Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-11-01

SOhbACnI e1itQ III al taLlbuueS. udt e1ftQ-
quake which shook all America about six or
seven summers ago was only the raving
around o. volcanoes rushing against the
sides OF their rocky caverDs trying to break
QUE They must come to the surface, but it
will be at the divine call. They seem re-
served for the punishment OF one kind of sin.
The seven cities they have obliterated were
celebrated Tor one xInd or transgression.
Frodigacy was the chief characteristic OF the
seven cities over which they put their snioth-
ering wing: Ponpsii, Herculaneum, Stabi9,
Adma, Zshoim, Sodom and Gomorrah
If our American cities do not quit their
prohigacy, if in high life and low life disso-
luteness does not ceass to be joke and be-
come crime if wealthy hbertinism con-
tinues to find so many doors of domestic life
open to its faint9st toucl, il Russian and
French and American literature stepped in
pruriency does not get banished from this
news stands an ladies' pariors, God will let
loose some of these suppressed monsters o.
the earth. An tell these American cities
that it will be more tolerable for Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of u1gment,
whether that day of judgment be in this
present century or in the closing century
of tle eartn's continuance. The volcanic
forces are already in existence, but in the
mercy of God they are chained in the ken
nels OF subJarraaeous fire. Yet let proAi-
gacy, whether it stagger into a lazaretto or
sit on a commercial throne, whether it laugh
in a faded shawl under the street gas light or
be wrapped in the finest array that foreign
loom ever wrought or lapidary ever i'm
psarled, know right W IL that there is vol
cano waiting for it, whether in domestic life
Or social life or political life or in the founda-
tions of the earth from watch sprang out the
devastations that swallowed the cities of the
D ain. ale toucheth the hills and they
smoxen
But the dragoman was rejoice1 when We
had seen enough OF this volcanic region of
Palestine. and he giadly tightens the girths
for another march around the horses
which are p:ancns and nsighing for de-
parture We are OF for the Jordon, only
two hours away. We pass Bedouins whose
starn features melt into a smile as we give
them the salutation Salaam Aleikoum.
''Peace be with YOU" their smile sometimes
leaving us in doubt as to whether it is
caused by their gladness to see us or by our
poor pronunciation of the Arabic. On,
they are strange race, those Bedoulns.
Such a commingling of ruffanism and
honor, of cowardice and courage, of cruelty
and kindnessl When a band of them came
down upon party in which Miss Whateiy
was travelling, AMI were about TO take
pocketbooks and perhaps life, this lady, sit
ting upon her horse took out her notebook
and pencil and began to sketch these brig
ands, and seeing this composure the bandits
thought it something supernatural and ned:
Christian womanlness or manliness is all
conquering. When Martin Luther was told
that Duke George would kill him if he went
to Leipsic, Luther replied: Il would go to
Laipsic if it rained Duke Georges nine days
Now we come through regions where there
are hills cut into the shape of cathedrals,
with altar and column and arch and chancel
and pulpit and dome and architecture OF the
rocks that l think can hardly just happen 50.
Perhaps it is because God loves the church so
well, he builds in the solitudes OF Yellow.
stone park and Yosemite and Switzerland
and Palestine these ecclesiastical piles. And
who knows but that unseen spirits may
sometimes worship there? "Dragoman, when
shall we see the Jordan~ I ask. All the
time we were on the alert and looking
rough tamarisk and willows for the
greatest river of all the earth The Mlssls-
slppi is wider, the Ohio is deeper, the ANA,
zon is longer, the Hudson rolls amid regions
more picturesque, the Thames has mora
splendor on its banks, the Tiber suggests
more imperial procession. the Ilyssus has
more classic memories, and the Nile feeds
greater populations by its irrigation, but the
Jordan is the queen of rivers, and rune
through all the Bible, silver thread strung
like beads with heroics, and before night We
shall meet on its banks Ellie and Elisha
and David and Jacob and Joshua and John
and Jesus.
At last between two treesI got glimpse
of a river and said, 'What is that?" 1.-The
Jordan" was the quick reply And all along
the line which had been heightened by other
pilgrims, some from America, and some from
Europe, and some from Asia, the cry was
sounded "rhe Jordan? The JordanF' Hun
dreds of thousands of pilgrims have chanted
onits banks and bathed Units waters Many
of them dip wet gown in the waves and
ypripu il M anil paf it bOmp for THAR
shroud. 1t is an mpetuous stream and
rushes on as though it were fastening to tell
its story to the res. Many an explorer has
it whelmed and many a boat has it wrecked.
Lieut.. Moloneaux had copper bottomed
crafts split upon its shelvings. Only one
boat that of Lieut.. Lynch, ever lived to
sail the whole length Of it. At the season
when the SHOWS on Lebanon melt the rage
OF this stream is like Conemaugh when
Johustown persisted, and the wild beasts
that may be near run for the hills, explaining
what Jeremiah says, Behold he shall go up
like lion from the swelling of Jordan. u
No river so often changes its mind, for il
turns and twists, travelling two hundred
miles to do that which in a straight line
might be dcne in sixty miles. Among banks
no" low, now high. now on rocks. now OF
sand, LAYING the feet OF the tereainths an
oleanders and acacias and reeds and MS.
tacnios and silver poplars. 1Lss river mar
rles the Dead Sea 10 Lake Gallilaa, and did
ever 50 rough groom take the hand of SO
fair q bride?
This is the river which parted II LET an
army of two million Israeites across. Here
the skilled major general of the Assyrian
host AT the seventh plunge dropped his len
rosy not only by miraculous cure, hut 81 ?
costing TO all ages that water, and plenty
OF II, has much to do with the sanitary I'M.
prcyement of the word. Here is where
some theological students of Elisha's time
were cutting trees with which to build a
theological seminary, and an axe head. not
sufficiently wedged to the handle, few OF
into the river and sank, and tho Young
man deplored not 50 much the loss Of t Q
axe head as the fact that it was not his OWE.
and cried, Alas! il was borrowed anil
the prophet threw stick into the river and
IN defiance OF the law OF g.avitation the iron
axe head came to the surface aad fcated
like cork upon the water, and kept boat
ing until the young man caught It. A mir
ecle performed TO give one an opportunity
TO return that which was borrowed. aud a
rebuke In all ages for those wac borrow and
never return, their bad habit in this respect
s7establishei that it would be a miracle IL
they did return It. Yea, from the banS of
this river Elijah TOOK team Of fire. showing
that the most raging element is servant OF the
good, and that there is no Aeel that a CHILD
of God fear anything. for if the most de-
strucilve of all elements was that day fash
Toned into vehicle for e departing saint,
nothing can ever hurt YOU who love and trust
the Lord.
am SO glad that that chariot OF Elijah
was not made out of wood or crystal or any,
thing ordinarily pleasant but out OF fire. and
yet he went up without having SO much az
to fan himself. When ;. oping from amid
the foliage OF these oieanders aad tamarisss
on the banks Of the Jordan. he put his foot
on the red step of the red equipage and took
the red reius of vapor in his hands aud
spurred the galloping steeds toward the wide
open gate OF heaven, 1t was a scene forever
memorable So the hottest Affections OF
your life may roll you heavenwari, So the
most burning prosecutions. the most fiery
troubles, may become uplifting Only be
sure that when you pull on the bits of fra
you drive up toward God and not down to-
ward the Dead Sea. When Latiner and Rid
lev died at the stake they went M in a
chariot of fire. When my friend P. P. Bliss,
the Gospel singer, was consumed with the
rail train than broke through Ashtabula
bridge and than took fame, l said Another
Elijah gone up in a chariot of fire.
Bat this river is river of baptisms.
Christ was here baptized ard John baptized
many thousands. Whether on these oeca-
sions the candidate for baptism and the Of
I iesr of religion went into this river. and
| then while both were standing the water was
dipped in the hand Of one and sprinkled upon
| the forehead of the other, or whether the
| entire form of the Que baptized disappeared
/ for a moment beneath the surface of the
I food, do not now declare. While cannot
/ think without deep emotion of the fact that
my parents held me in infancy TO the bap-
tisnal font in the old nesting house at Som
erville and assumed VOWS on my behalf, I
| must tell you now of another mode of bap-