Connecticut western news., 1890-10-29
ever so rough groom take the hand of so fair bride?

1hh tlfS Wd1Cd FAttIhD.
 This is the river which parted to let an army of two million Israelites across. Here the skilled major general of the Syrian host at the seventh plunge dropped his leprosy, not only by mirac- ulous cure, but suggesting to all ages that water, and plenty of it, has much to do with the sanitary improvement of the world Here is where some theo- logical students of Elisha's time were cutting trees with which to build a the ological seminary, and an ax head not sufficiently wedged to the handle flew off into the river and sank, and the young man deplored not so much the loss of the ax head as the fact that it was not his own, and cried, 'sAlas! it was borrowed, and the prophet threw a stick into the river, and in defiance of the law of gravitation the iron ax head came to the surface and fioated like a cork upon the water, and kept floating until the young man caught it.
 A miracle performed to give one an opportunity to return that which was borrowed, and rebuke in all ages for those who borrow and never return, their bad habit in this respect so estab- lished that it would be miracle if they did return it. Yea, from the bank of this river Elijah took team of fire, showing that the most raging element is a servant of the good, and that there is no need that child of God fear any thing; for if the most destructive of all elements was that day fashioned into vehicle for departing saint, nothing can ever hurt you who love and trust the Lord.
 lam so glad that that chariot of Eli jah was not made out of wood or crystal or anything ordinarily pleasant, but out of fire, and yet he went up without having so much as to fan himself. When, stepping from amid the foliage of these oleanders and tamarisks on the banks of the Jordan, he put his foot on the red step of the red equip age, and took the red reins of vapor in his hands and spurred the galloping steeds toward the wide open gate of heaven, it was scene forever memor- able.
 So the hottest afflictions of your life may roll you heavenward. So the most burning prosecutions, the most fiery troubles, may become uplifting Only be sure that when you pull on the bits of fire you drive up toward God, and not down toward the Dead sea. When Lati1ner and Ridley died at the stake they went up in a chariot of fire. When my friend P. P. Bliss, the gos- pei singer, was consumed with the rail train that broke through Ashtabula bridge and then took flame, I said, Another Elijah gone up in chariot of f1re!'
 RIVER OF BAPTISMS.
 But this river is a river of baptisms. Christ was here baptized and John bap- tized many thousands Whether on these occasions the candidate for bap- tism and the officer 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 one baptized disap- peared for moment beneath the sur face of the flood, do not now declare While 1 cannot think without deep emotion of the fact that my parents held me in infancy to the baptismal font in the old meeting house at Somer- vile, and assumed VOWS on my behalf, must tell you now of another mode of baptism observed in the river Jordan on that afternoon in last December, the particulars of which I now for the first time relate.
 It was scene of unimaginable so- lemnity. A comrade in our Holy Land journey rode up by my side that day and told me that a young man who was studying for the gospel ministry would like to be baptized by me in the river Jordan. l got all the facts could concerning his earnestness and faith, and through personal examination made myself confident he was worthy candidate. There were among our Arab attendants two robes not unlike those used for American baptistries, and these we obtained As we were to have large group of different nation alities present dictated to my daugh ter few verses, and had copies enough made to allow all to sing. Our drago- man had man familiar with the river wade through and across to show the depth and the swiftness of the stream, and the most appropriate place for the ceremony Then I read from the Bible the accounts of baptisms in that sacred stream, and implored the presence of scended at the Jordan Then, as the candidate and myself stepped into the waters, the people on the banks sang in full and resounding voice:
 1 On Jordan's stormy banks stand, And cast a wishful eye | To Canaan's fair and happy land, l Where my possessions lie.
 | Oh the transporting, rapturous scene l That rises to my sight:
 1 Sweet fields arrayed in living green And rivers of delight
 By this time we had reached the 1 middle of the river. As tho candidate l sank under the floods and rose again 1 under a baptism in the name of the 1 Father, and the Son, and the Holy l Ghost, there rushed through our souls ] tide of holy emotion such as we shall not probably feel again until we ster 1 into the Jordan that divides earth from 1 heaven Will those waters be deeps
 Will those tides be strong?
 No matter if Jesus steps in with us.
 Friends on this shore to help us off.
 Friends on the other shore to see us
 land. See! They are coming down
 the hills on the other side to greet us
 How well we know their step! How 1 easily we distinguish their yoicesl From