The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-10
miscellaneous.
REV. 7. DEWITT TALMAGE.
OBSTACLES, WHEN TOUCHED BY
THE ROD OF FAITH,
Become Mere VApOr, and are BAniShed by
the Slightest Breath---MOses, with His
Hosts, Crossed the Red Sea- aS WASH
ingtOn Did the Delaware, and &er.
xes the HellespOnt.
suBJEcr-D1FEoUITIEs CONQUERED.

I6XJ-JObD, O.lO-lE anu no thoy GhaU
bare the ark were come to Jordan, and
the feet of the priests that bare the ark
were dipped in the water, that the wa.
ters which came down from above stood
and rose up on a heap, and all the Is
raelites passed over on dry land, until
all the people passed clean over Jordan"
Washington crossed the Delaware
when crossing was pronounced impossi'
BILE, but he did it. Xerxes crossed the
Hsllespont, but he did it by bridge. The
Israelites crossed the Red Sea. This
crossing of the text offers from all 9TH
ere. There was no sacrifice of human
life. The vanguard of the host, consist
ing of priests, advanced until their feet
touched the river, when the waters rolled
back, and the river bed became dry. On
20 the great army of Israelites, the chill
dren, wives, the flock and herds follow
ing them. The people look up at the
crystal wall of Jericho as they pass, and
think what an awful disaster would be.
fall them, if, before they got to the OPP
posite bank, that wall should fall upon
them. Quick now Get them all upon
the bank-wives, children, herds and let
this wonderful crossing Of the Jordan be
completed forever.
Seated this morning on the shelving
Of limestone, look off upon that Jordan
where Joshua crossed under triumphal
arch of rainbow woven out of the spray;
the river where Christ was baptized; the
river illustrious in history for heroic de-
liveranCe, and typical of scenes yet to
transpire in your life and mine.
Standing on the scenes Of that river, l
learn for myself and for you First, that
obstacles, when they are touched, van
ish. The text says the priests did not
wade in chin deep, or waist deep, but as
soon as their feet touched the water, it
vanished. It makes me think that almost
all the obstacles of life need only be ap-
preached in order to be conquered. Diff
fculties touched, vanish; lis the trouble,
the obstacle in the distance that seems
30 huge and tremendous. The Apostle
Paul said to the PHILIPPIANS, Beware of
Dogs" and John seems to shut the gate
OF heaven against the canine species
when he says: Without are dogs" But
have been told when these animals are
furious, and come at you, If you will
keep your eye on them, and advance on
them, they will retreat. So most of the
trials of life that hound your steps, if you
can only get your eye upon them, and
advance upon them, crying, "Begone"
they will stink and cover. There is a
beautiful tradition among the American
Indians that Narration was travelling in
the invisible world, and one day he came
to a barrier Of bramhles and sharp
thorns which forbade him going on, but
as he determined to go on, the brambles
were found to be only phantoms. Well,
my friends, the fact is many things that
cross our pathway are only phantoms,
only the delusions, of life. Difficulties
touched are conquered. Put your feet
into the brim of the water and Jordan
retreats. You sometimes see a great
duty to perform; it is very disagreeable
duty. You say II can't do it; l haven't
got the courage" Advance upon it and
Jordan will fly, always sigh before l
begin to preach at the greatness of the
undertaking; but, as soo1 as l start, it
becomes an exhilaration; and my duty
undertaken with. a confident spirit be-
comes a pleasure, and the higher the
duty the higher the pleasure, Difficult.
ties touched are conquered. Jordans
advanced upon, vanish. There are many
people who are afraid of death in the fu-
ture. John Livingstone, once on sloop
coming from Elizabethport to New York,
was dresdfully frightened because he
thought he would be drowned, a sudden
gust coming up. People were surprised
at him. If there was any man in all the
world ready to die, it was good John
Livingstone. So there are great many
good people nov who sh1dder in pass.
ing graveyard, and they hardly dare
think of Canaan because of the Jordan
than intervenes; but once they are down
on a siCkbed, all their fears are gone.
The waters of death dsshing on the
beach, sound like the mellow song of
ocean shells. The departing ones smell
the blossoms of the tree of life. The
music of heavenly castles comes stealing
over the water, Crossing now is only
pleasant sail Christ, the Priest, advan-
Ces ahead, and the dying Christian goes
over dry shod,
Again: this crossing teaches me the
completeness of everything God does.
When God put an invisible dam across
the Jordan and it halted, it would have
been natural, you would suppose, for the
waters to overflow the region round
about, 30 that great devastation would
have taken place. But when God put
dam in front of the river, he put dam
on either side OF the river; 30, according
to the text, the waters halted and reared
BLU pJOOu tuOIOJ hOboNOiAOWAbHb buo buI-
rounding country. One would have sup
posed'i the water of Jordan had drop.
ped until it was only two or three feet
deep, the Israelites might have marched
through and come upon the other bank
with soaked and saturated clothes, as
men come ashore from shipwreck. But
God does something better than that.
One would have supposed, had the wa
ter been drawn from the Jordan, there
would have been q bed of mud and sedi-
ment through which to pass. Yet here,
Immediately, God prepares path thro'
the depths Of the Jordan, It is 81 dry
the passengers do not even get their feet
damp. Does he make q universe, il is o
perfect clock running ever since it wRsl
wound up; fxedastars the pivotsj constel.
latioHig the intervening wheels, and pom
defous laws the weights ana mighty pen!'
dulum: the stars ia the great dome Btrfk9
ing midnight, and the sun With bfazeD
Al : H0lVf.i I