Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-11-21

more picturesque, the Thames has more
splendor on its banks the Tiber suggests
more imperial procession, the uyssus has
more classic memories, and the Nile feeds
greater populations by its irrigation, but the
Jordan is the queen of rivers, and runs
through all the Bible. silver thread strung
like beads with heroics, and before night We
shall meet on its banks Ethan and Elisha
and David and Jacob and Joshua and John
and Jesus.
At last between two trees got glimpse
of a river and said What is that" The
Jordan, p" 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 The Jordan? The Jordanm Hun
dreds of thouse IDS If pilgrims have chantad
on its banks and bathed in its waters Many
of them dip wet gown in the waves and
wiring it out and carry it home for their own
shroud. 1t is an iInpetuous stream and
rushes on as though it were fastening to tell
its story to the ages. Many an explorer has
it whelmed and many boat has 1t 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
Johnstown persisted, and the wild beasts
that may be near run for the hills explaining
what Jeremiah says, behold, he shall go up
No river so often changes its mind for 1T
turns and twists travelling two hundred
miles to do that which IN a straight ma
might be done in sixty miles. Among banks
now low, now high, now on rocks, now OF
sand, having the feet Of the terebinths and
oIeanders and acaciaS and reeds and pis-
tachios and silver popiars. This river mar
ries the Dead Sea to Lake Gallilee, and did
ever so rough a groom take the hand OF so
fair bridel
This is the river which parted to let an
army Of two million Israelites across. Here
the skilled major general OF the Assyrlan
host at the seventh plunge dropped his Iep-
rosy not only by miraculous cure, but sug-
costing to all ages that water, and plenty
of it, has much to do with the sanitary I'M
provement of the world. Here is where
some theological students of Elisha's time
were cutting trees with which to build
theological seminary, and an axe 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
axe head as the fact that it was not his own,
and cried, ALAS! it was borrowed" and
the prophet threw stick into the river, and
in defiance of the law of gravitation the iron
axe head came to the surface and flOated
like cork upon the water, and kept float
ing until the young man caught 1t. A mir
acle performed to give one an opportunity
to return that which was borrowed, and a
rebuke in all ages for those who borrow and
never return, their bad habit in this respect
so established that it would be miracle 1t
they did return it. Yea, from the bank of
this river Elijah took team Of fire, showing
that the most raging element is servant of the
good, and that there is no need that a child
Of God fear anything, for if the most de-
structive Of all elements was that day fash
toned into vehicle for a departing saint,
nothing can ever hurt you who love and trust
the Lord.
am so glad that that chariot of Elijah
do O1ItO Of orr 1.UG ta1 or
thing 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 tamarlsks
on the banks of the Jordan. he put his foot
on the red step of tn. red equipage 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
memorable. So the hottest Affections 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 TO-
ward the Dead Sea- When Latimer and Rid
ley died at the stake they went up in
chariot Of fire. When my friend P. P Bliss,
the Gospel singer, was consumed with the
rail train than broke through Ashtabula
bridge and then took flame, said, Another
Elijah gone up in chariot of hreF
But this river is a river Of baptlsms.
MANY thousands. Whether on these occa-
sions the candidate for baptism and the OF
hcer 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 disappeared
for moment beneath the surface of the
food do not now declare. While cannot
think without deep emotion of the fact that
my parents held me in infancy to the bap-
tismal font in the old meeting house at Som
erville and assumed VOWS on my behalf, I
must tell you now of another mode of bap-
tism observed in the river Jordan on that
afternoon in last December, the particulars
of which I now for the first time relate
1t was scene of unimaginable sOlemnitY.
A cOnlrade in our Holy Land Journey rode
up by my side that day and told me that
young man who is now studying for the
Gospel ministry would like to be baptized by
me IN the river Jordan. got all the facts
could concerning his earnestness and faith.
and through personal examination made my
self confident he was a worthy candidate.
There were among our Arab attendants two
robes not unlike those used for American
baptistries, and these were obtained AS
we were to have a large group of different
daughter a few verses and had copies
enough made to allow all to sing.
Our dragoman had a 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 [ read from the Bible
the accounts of baptisms in that sacred
stream, and implored the presence of the
Christ on whose head the dove descended
at the Jordan. Then as the candidate and
myself stepped into the waters the people
on the banks sang in full and resembling