The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-24

OF Got fear anything. Tor H. the most de-
struetive of all elements was that day fash
Toned into a vehicle for a departing saint,
nothing can ever hurt you who love and trust
the Lord.
l am SO glad that that chariot of Elijah
was not made ont Of wood or crystal or any
thing ordinarily pleasant, but a 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 tarnarisks
on the banks of the Jordan, he put his foot
on the red step OF the red equipage, and took
the red refns of vapor in his hands, n
spurred the gaIloping steeds toward the wide
open gate OF heaven, it was a 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 null on the bits Of fire
you drive up coward God ana not down to-
ward the Dead Sea. When Latimer and Rid
ley died at the stake they went up in a
chariot of fire. When my friend P. F. Bliss,
the Gospel singer, was consumed with the
rail train than broke through Ashtabula
bridge and then took flame, I said, Another
Elijah gone up in a chariot of ffrep'
Blu this river is a river of baptisms.
Christ was here baptized and John baptized
many thousands. Whether on these occa-
sions the candidate for baptism and the Of
ficer 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 a moment beneath the surface of the
food, / do notnow 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, /
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 / now for the first time relate.
It was a scene of unimaginable solemnity.
A comrade in our Holy Land journey rode
up by my sid that day n told me that 9
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
Icould concerning his earnestness and faith,
and through personal examination made my
self confident he was a worthy candidate.
There were amQng 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
nationalities present | dictated to my
daughter a few verses and mad 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 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 resounding
voice:
On Jordon's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaans fair and happy LAND,
Where my possessions lie.
Oh, the transporting, rapt5rous scene
That rises to my sight;
Sweet fields arrayed In living green
And rivers of delight.
By this time we had reached the middle OF
the river. AS the candidate sank under the
foods and rose again under a baptism In the
name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, there rushed through our souls
a tide of holy emotion such as we shall not
probably feel again until we step into the
Jordan Tat divides earth from heaven. VIII
those waters be deep? 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. Seel They
are coming down the hills on the other sideto
greet us. How well we know their stepi
How easily we distinguish their voicesl From
bank to bank we hail them with tears and
they hail us with palm branches. They say
to us, stIs that you, fatherFp lis that you
motherp' and we answer by asking, us that
YOU. nv darlingf' How near they seem. and
how narrow the stream that divides uslr