Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-03-24
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE's SUM-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "CRosSING THE JORDAN"
delivered at Detroit, Mich.)

ground. until all the people uers passed
clean orer Jordan. Joshua ill.,, II.
Washington crossed the Delaware when
crossing was pronounced mpoSsible but he
did il by boat. Xerxes crossed the Hell.
lespont with loo go men, but he dli IL by
bridge. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea.
but the same orchestra that celebrated the
deliverance OF the one army sounded the
sirangulation OF the other This Jordanic
passage differs from all. There was no sac
ritice of human life-not 80 much as the loss
OF linchpln. The vanguard of the host
made up OF priests, advanced until they put
their foot at the brim Of the river. when i'm.
mediately the streets of Jerusalem were
no more dry land than the bed OF that river.
1t was as II all the water had been drawn E n.
and then the dampness had been soaked up
with sponge, and then by towel the road
had been wiped dry.
Ionder goes great army OF Israelites-
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 AZ they pass and think what
an awful disaster would come TO them IL be-
fore they got TO the opposite bank of that
Ajalon wall that wall should fall on them
And the thought makes the mothers huu
their children close to their hearts as they
swiften their pace. Quick nowI Get them
all up on the banks-the armed warriors
the wives and children, focks and herds
and let this wonderful Jordanic passage be
completed forever.
Sitting on the shelved limestone I look off
upon that Jordan where Joshua crossed un.
der the trumphal arch Of the rainbow
woven out OF the spray; the river which af.
terwards became the baptistry where Christ
was sprinkled or plungei the river where
the ax-the borrowed ax-miraculously
swan at the prophets order; the river IL
lustrlous in the history OF the world for he.
roic faith and omnipotent deliverancs AMI
typical OF scenes yet TO transpire in your
lite aud mine-sceues enough 70 make ma
from the sole OF the foot TO the crown OF the
head, tingle with infinite gladness
standing on the scene OF that affrighted
fugitive river Jordan, learn for MYSELF and
for you trst that obstacles, when they ara
touched, vanish. The text saws that when
these priests came down and touched the
water-the etge OF the water with their feet
the water parted. They did not wade in
chin deep or wa st deep or knee deep or ankle
deep, but as soon as their feet touched the
water 1t vanished. Aud it makes me think
that almost all the obstacles OF life need onlv
be approached in orLer to be conquered.
Difficulties but touched vanish. 1t is the
trouble. the difficulty, the obstacle far in the
distance that seems so huge and tremend-
Gus.
The apostles Paul and John seemed to dis
like cross dogS for the apostle Paul tells u,
in Philippians, Beware OF dogs,n and John
seems TO shut the gate Of heaven against all
the canine species when he says, "Wituout
are dogs But have been told that when
those animals are furious II they come at
you, If You will keep your eye on them aud
ADVANCE upon them they will retreat
Whether that be So or not cannot tell. but
do know that the vast ajority of the mis-
fortunes and trials aud disasters of your life
that hounds your steps II you can only get
your eye on them, and keep your eve on
them, and advance upon them. and cry.
"Begone,' they will slink and cover.
There is beautiful tradition among the
American Indians that Manitou was travel.
ing in the invisible world, and one day he
came TO n barrier OF brambles and share
thorns which forbade his going on. and
there was wild beast glarinz at him from
the thicket. but as he determined to 20 ON
his way he did pursue it. and those BRAN.
bles were fou Id TO be only phautoms and
that beast was found to be a powerless
ghost, and the impossible river that forbade
him rushing TO embrace the Yaratilda
proved TO be only phantom river.
well, my friends tle fact is there are a
great many things that ,olk terrible across
oui p"'u"ay' winch, Wnen Weadyance upon
them, are only the phantoms only the an
par tons, only the delusions o. life. Diff.
culties touched are conquered. Put your
feet into the brim Of the water, aud Jordan
retreats. You sometimes see great duty
to perform: 1t is very dsagreeable duty
You say, Il can't 60 through IL; I haven't
the courage haven't the intelligence, to
60 through it," Advance upon It. Jordan
will vanish.
L always sigh before begin TO preach at
the greatness Of the Undertaking, but as
soon as l start 1t becomes 70 me an exhilara-
ton. And any duty undertaken with a con.
hdent spirit becomes a pleasure and the
higher the duty the higher the pleasure.
Difficulties touched are conquered. There
are great many people who are afraid OF
death In the future. Good John Livingston
once, on sloop coming from Elizabethporr
to New York, was dreadtully frightened be.
cause he thought he was going TO be drown
as sudden gust came up. People were sur,
prised at him. If any man in all the world
was ready to die, 1t was good John Living,
ston.
So there are now great many good peo.
pie VINO saudder in passing a graveyard
and they hardly dare think OF Canaan be-
cause of the Jordan that intervenes. But
once they are down on a sick bed, then all
their fears are gone-the waters Of death
dashing on the beach are like the mellow
voice OF ocean shells-they smell of the bios
SONS Of the tree Of life. The music Of the
heavenly choirs comes stealing over the
waters, and to cross now is only a pleasant
sail. How long the boat is comingI Come.
Lord Jesus come quickly. Christ the Priest
advances ahead, and the dying Christian
goes over dry shod on coral beds and flowers
OF heaven and paths of pearl.
oh. could we make our doubts remove
These gloomy doubts that rise-
And view the Canaan that we love
With unbeclouded eyes
Cou'd we but climb where Moses stood
And view the landscape DER,
Not Joi dans stream nor deaths cold food
Gould fright us from the shore
Again. this Jordanic passage teaches me
the completeness of everything tlat God
does. When God put an invisible dam across
Jordan, and 1t was halted it would have
been natural, you would have supposed, for
the water to have overaowed the region all
around about, and that great devastation
would have taken place, but when God put
the dam In front of the river He put dan
on the other side of the river SO that ac-
cording to the text, the water halted and
reared and stood there and not overhowing
the surrounding country. Oh, the complete
ness OF every ything that God does
One would have thought that, II the
waters OF the Jordan had dropped until
they were only two or three feet deep, the
lsraelites might have marched through 1t
aud have come up on the other bank with
their clothes saturated and their &c -ments
like those OF men coming ashore from ship
wreck, and that would have been as wonder
iul q deliverance, but God does something
better than that. When the priests feel
touched the waters o, Jordan and they were
drawn OH, they might havo thought there
would have been bed Of mud aud slim,
through which the army should pass.
Draw or the waters OF the Hudson or tht
Ohio, and there would be o good many days
and perhaps many weeks. before the sedi
ment would dry up and yet here In an In
slant, Immediately, God provides o path
through tho depths OF JORDAN. IL Is so drJ
the passengers do not even get their fee
damp. On, the completeness OF everything
that God doesi Does DE make q unlversel
IL Sa perfect clock. running ever since !