Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-27

Wnlcn they put their smotnering wing: JIM
peii, HerculaDeum, Stabi8. Adma, Zeooim,
Sodom and Gomorrah. 49,
A DAY OF RETRIBUTIoN.
If our American cities do not quit their prof
ligacy, if in high life and low life dissoluteuess
does not cease to be joke and become crime,
If wealthy libertinism continues Co find so many
doors of domestic life open to its faintest
touch, if Russian, and French, and American
literature, stepped In pruriency, does not get
banished from the news stands and ladies' par
lors, God will let loose some of these suppressed
monsteSs of the earth. And i tell these Amerl-
can cities that il will be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment
whether that Day of Judgment be in this pres
ent century or in the closing century of the
earth's continuance. The volcanic forces are
already in existence, but in the mercy of God
they are chained in the kennels of subterra-
neous fire. Yet let proflisacy whether 1t stag.
ger into lazaretto or sit on commercial
throne, whether it laugh in a faded shawl un-
der the street gasight or be wrapped in the
finest array that foreign loom ever wrought OF
lapidary ever empearled, know right well that
there is a volcano waiting for il, whether in do
nestle life, or social life, or political life, or In
the foundations of the earth from which
sprang out the devastatiors that swallowed the
cities of the plain. He toucheth the hills and
they smoke"
At last between two trees l got a glimpse of
a river and said, what is thatr' "The Jor-
dan" was the quick reply. Anu all along the
grim, some from America. and some from
Europe, and some from ASA. the cry was
sounded THE Jordani The Jordan" Hun
dreus of thousands of pilgrims have chanted
on its banks and bathed in its waters. Many of
them dip a wet gown in the wave and wiring 1t
out and carry it home for their own shroud. 1t
is an impe; uous 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. Lieutenant
Molineux had copper-bottemed crafts split
IFS sl,al- nj
Lieutenant 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
the Conemaugh wnen Johnstown prrlshed, and
the wild beasts that may be near run for the
hills, explaining what Jeremiah says: ''Be-
hold he shall go up like lion from the swell
ing of Jordan" No river so often changes its
mind. for 1t turns and twists, travelling 200
miles to do that which in straight line might
be done in 60 miles. Among banks now low.
now high. now of rocks, now Of mud. now of
sand, having the feet of the terebinths and
oleanSers, and acacias, and reeds, and
pistachios, and silver poplars. This river
marries the Dead Sea TO Lake Galilee, and did
ever so rough groom take the hand of SO fair
a bride?
RIVER WITH A HISTORY.
This is the river which parted to let an army
of 100000 Israelites across. Here the skilled
Major General of the Syrian host at the seventh
plunge dropped his leprosy, not only by
Nfrf3O
that water. and plenty of it. has much to do
with the sanitary improvement of the world.
Here is where some theological students of
Elisha's time were cutting trees with which to
build theological seminary, and an ak head
not sufficiently wedged to the handle, flew off
into the river and sank. and the young man de-
plored not so much the loss of the ak head. as
the fact that 1t 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 grayt3tion, the iron aX-head came
20 the surface and fOated like cork upon the
water, and kept floating until the youEg man
caught it. A miracle performed 20 give one an
opportunity to return that which was borrower
and rebuke in all ages for those who borrow
ard never return, their bad habit in this re-
spect so established that it would be miracle
it they did return it. Yea, from the bank of
this river Elijah took team of fire, showing that
the most raging element is servanS of the good.
and that there is no need that child of God
fear anything; for. If the most destructive of
all elements was that day fashioned into We;
hicle for departing saint, nothing can ever
hurt you who love and trust the Lord
i am so glad that that chariot of Elijah was
not made out of wood, or crystal or anything
ordinarily pleasant, but out of fire. and yet he
went uD without having so much as 10 fan
himseli. 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 eQuipage, and took the red
reins of vapor in his hands. and spurred the
galloping sJeeds toward the wide open gate TO
heaven. il was "a scene forever memorable. So
the hottest Affections of your life may roll you
heaTenward. Only be sure that when you pull Z
on the bits of fire, you drive up toward God,
and not down toward the Dead Sea. When
Latimer and Ridley died at the stake, they
went up in a charioF of fire. When my friend
P. P. Bliss, the gospel singer, was consumed
with the rail train that broke through Ashta-
bula bridge. and then took flame, said
Another Elijah gone up In chariot OF hrep'
ANOTHER BAPTISM.
&c r,var IF bonr;e,,e f,t-;a4
was here baptized and John baptized many
thousands. Whether on these occasions the
candidate for baptism and the officer of re-
hgion 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 I do no: now declare.
While 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
Somervile. 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 l
now for the first time relate.
1t was a scene of unimacinable solemnity A
comrade in our Holy Land journey rode up by
my side that day. and told me that a young
man, who is now studying for the gospel minis
try would like to be baptized by me in the
River Jordan. got all the facts could con-
corning his earnestness and faith. and through
personal examination, made myself confident
he was a worthy candidate. There were among
our Arab attendants two robes not unlike
those used for American tapestries and these
we obtained. As we were TO have a large group
of different nationalities present / dictated to
my daughter few verses. and had copies
enough made to allow all TO sing. Our dragoman
had man, familiar with the river, wade through
and across to show the depth and the swifuness
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.