The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-07-07

that some of his dear children have
been delivered. How was 1t that Paul
could say: "SOrrOwful, yet always re-
jOicing; poor, yet making many rich;
having nothing, yet possessing all
thingsp" And David, the psalmist, scars
up into the rock of Gods strength, and
becomes thoroughly composed amid all
his SORROWS, saying: "GOd i5 our refuge
and strength, a very present help in the
time Of trouble; therefore will not we
fear, though the earth be removed,
though the mountains be cast In the
midst Of the sea, though the waters
thereof roar and be troubled, though
the mountains shake with the swelling
thereof. Selah."
But my text suggests something In
advance Of anything have said. We
must all quit this life. However sound
however good our title may be to houses,
land, and estate, we must surrender
them. We will hear voice bidding us
away from all these places. We will
have to start on q pilgrimage from
which we can never come back. We
will have seen for the last time the
evening star, and watched the last sum-
mer cloud, and felt the breath of the
spring wind for the last time. Hands
hold us back, but they cannOt-go we
must. About all other exits and changes
we may trifle, but not about this stu
pendOus moment of life-quitting. Oh,
when the great tides of eternity arise
about US and fill the soul, and
surround 1t, and sweep 1t out toward
rapture or wOe-ah, that will be 'the
swelling Of Jordanp know people
sometimes talk very merrily about the
departure from this life.. l am sorry to
hear 1t. But men do make fun of the
passage from one world to another.
Byron jOked great deal about 1t, but
when 1t came he shiVered with horror.
Many an infidel has scOffed at the idea
of fearing a future world, but lying
upon his pillow In the last hour his
teeth have chartered with terror. saw,
one summer, in Westminster Abbey, an
epitaph which poet ordered TO be put
upon his tomb:
Life Is Jest,
And ali things showIt
thought so once,
But now know It"
/ thought how inapt that in place of
sepulture men should try their witt
cisms. great German, having reject
ed Christ, in his last moment, said:
"GiVe me light give me lightl. Oh, we
may be smart with our witticisms about
the last hour, but when 1t comes and the
tides are rising, and the surf is beating;
and the winds are bowling, we will
each one, my brethren, find for himself
that 1t Is 1.-The swelling Of the Jordan"
Our natural courage won't hold us out
then. However familiar we may have
been with scenes of mortality, however
much we may have screwed our courage
up, we want something more than ma
tural resources. When the northeast
wind blows off from the sea Of death, 1t
will put out all earthly lights. The lamp
of the Gospel, GOd-lighted, Is the only
lamp that can stand in that blast. The
weakest arm holding that snail not be
cOnfOunded; the strongest one neglect
ing that shall stumble and die. When
the Jordan rises In its wrath the first
dash of its wave swamp them forever.
We see how sad 1t Is for man to at
tempt this life without religion. We
see what dOleful thing 1t Is for man
to 90 down into the misfOrtunes of life
without Christian sOlace; but If that be
so, how much more terrible when that
man comes face to face with the solemn
tiles of the last hour. Oh, If in the
bright sunshine of health and prosper
ity man felt the need Of something
better, how will he feel when the
shadows of the last hour gather above
his pillOwp If In the warmths of world
ly prosperity he was sometimes dismay-
ed, how will he feel when the last chill
comes over him2 If while things were
comparatively smooth he was disgusted,
what will he do in the agOnies of dissO-
lutlOnp "If in the land Of peace in
which he trusted they wearied him,
what will he do amid the swelling of
JOrdanp" Oh, rejoice to know that so
through that pass without a shudder.
Some one said to q dying Christian:
isn't 1t hard for you to get out of this
wOrld?" "0h, no." he says, 'it is easy
dying, 1t Is blessed dying, 1t is glorious
dying" and then he pointed to a clock
on the wall and he said: "The last two
hours In which L have been dying l
have had more joy than all the years of
my life" General Fisk came into the
hospital after the battle and there were
many seriously wounded, and there was
one man dying, and the General said:
ooh, my dear fellow, you seem very
much wounded. 1 am afraid you are
not going to get WELL" mo-" said the
soldier, 81 am not going to get well, but
l feel very happy" And then he looked
up into the Generals face and said: T
am going to the fr0ntP Oh, have
seen them, and 80 have you, go out of
this life without tear on their cheek.
There was weeping all around the room
were dry. They were not thrown
down into darkness; they were lifted up.
We saw the tides rising around them,
and the swelling of the wave. 1t wash
ed them off from the cares and tolls of
life; IL washed them on toward the beach
of heaven. They waved to us farewell
kiss as they stood on deck and flOated
down further and further, waited by
gales from heaven, until they were lost
to our sight-mOrtality having become
Immortality.
"Iife's duty done, sinks tho clay
Light from Its load the spirit flies;
While heaven and earth combine 70 say,
How blest the righteous when he dies"
But there Is one step still in advance
suggested by this subject. If this relig-
ion Of Christ Is so important in life and
| in the hours of life, how much more i'm
pOrtant it will be in the great eternity.
/ need not stand here and argue it.
There is something within your soul
/ that nOW aava whila I anaak. gGI q m