The Iola register., 1890-11-07

Mississippi is wider, the Ohio is deeper,
the Amazon is longer. the Hudson rolls
amid regions more picturesque the
Thames has more splendor on its banks,
the TIber suggests more imperial pre-
cession, the Ilyssus has more classic
memories, and the Nile feeds greater
populations by its irrigations; but the
Jordan is the queen of rivers and runs
through all the B BILE, a silver thread
strung like beads with heroics, and be-
fore night we shall meet on its banks
Elijah, and Elisha, and David, and Ja-
cob, and Joshua, and John, and Jesus
At last, between two trees / got
glimpse of river, and said: what is
that?" "The Jordan" was the quick
reply. And all along the line. which
had been heightened by other pilgrims,
some from America, some from Europe
and some from Asia, the cry was sound
ed: THE Jordan! The Jordan" Hun
dreds of thousands of pilgrims have
chanted on it's banks and bathed in its
waters. Many of them dip gown in
the wave, and wiring it out and carry it
home for their own shroud. 1t is an i'm
petuous stream and rushes on as though
it were Fastening to tell it's story to the
ages Many an explorer has it whelmed,
and many a boat has it wrecked. Lieu
tenant Molineux had copper-bottomed
crafts split upon its shelvings Only
one boat that of Lieutenant Lynch,
ever lived to sail the whole length of it
At the season when the SHOWS on Leb-
anon melt the rage of this stream is
like the Conemaugh when Johnstown
perished, and the wild beasts that may
be near run for the hills, explaining
what jeremiah says: Behold, he shall
60 up like lion from the swelling 81
Jordan" No river so otter changes its
mind, for it turns and twists, travelling
200 miles to do that which in straight |
line might be done in sixty miles.
This is the river which parted to let
an army of 100000 Israelites across.
Here the skilled Major General of the
Syrian hosts at the seventh plung drop
his leprosy, not only by miraculous cure,
but suggesting to all ages that water
and plenty of it has much to do with |
the sanitary improvement of the world.
Yea; from the bank of this river |
Elijah took team of fire, showing that |
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 trust in the Lord. l 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 as to fan himself When,
stepping from amid the foliage of these |
o!eanders and tamerisks 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 steeds toward the |
wide open gate Of Heaven, it was
scene forever memorable. So the hot |
test Affections of your life may roll you
heavenward. So the most burning per-
secutions, the most fiery trouble may be-
come 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 Latimer
and Ridley died at the stake they went
up in a chariot of fire. When my
friend, P. p. Bliss, the Gospel singer,
was consumed with the rail train that |
broke through Astabula bridge and then
took flame, l said: Another Elijah |
gone up in chariot of firer'
But this river of baptisms. Christ
was here baptized and John baptized
many thousands. Whether on these
occasions the candidate for baptism and
the officer of religion went into this
river, and then while both were stand
ing 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 a
beneath the surface of the
flood, l do not now declare. While j
can not think without deep emotion Of
the fact that my parents held me in in
fancy to the baptismal fount in the old
house at Somerville, and as
sumed vows on my behalf, l must tell
you now of another mode of baptism,
in the river Jordan on that
afternoon in last December. the partic-
ulars of whick 1 now for the first time
relate.
1t was scene of unimaginable SOL
emnity. A comrade 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 1 could
his earnestness and faith,
and through personal examination made
myself confident he was q worthy candi-
late. There were among our Arab at
tendants two robes not unlike those
used for American baptisteries, and
these we obtained. As we were to have
/ large group of different nationalities
present dictated to my daughter few
verses, and had copies enough made
10 allow all to sing. Our dragoman
had man familiar with the river
wade through and across to show
,he depth and the swiftness of
he stream, and the most appro-
pirate place for the ceremony. Then
,ead from the Bible the accounts of
oaptisms in that sacred stream, and i'm
,lored the presence of the Christ on /:
whose head the dove descended at the s
Jordan. Then, as the candidate and
myself stepped into the waters, the peo- {
ole on the banks sang in full and re-
voice:
On Jordan's stormy banks stand,
And cast wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie.
o, the transporting, rapturous scene
That rises to my sight;
Sweet fields array ed in living green,
And rivers Of delight