South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-20
.SALYATION'S WELLS
IS PASTORS THEME
Scripture, Prayer and Relig-
iOus Experience Discussed
by Rev. McQuary.

ne " els or salvation was the
subject OF the sermon by the Rev. r.
L. McQuary at the First Christian
church Sunday morning. Selecting
text from Isaiah 1873. Mr.. McQuary
said in part:
The Old and New Testaments are
full OF references to water as a sym
Dol and giver OF life. a drought is
the greatest OF calamities in the
orient The presence Of water is
the first requirement OF a land as a
place OF settlement. Consequently
water is capable Of many metaphor
cal uses. The lack Of water is en-
blematical OF spiritual need. as in Ps.
AZ, As the heart panteth after the
water brooks. so thirsteth my soul
after Thee, 0 God Or the presence
OF water symbolizes spiritual re-
freshment as in RS. %. He leadeth
me beside the still waters. he restOr-
eth my soul Good news is COM
/ pared to cold water 70 the thirsty
soul In the words Of the text the
prophet speaks of the day when the
/ people shall draw water with JOY
out OF the wells of salvation
/ There are for Us wells Of saliva
\ ton provided by the Lord. Just as
He has stored up crystal waters in
/ the chambers Of the earth so He has
| ordained sources of spiritual susie
nance and refreshment for his peo-
pie
THE first Of these is the well of
scripture. Not river. requiring no
labor to get at the water, but a well
from which the water must be drawn.
/ one has said here Is a well which
/ took 1900 years to dig, Moses first
/ breaking the ground and the writer
OF Revelation striking tho last blow.
/ The Bible preserves for lis the story
| OF men and women who found their
way TO the fountain of waters. Here
are experiences so deep and all in
elusive that no man has ever sound
ed bottom in this well. Here are
\ found the waters for every thirsty
soul. But 10 get at the water of the
scripture requires painstaking work
and systematic study.
The second well is the well of
prayer. Here truly we dip into the
] IL
has stored up great reservoirs of
\ spiritual satisfaction and power for
those Of his people who will draw at
the we'll OF prayer, The apostolic
church has no buildings, no mission
\ airy societies, no millionaires, no re-
| ligious art and music. They had
only the promises Of the presence of
God yet they went out 20 take the
world. The church today needs to
fail back upon this prime source of
power.
1.-The third we'll is the well of re-
| ligious experience. Jesus, talking 10
the poor woman of Samaria said:
/ 'WhOsoever shall drink Of the water
that ! shall give him shall never
thirst. but the water that l shall
give him shall be in him a we'll Of
water, springing up into everlasting
\ life. Here is the well Of religious
experience. We are not to get
strength from the religion Of others.
\ we are not to take the little vessels
! of our lives to someone who has a
corner on this water of life. When
Christ gives TO drink there springs
up a well Of a mans own within the
heart. The city of New York has
its water supply through 3 tunnel OF
solid rock, which comes down out of
! the mountains. There in the heart
of the hot city gushes up a stream
\ of cold mountain water. water from
\ a higher source. When the well of
living waters that is given by Christ
springs forth in the heart it makes
| the individual Independent Of Cur
cumstance az was Paul. 1 have
/ learned that in whatsoever state I
am. Herewith 10 be content
When Isaac came into Philistia.
where his father, Abraham, had
dwelt before him, he found that the
| Philistines had filled up the wells
which his father had digged. Isaac
! cleaned them out. Christians often
allow the Philistines TO clutter up
/ their wells and poison their waters.
or like the people of Jeremiah's day
they have forsaken the fountains of
the living waters and have made for
! themselves broken cisterns. The
church of today needs TO clean out
the wells digged by the fathers, TO go
back TO the abandoned wells. to re-
turn 70 the wells of living waters of
religious experience, prayer and the
word Of God.