-
ate or keep fresh In the minds OF the
people the experience of their fathers
In the wilderness. The feast lasted
eight days. From all parts Of the
kingdom the people came to Jerusa-
lem, and for those eight days they
dwelt in tabernacles or booths made
OF the limbs and boughs Of trees and
lived on bitter herbs to remind them
of their hard, disgreeable and bitter
experiences In the wilderness.
The last day was the great day,
the sacred day, OF the feast. On that
day the people arraycd themselves In
festive garments and crowded In and
around Solomon's temple and joined
In grateful praise and joyful hallelu-
jalls. The old Rabbis used to say
that until one had witnessed this
ceremony he could never know what
general rejoicing was.
In'the midst OF this rejoicing the
people arranged themselves In three
columns, four abreast. Each column
was headed by priest who carried a
golden pitcher. Keeping time to mar
tial music these three columns
into the valley south OF the
temple to the pool OF Sloan. Here
the priest would dip his golden pitcher
into the pool and bear it back to the
temple brimming full Of sparkling
water. Their movements were so
timed that these columns reached the
temple just as the pieces OF sacrifice
we're being laid on the altar OF burnt
Offering. Then the priest closed the
ceremony by pouring the water from
the golden pitcher upon the sacrifice,
them OF the abundance OF
water that flowed from the rock in
the wilderness. This closed the pro-
gram. Now it was just at this juno
ture that Jesus arose and said, "lf
any man thirst, let him come unto
me and drink" Ho! everyone that
thirsteth, you need not 90 to the pool
of Sloan, you need not go to the
fountains of pleasure, you need not go
to the broken cisterns of the world,
but come unto me and drink. am the
t. hot IN nd
saved the lives Of your fathers in the
wilderness; l am that fountain of
living water whereof IL a man drink
he will never thirst again. Paul
afterward said OF Jesus:
"They drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed, and that Rock was
Christ"
IF any man thirst, let him come
unto me-" said Christ.
TO come to Christ is simply to be-
lieve on him, to accept his teaching,
and obey his commandments. To
come to Christ is simply to accept
him as personal Savior, as "Proplct,
Priest and King" When one has
thus accepted him, he may drink and
he satisfied. Is human nature many
sided in its demands: then the rclig-
ion of Jesus Christ Is many-sided to
meet those demands. AS music
pleases the ear. as light and beauty
charm the eye, and food and water
appeascs the natural hunger and
thirst, so Jesus Christ satisfies every
element Of mans nature-all the
appctites, longings, and desires of his
soul. Does man thirst for love?
Then Jesus brings him pure, warm,
deep divine, perfect love, and sets
before him the most lovely object