Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-05-02
sermon, In stones.


ton avenue las: night from the text:
"What mean We by these stones:"
Joshua, ~, 6. The pastor said:
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and flats on the
other. Here and there q sycamore
hadows it. Here and there willow
dips in:o it. 1t was only u little over
waist deep in December as l w%.ed
through it, but in the months OF April
and May the SHOWS on Mount Lebanon
thaw and flow down into the valley, ana
then tho Jordan overllows its banks.
Then it is wide, deep, raging and lmpet-
uous. At this season OF the year l
hear the tramp OF 10000 armed men
coming down to cross the river. You
say, why do they not go up nearer the
rise of the river at the old camel ford:
All, my friends, it is because 1t Is not
safe to GO around when the Lord tells
us to 90 ahead. The lsraelites had
been going around for forty years, and
they had enough OF it. l do not know
how it is with you, my brethren, but l
have always got into trouble when
went around but always got into safety
when l went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, rag
np.torrcnt. much OF it snow water just
come down from the mountain top; anu
7 see some OF the Israelites shivering at
the idea of plunging in, ana one soldier
saws to his comrade, Joseph, can you
.swim?" And another says: III we get
across this stream we will get there
with wet clothes and with damaged
armor. and the Canaanites will slash US
TO pieces with their swords before we
yet up the other bank" But it is no
time 10 halt. The great host marches
On. The priests carrying the ark go
ahead. the PEOPLE follow. hear the
tramp OF the great multitude.
The priests have now come within
stones throw of the water. Yet still
there is no abatement OF the Hood. Now
they have come within four or five feet
Of the stream, but there is no abatement
Of the food. Bad prospect, II seems
As if these Israelites that crossed the
desert are now going 10 be drowned in
sight of Cunnan. but forward" Is the
cry. The command rings all along the
n of the host. Forward" Now the
Eheasts have come within one step OF the
Tier. This time they lift their feet
tom the solid ground and pu. them
Dwn into the raging stream. No soon
fafre their feet there than the Jordon
Hies. On the right hand God piles up
a great mountain OF floods; on the left
the waters flow off toward the sea. The
great river, for hours, halts and rears.
The back waters not being able to flow
over the passing Israelites, pile wave on
wave, until perhaps sea bird would
find some difficulty in scaling the watt
err cliff. Now the priests and all the peo-
pie have gone over on dryland. The wat
err on the left hand side by this time has
reached the sea; and now that the mir
aculous passing has been made, stand
back and sec this stupendous pile OF
waters leap God takes the hand from
that wall OF floods and like a hundred
cataracts they plung and 10 in thun-
derous triumph 10 the sea-
How are they to celebrate the pas.
sage? Shall it be with music? l sup
pose the trumpet and symbals were oil
worn out before this. Shall it be with
tanners waving? o, no; they are all
faded and torn. Joshua cries out: Il
will tell you how to celebrate this:
Build monument here to commemorate
the event." and every priest puts q
heavy stone on his shoulder and march
as out and drops that stone in the di-
vinely appointed place. see the pile
growing in height, in breadth, in signi-
ficance, and in after years men went by
that spot and saw this monument and
cried one to another, in fu'fiment OF the
text: '''What mear bv these
st0nes?n
Blessed be God, he d not lear w.
church in tho wilt ness. We h-,r
been wandering abJl for year and u
half worshipping in the Academy OF
Music, Brooklyn, and Academy OF
Music. New York And some thought
we would never reach the promised
land Some said we had better take
this route, and others that. Some said
there were sons of Anak in the way that
would eat US up; and before the smoke
had cleared away from the sky after our
tabernacle had been consumed, people
stood on the very site of the place and
said: "This church will never again be
built" We came down to the bank OF Jor-
dan;we looked of upon the waters. Some
OF the sympathy that had. been expressed
proved 10 be snow water melted from
the top OF Lebanon. Some said: "You
had better not go in; you will get your
feet wet" But we waded in, pastor
and people. further and further, and in
some way, the Lord only knows how, we
got through; and tonight l 60 all
around about this great house, erected
by your prayers and sympathies and
sacrifices, and cry out in the words OF
my text: "What mean We by these
stones?" II is an outrage to build a
a -. -