The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-13

life that man got so strong for God; in a
hundred Solferlnos he learned how to fight;
in hundred shipwrecks he learned how 70
swim. Tears over sin, tears over lions
desolation, tears over the impenitent, tears
over the graves made are the Jordan which
that man had passed. Sorrow pales the
/ check and fades the eye, and wrinkles the
brow, and withers the hands; there are
mourning garments In the wardrobe and
there are deaths IN every family record, ali
around are the relics Of the dead.
The Christian has passed the Red sea OF
trouble, and yet he thinks there is no JOr-
dan of death between him and heaven. He
comes down to that Jordan Of death, and
thinks how many have been lost there.
When Molyneux was exploring the Jordan
in Palestine, he had his boats all knocked TO
pieces in the rapids Of the river. And there
are "a great many men who have gone down
In the river Of death; the Atlantic and
Pacific have not swallowed 30 many. II Is
an awful thing to make shipwreoks on the
rock OF ruin; masts falling, hurricane fly
ing, death coming, groaninRs in the water,
meanings In the wind, thunder in the sky,
while God with the finger Of the lightning
writes all over the sky: l will tread them
in my wrath, and will trample them 10
my fury"
The Christian comes down TO this raging
torrent, and he knows he must pass out,
and as he comes toward the time his breath
gets shorter, and as his last breath leaves
him he slips into the stream, and no sooner
does he touch the stream than it is parted,
and he goes through dryshod, while all the
waters wave their plumes, crying, 20,
death, where is thy stlngi o, grave, where
is thy victoryp God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes, and there shall be no
more weeping, and there shall be no more
death.
Some of your children have already gone
up the other bank You let them down on
this side of the bank; they will be on the
other bank to help you up with super
natural strength The other morning at
my table, all my family present, / thought
to myself how pleasant it would be if could
put all into boat, end then go In with them,
and we could pull across the river to the
next world, and be there altogether. No
family parting, no gloomy obsequies; it
wouldn't take five minutes to 60 from bank
to bank, and then in that better world to be
together forever. Wouldn't it be pleasant for
you to take all your family into that blessed
country, if you could all go togetberl
remember my mother, in her dying hour,
said to my father: Father, wouldn't it be
pleasant If we could all 60 togetherF' But
we cannot all go together. We must go
one by one, and we must be grateful IL we
get there at all What a heaven it will be
and see all the children present. You
would rather have them all there and you
20 with bare brow forever. than that one
should be missing to complete the garlands
of heaven for your coronAL The Lord
God Of Joshua give them safe Jordanic
passagel
Even children will 60 through dryshod.
Those of US who were brought up In the
country remember, when the summer was
coming on IN our boyhood days, we always
longed for the day when we were to 60
barefooted, and after teasing our mothers
In regard to It for a good while and they
consented, We remember the delicious SEN
sation OF the cool grass when we put our
uncovered foot on it. And the time will
come when these shoes we wear now, lest
we be cut OF the sharp places of this world,
shall be taken of and with unsandaled foot
we will step into the bed of the river with
feet untramm eled free from pain and IA
tiRue, we will gain that last Journey; when,
with one foot in the bed of the river and
the other foot on the other bank, we strug-
gle upward. That will be heaven. o,
pray for all my dear people safe Jordanic
passage. That is what the dying Christian
husband felt when he said, How the candle
fiickers, Nellie! Put IL out; shall sleep
we'll tonight, and wake in the morning.
~ One word of comfort on this subject for
all the bereaved. You see, our departed
friends have not been submerged-have NOS
been swamped in the waters; they have only
crossed over. These Israelites are just as
thoroughly alive on the western banks of
the Jordan, as they had been on
the easern banks of the Jordan;
and our departed Christian
friends have only crossed over-not sick, not
dead. not exhausted, not extinguished, not
blotted out but with healthier respiration,
and stouter pulse and keener eyesight, and
better prospects; crossed over! their sins,
their physical and mental disQuiet, all left
clear this side, an eternally- FLOWING. inn
passable obstacle between them and all hui
shake hands of oongratulation with all the
bereaved in she consideration that our de-
parted Christian friends are safe.
Why was there 80 much Joy in certain
circles in New York when people heard
from the friends who were on board that
belated steamer. 1t was feared that vessel
had gone to the bottom of the sea, and
when the friends on this side heard that the
steamer had arrived safely in Liverpool.
had we not right to congratulate the pso-
pie Ia New Y ork that their friends had got
safely acrossl And is 1t not right this morn
ing that congratulate you that your de-
parted friends are safe on the shore or
heaven9 Would you have them back again?
Would you, have those old parents back
againl You know no W hard it was sometimes
for them to get their breath i'll the stiled
atmosphere of the summer; would you
have them back in this weather. Didn't
they use their brain long enoughl Would
you have your children back agains Would
you have them take the risks OF tempta
which thronG every human pathways
Would you have them CROSS the Jordan
three times9 In addition to crossing it