This was a kind of bread which fell all over the ground at night, and
looked like hoar-frost. They gathered it every morning, except the
morning of the Sabbath day. It was just what they needed to satisfy
their hunger and impart health and strength to their bodies.
The Lord also caused a great spring of fresh water to burst out of a
solid rock near the camp; and thus they were supplied with water.
We can hardly see how these people could ever turn against the Lord
and become unthankful and disobedient toward him after he had been so
kind and done so much for them. But they became so. They even went so
far as to make a golden calf to worship instead of Jehovah, who had
brought them through the Red Sea. For this they were sorely punished.
After awhile Moses died, and Joshua led them into the land of Canaan,
after they had wandered about in the wilderness under Moses for the
space of forty years. The land of Canaan was a good land, flowing with
milk and honey, and if they had been willing to serve the Lord by
obeying his commands they would have found rest and peace. But they
never found either rest or peace, because they were never able to
drive their enemies from the land. They found many enemies in the land
when they entered it, and on account of their disobedience to the Lord
they were unable to rid the land of Canaan of them. This is what is
meant by the verse that next precedes my text: "_For if Joshua had
given them rest, the Lord would not have spoken of another day_."
But as Joshua failed to do this, on account of their disobedience, we
have the words of the text: "_There remaineth therefore a rest unto
the people of God_." But where is that rest? In the beautiful lines
of Montgomery we ask:
"Oh, where shall rest be found?
Rest for the weary soul:
'Twere vain the ocean's depth to sound;
Or pierce to either pole.
This world can never give
The rest for which we sigh."
Where may be found that favored spot in whose delightful shade the
soul may fold her wings and be at rest? I imagine that some of you are
now saying to yourselves, "_This rest is in heaven_." In this you are
right, in one sense. Heaven is a place of rest to those who are
prepared for it. But let me say to you in all candor and love that
_heaven_ is rest only to those who first find rest here in our Lord
Jesus Christ. He is now calling to every sin-burdened sinner: "Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and _I will give you
rest_." The hardened unbeliever could no more be happy in heaven, even
if allowed to enter there, than a fish could be happy out of water.
Heaven is not the sinner's element. Besides, an unconverted sinner can
never get there.
"Those holy gates forever bar
Pollution, sin, and shame;
For none can find admittance there,
But followers of the Lamb."
Rest must first be found in Jesus by coming to him, accepting his
yoke, and working in his service. And to encourage all to do this he
himself says: "_My yoke is easy, and my burden is light_." If you want
to find out how easy his yoke is, and how light his burden, take it
upon you, and see if it does not give your soul rest.
I sincerely believe that Charles Wesley, long ago, gave expression to
feelings similar to those of some in this house, in the lines of a
beautiful hymn, a part of which I will repeat. See if it does not find
an echo in your soul:
"O, that my load of sin were gone!
O, that I could at last submit,
At Jesus' feet to lay it down!
To lay my soul at Jesus' feet!
"Rest for my soul, I long to find:
Savior of all, if mine thou art,
Give me thy meek and lowly mind;
And stamp thine image on my heart.
"Break off the yoke of inbred sin:
And fully set my spirit free:
_I cannot rest till pure within:_
Till I am wholly lost in thee."
You will realize the truthfulness of every one of these lines by
coming to Jesus and fully consecrating your life to him. But rest does
not necessarily imply _inactivity_. It means a heart and mind at
peace. It means a heart filled with love to God and his people. It
means a life of good works, wrought in righteousness, peace and joy in
the Holy Ghost. This is the rest that remaineth unto the people of
God. It begins here; it goes on eternally in the heavens.
THE YELLOW SPRINGS (at present Orkney Springs).
This health and pleasure resort is near the head of Stony Creek, in
Shenandoah County, Virginia. It is now universally known by the name
of "Orkney Springs." It is beautifully situated near the eastern base
of the Church mountain. From the yellow color of the sediment, left by
its chalybeate waters, it first got the name of Yellow Springs.
It was, for many years, a favorite health resort for the German
population of Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia. Almost
every Sunday during the "spring season," there would be preaching
there by the ever earnest German Baptist Brethren. Attentive audiences
would assemble under the shade trees, and on rustic seats listen to
the plain but earnest sermons of such men as John Kline, Peter Nead,
Samuel Wampler and others. All was quiet and order. But the goddess of
fashion soon found her way to this lovely spot, and a long train of
worshipers at her shrine, robed in rustling silks and sparkling with
jewels, followed her leadings. In a few years not only the character,
but the very name of the place was changed. It is at this time a very
popular pleasure resort for the rich and fashionable.
On SUNDAY, August 19, Brother Kline delivered a very interesting and
instructive discourse at the above-named place. It is with profound
emotions of gratitude that I report this sermon. I was there myself
and heard it. Whilst I do not retain in memory much of the substance
of it, being at the time very young, I do well remember the feelings
of veneration and regard for the preacher with which his earnest
manner and kind looks impressed me. Little did I then think that
fifty-five years from that date I would be expanding that discourse,
and thus preparing it for the eyes of the world, from the leaflets of
the Diary that was then being faithfully kept by that good man.
_Sermon by Elder John Kline._
_Preached at Orkney Springs,
Sunday, August 19._
TEXT.--Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life
freely.--Rev. 22:17.
In view of our surroundings and the attractions that have drawn so
many of us to this quiet and beautiful mountain retreat, I feel that
the subject selected for to-day suits the occasion.
When I look at a mountain spring and see the wavelets playing on their
pebbly beds, or chasing one another down their steep descent, I am
ever led to think how free from all the taints of sin these innocent
drops of water are! Not one of them has ever transgressed the divine
law of its being. Not one has ever failed in a single point to fulfill
its mission. Are you thirsty? They never refuse to quench your thirst.
Does your field need rain? They never refuse to wet the ground. Always
ready, they cheerfully serve the behests of God and man.
The diversity of the applications and uses of water, the variety of
its forms--its frozen state in that of ice, its fluid state in that of
a liquid, its aëriform state in that of clouds and other modes of
atmospheric suspension--all these, together with its transparency and
cleansing power make it a most appropriate emblem of DIVINE TRUTH. As
such, water is much spoken of by the prophets in the Old Testament,
and by our Lord in the New. I will here quote some passages from each:
"_Then with gladness shall ye draw waters out of the wells of
salvation._" Isaiah 12:3. What can be meant by the "wells of
salvation," but the _fountains of truth_ in God's Word?
By way of describing the _abundance_ of the supply of truths from this
source I will here quote from the forty-first chapter of Isaiah, as
follows: "_I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the
midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and
the dry land springs of water: ... that they may see, and know, and
consider, and understand_." One man is a _hillside_; another is a
_valley_. One man is a _desert_; you think he never can be made to
produce anything. But he shall be supplied, and thus be made to
blossom as the rose. Others are _dry land_ of a general character; but
there is water enough to make all fruitful: so that instead of the
thorn, the myrtle; and instead of the thistle, the fig; and instead of
the deadly upas, the olive shall grow.
In Jeremiah's description of the departure of the Jews from the TRUTHS
of God's Word we find the following complaint against them from the
mouth of the Lord himself, recorded in Jer. 2:13, "_My people have
committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living
waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water_." This can mean nothing, spiritually, but a departure from the
TRUTH of God as revealed, and substituting in its place some false
doctrine of man's own invention.
Jesus said: "_If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink_." For,
said he: "_My words are spirit, and they are life_." His words are the
water of life. This explains my text.
It might surprise some of you if I were to point to that spring yonder
and say, "There flows the water of life." But would I not tell the
truth? Can man or beast live one moment without it? Let us think a
little. What is your blood? It is water, holding in solution the
various elements with which your bones, and sinews, and muscles, and
nerves, and other tissues of your body are to be supplied and
nourished. Can man or beast live a moment without blood? Then they
cannot live a moment without water. Can trees and plants live a moment
without sap? They cannot, because their sap is their blood. But the
water of that spring, indispensable as it is to your bodily life,
ceases as to its uses in this respect when this end is met; and if man
had no life other than that of mere corporeal or animal existence, no
other water would ever be demanded by him. In that case there would be
no need of the invitation given in the text.
But every human being has a twofold nature. He has a _spiritual_ body
as well as a _natural_ body. Paul says: "If there is a natural body,
there is also a spiritual body." Man's natural or physical
organization consists of _flesh and blood_. Paul calls this the
"_outer man_." This is man's animal or sensuous nature. Man's
spiritual body consists of _will_ and _understanding_. Paul calls this
the _inner man_; because it is the interior, "hidden man of the
heart." This is capable of becoming the higher, nobler, better part of
man, because it is the "house" of his affections and thoughts, of his
loves and enjoyments.
There is a wonderful difference between the two natures; and yet the
one corresponds to the other so perfectly that in all of man's
experiences, in all that pertains to his life in this world, the two
natures make _one man_. Whilst this is so, we must not forget that our
natural bodies are _mortal_; they will soon die. But our spiritual
bodies are _immortal_; they will never die. This is quite as true of
the evil as of the good. The spiritual bodies or souls of men will
live on, after the death of their natural bodies, through the
countless ages of eternity,--the good, in the enjoyments of ineffable
bliss; the evil, in the sufferings of deepest woe.
And is this true? Can it be that one or the other of these experiences
is sure to be realized by every one present here to-day? Can it be so?
Or am I here just beating the air to make you and me hear myself talk?
I solemnly protest that I am not here for that purpose. I have a
higher aim, a nobler end. But let me point you to my authority for
what I say, and show you the Rock on which my faith is built. All the
authority which any man dare claim on this subject is found in God's
revealed Word. I will here quote a few passages:
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him
shall be gathered all the nations; and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.... Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.... Then shall he say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire.... And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment; but the righteous into life eternal."
These words are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ; he here portrays,
in one grand view, the good state of the righteous in the next world
and the evil state of the unrighteous. In the very inmost of my heart
I believe what our Lord here says, and out of the abundance of my
heart my mouth now speaks. I also sincerely believe, friends, that
every one here to-day can most surely determine for himself, even
while living in this world, whether he will be happy in heaven
forever, or miserable in an everlasting hell. You may justly ask,
"How can this be determined?"
I answer that a man's life in this world determines this for every
individual, as surely as the fruit of a tree makes the quality of the
tree known. Notice these passages from Paul's writings: "He that
soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." "To
be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace." "God will reward every man according to his works."
Every intelligent man can know with certainty what kind of seed he is
sowing. Is he sowing the seeds of love and good will to his neighbor,
the seeds of peace, and order, and comfort, the seeds of faith, and
hope, and love? He surely can know what his _will_ is, at least; and
if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted of a man according to
what he hath; and if he does his all it is the widow's mite in God's
eye. Every intelligent man can know with certainty whether he loves
God or loves him not. His readiness to keep his commandments is the
proof of this both ways. I tell you, friends, there is no getting
around this. Your obedience to our Lord is the unquestionable and
undeviating test of your love. "He that loveth me, keepeth my words.
He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." "A good man, out of
the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things: but an
evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth evil
things." Is not this plain?
It may now be asked, "How is an evil man to become good?" No question
of deeper interest can ever be asked. No answer of deeper importance
can ever be given. The Lord direct me in this. Relying on his Word, I
answer, that the very first step in the direction of this change is to
respond to the invitation given in my text: "_Whosoever will, let him
take of the water of life freely_." Jesus says to Nicodemus: "Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." _To be born of water_ is to _drink_ of the water of
_life_--the TRUTH of God's Word--by _hearing it_, by _loving it_, by
_believing it_, by _obeying it_, until it makes a new man out of
him,--a new man in the image of Christ our Lord.
As a most impressive and appropriate emblem of this change water
baptism has been ordained by the Lord; and every convert to Jesus
Christ is commanded to submit, cheerfully in love, to this ordinance.
Baptism, say what you please, is one of the first fruits of this
change. To the church it is the external act of the internal birth. To
be _born of the Spirit_ is to live the life and enjoy the blessedness
of the kingdom of God, which is a life of righteousness, a life of
peace, a life of joy in the Holy Ghost.
All this is effected by taking the water of life freely, by drinking
in the TRUTH of God's Word because one loves it, because one desires
in the heart to be saved, because one desires in the heart to glorify
God and enjoy him forever.
"If any man thirst," says Jesus, "let him come unto me, and drink."
The water of this mineral spring here can do no one any good except he
drink it. But not one of us can go to that spring yonder and take a
drink of water from it without the power of God in us. "In him we
live, and move, and have our being." But he gives us the power so
freely that in the use of it we are unconscious of any power within us
but our own. So with drinking of the _water of life_. The power of
every one to drink is all of the Lord, but is so freely given by him,
and so freely used by us, that it is to all intents and purposes the
very same as if it were all of ourselves: and this makes us
accountable.
Jesus wants every man's will to drink the water of life. A sick man
may come here to regain his health. But upon tasting it he may say, "I
do not like this water; I have no thirst for it; let me have some of
another kind." But his physician says: "You must drink it or you will
die." He obeys his physician and drinks the water. After awhile he
begins to feel better, and as his health improves the water tastes
more natural to him; and by and by, as he regains his health, he loves
it and feels loath to leave the spring. But no one ever need leave the
fountain of divine love and truth: for if a man drink of it freely to
the healing of his soul, it will be in him "a well of water, springing
up into everlasting life" and he will love it more and more.
In a large spring you will hardly ever see all the water come from one
orifice or opening. It boils up through the sand and pebbles in many
places; and one observer will think this the main stream, and another
that. So with the water of eternal life. It is not all found in one
verse; nor in one chapter: nor in one book even. Jesus said to the
devil: "Man liveth _by every word_ that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God."
Ah, friends, time would fail me, were I to attempt to bring to your
minds the many precious promises we have in Jesus Christ. His Word is
full of them; and I most affectionately exhort every one here to-day
to go to that Word and find the water of eternal life.
You may sit by the spring;
And in your soul you may sing:
"I heard the voice of Jesus say:
Behold, I freely give
The Living Water; thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.
"I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream:
My thirst was quenched; my soul revived;
And now I live in him."