The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-13
CROSSING OF THE JORDAN
TALMAGE TELLS OF THE GREAT
DBLIVERANCE.

Handed Down by the Indlans-Every.
thing That God Does Complete.
DETRorr, March 12.-Rev. DIR. Talmags.
who is now visiting this city preached to-
day in the Fort Street Presbyterian church,
of which Rev. DR.. Radcliffe is pastor, TO
large and intensely interested audience on
the Crossing Of the Jordan by the Children
Of Israel. the text being from Joshua iil., IL;
And the priests that bare the ark Of ths
covenant Of the Lord stood firm on dry
ground in the midst OF the Jordan, and all
the lsraelites passed over on dry ground.
until ali the people were passed clean over
Jordan"
Washington crossed the Delaware when
crossing was pronounced impossible, but be
did 1t by boat. Xerxes crossed the Helles-
pont with two millions Of men, but he did
1t by bridge. The Israelites crossed the Red
sea; but the same orchestra that celebrated
the deliverance Of the one army, sounded
the s.rangulation Of the other. This Jor-
danlo passage differs from all. There was
no sacrifice Of human lIfe-not 30 much as
the loss OF a linchpiu. The vanguard OF
the host, made up OF priests, advanced until
they put their foot at tbs brim Of the river,
when Immediately the streets of Jerusa-
lem were no more dry than the bed Of
that river. It was as If all the water had
been drawn off, and then the dampness
had been soaked up with q sponge, and
then by a towel the road had been wiped
dry. onder goes great army OF lsraeltteG,
the hosts IN uniform; following them the
wives. the children, the hocks, the herds.
The people look up at the crystalline wall Of
the Jordan as they pass, and think what an
awful disaster would ccme to them IT, be-
moi fn Of hue
A ialon wall, that wall should fall on them,
and the thought makes the mothers hug
their children close to their. hearts as they
swiften their pace. Quick, now; get them
all up on the banks, the armed warriors,
the wives and children, flocks and herds,
and let this wonderful Jordanio passage be
completed forever.
Sitting on the shelved limestone, / look
Off upon that Jordan where Joshua crossed
under the triumphal arch Of the rainbow
woven out OF the spray; the river which
afterwArd became the baptistry where
Christ was sprinkled or plunged the river
where the ax-the borrowed ax-miracu-
lousIY swan at the prophets order; the
river iliustrious in the history of the world
for heroic faith and omntpotent deliverance
and typical of scenes yet to tTanspire in
your life and mine-sceues enough TO make
us, from the sole Of the foot to the crown
Of the head, tlnGle with infinite gladness.
Standing on the scene Of that affrighted,
fugitive river Jordan, learn for myself
aud for you, first, that obstacles, when they
are touched, vanish. The text says that
when these priests came down and touched
the water-the edge Of the water with their
feet-the water parted. They did not wade
IN chin deep, or waist deep, or knee deep, or
ankle deep, but as soon as their feet touched
the water 1t vanished. And it makes me
think that almost all the obstacles of life
mead OuIv ha aDBroaehad In urdar m h0
conquered. Difficulties but touched vanish.
1t is the trouble, the difficulty, the obstacle
far in the distance that seems 30 huge and
tremendous.
The Apostles Paul and John seemed to dis.
like CROSS dogs; for the Apostle Paul tells us
in Philippians: Beware Of dogs; )" and John
seems TO shut the gate Of heaven against all
the canine species when he says: without
are dogs But | have been told that when
those animals are furious II they come at
you, II you will keep your eye on them aud
advance upon them, they will retreat.
Whether that be 30 or not, / cannot tell;
but / do know that the vast majority Of the
mtsfortunes and trials and disasters OF your
life that hound your stepa, If you can only
get your eye on them, and keep your eye
on them, aud advance upon them, and cry
"Begone, y they will slink and cover.
There Is a beautiful tradition among the
American Indiana that Manitou was travel
ing 10 the invisible world, and ono day he
came to a barrier Of brambles and sharp
thorns, which forbade his going on. and
there was a wild beast glaring at him from
the thicket; but, as he determined to go on
his way, he did pursue It, and those
brambIes we're found to be only phantoms,
and that beast was found 10 be powerIess
ghost, and the impassable river that forbade
MIN rushing to embrace the Yaratilda
proved 90 be only phantom river. Well,
Ff fri ba ont ia "A n
many things that look terrible across our
pathway. which when we advance upon
them, are only the phantoms, only the ap-
partitions, only the delusions OF life. Diff
culties touched are conquered. Put your
feet into the brim Of the water, and Jordan
retreats. You sometimes see a great duty
TO perform. 10 ia very disagreeable duty;
you say, II can't go through iE; haven'5
the courage haven't the intelligence, TO
go through it, Advance upon IL, Jordan
will vanish.
always sigh before begin to preach, at
the greatness of the undertaking, bat as
soon as / start il becomes TO me an exhila-
ration. And any duty undertaken with D
confident spirit becomes pleasure, and the
higher the duty the higher the pleasure.
Difficulties touched are conquered. There
are a great many people who are afraid OF
death in the future. Good John Livingston
once, on q sloop coming from Elizabstnpora
20 new IOrks was ur6hQIully frightened
because he thought he was going TO be
drowned as a sudden gust came up. People
were surprised as him. IL any man in oil
the world was ready to die, il was good
John Livingston. So there are now a great
many good people who shuddeT in passing
a graveyard. and they hardly dare think OF
Canaan because OF the Jordan that inter-
venes; but once they are down on
q sick bed, then all their fears are
gone y asthe waters of death dash-
ing on the beach are like the mellow voice
Of ocean shells-they smell Of the blossoms
of the tree Of life; the music Of the heavenly
choirs come stealing over the waters, and to
cross now is only pleasant sail. How long
the boat is comingl Come, Lord Jesus,
come quickly. Christ the Ipriest advances
ahead, and the dying Christian goes dry-
shod on coral beds, and flowers Of heaven,
and paths Of pearl.
o. could we make our doubts remove
Those gloomy doubts that rise,
And view the Canaan that we love
With unbeclouded eyes
Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape DER,
Not Jordans q stream, nor deaths cold Hood,
Could fight US from the shore.
Again, this Jordanic passage teaches me
the completeness Of everything that God
dOAa Whan fNnd rYyk an fnUfefhia dam