The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-10

river; and there are great many men
who have gone down in the river OF
death. The Atlantic and Pacific have
not swallowed 80 many. It is an awful
thing to make shipwreck. on the rock
of ruin. Masts falling, hulks splitting,
death coming, groaning in the water,
moaning in the wind, thunder IN the
sky; while God, with finger Of lightning,
writes over all the scene: II will tread
them in my wrath, and l will trample
them in my fury" The Christian ap-
proaches this raging torrent; and as he
nears it, his breath gets shorter, and his
last breath leaves him as he steps into
the stream; but no sooner has he touched
the stream than it parts, and he goes
through dry shod, while all the waters
wave their plumes and cry: o, death,
where is thy stingP Q, grave, where IS
thy viCtoryw "God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be
no more weeping" There shall be no
more sea, and no more death. When |
see the Israelites getting through Jor.
dan and getting up the banks, and all
their flocks and herds following them,
and the suggestion comes through my
mind that, perhars, after all, the best
part of the brute creation may have
chance in the future. You say, "Har'
monize with that theory the passage,
the spirit of the brute goes downward"
can harmoDze these two things much
easier, thal l can harmonize 1t with the
i'll treatment the poor brutes receive
here. l do not know but that in the
clear atmosphere of that other country
there may be bird heaven. / do not
know but on those fair banks there may
be lily heaven. When l see Christ.
ian abusing his horse, my common sense
of Justice tells me that horse ought to
have better time in the future than his
driver. If really the jaded and abused
cab and omnibus horses OF our cities
have any better country to go to when
they die, do not know it; if they have,
l should like to see them when, their
CALLED neCks cured, and their foundered
knees Strengthened, and their coughing
distempers healed-theY shall range in
the celestial pasturage forever. do not
say it is 30, but should not be offended
if it we're 30. There is one thing certain
and that is, we have right to expect
our families to 90 with us. Some of your
children have already gone up on the
other bank. You let them down on this
side Of the bank; they will be on the op.
posite bank to help you up with super
natural strength. The other morning,
seated at the table with my family, |
thought to myself how pleasant it would
be if I could put them in boat and get
in with them and we could pull across
the river to the next world, and be there
altogether. No family partings. No
gloomy obseuuies. Would it not be pleas
ant if you could take all your family to
that blessed country l remember my
mother, in her dying hour, said to my
father: "Father, wouldn't it be pleasant
if we could all 20 there togetherP"
But we can not all 60 together. We
must 90 one by one. What a heaven 1t
will be if we have ali our families there
To look around and see that all your
children are present. Rather have them
all there and you go with bare brow for
ever than one of them missing and all
the garlands Of heaven for your corona.
Every Christian will 90 over dry.shod.
Those Of us who were brought up in the
country rem ember when the summer
was coming on in our boyhood days, we
always loDged for the day when we
could 90 bare-footed and, after teasing
our mothers in regard to 1t a good while,
and she having consented, we remember
now the delicious sensation of the cool
grass and the soft dust of the road when
we put our uncovered foot down. And
the time will come when these shoes we
wear NOVELIST we be cut by the sharp
places of this world-shall be taken off
and, with unssndled foot, we will step
into the bed of the river. With feet un
trammeled from pain and fatigue we will
begin that last journey. When, with one
foot in the bed of the river and the other
foot on the other bank we spring up-
ward, that will be Heaven. pray for
all my dear people safe passage. That's
what the dying Christian husband felt
when he said: "How the candle flick
ers, Nellyl Put it out. I shall sleep
we'll to. night and wake in the morning"
One word of comfort from this subject
for all the bereft. You see our departed
friends have not been submerged, they
have not been swamped in the waters
they have only crossed over. These
Isrselites were as thoroughly alive on the
eastern bank of the Jordan as they had
been on the western bank Of the Jordan,
and our departed Christian friends have
only crossed over. They are not sick,
not dead, not exhausted, not extinguish
ed, not blotted out, but with healthier
respiration and stouter pulsation, and
keeRer sight and better prospect, crossed
over-their sins, their physical and men.
tai dlsquietude, all left on this side. I'm
psssable obstacles between them and all
human and Satanic pursuits crossed over.
/ shake hands of Congratulation with all
the bereft in the consideration that their
departed Christian friends are safe. Why
was there 80 much Joy in certain circles
of New York some years agoP 1t was
because they had heard from their
friends who we're on board the City Of
Brussels. It was thought that vessel had
gone to the bottom of the sea; and when
the friends on this side heard that their
friends had arrived safely in Liverpool
was it not right to congratulate the peo-
pie of New York that their friends had
got safely aCross2 And is it not right
this morning that ! Congratu ate you
that your departed friends are safe on the
shore of hesven2 Would you have
them back again2 Would you have
those old parents back againP You get
their breath in the sitting atmosphere Of
the summer. Would you have them
back nowP Did they not have their
burden long enough2 Would You have
your children back again ? Would you
have them take the risks and the tempta
tions which threaten every human path
way Would you have them cross Jor-
dan three times-in addition to the
crossing already, crossing again to greet
you now, and then crossing back after
awhile7 Certainly you would not want
to keep them forever out Of heaven.
Pause now and weep, not for the freed from
But that the sigh Of love would bring them back
again."
ask a question, and there seems to
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