Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-03-13

W thke III YOUR lditliiy l1tO tnht DlesSeu
country II you could all go together?
remember my mother in her dy-
ing hour said TO my father, Father,
wouldn't 1t be pleasant IL we could all
60 together" But we cannot all go to-
gether. We must go one by one, and
we must be grateful IL we get there at
all. What q heaven 1t will be IL we
have all our families there to look
around and see all the children are pres
entl You would rather have them all
there, and you 60 with bare brow for
ever, 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 go through dry shod.
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 go barefooted, and after teasing our
mothers in regard to it for good while,
and they consented, we remember the de-
licious sensation 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
off, and with unsandaled foot we will
step into the bed Of the river; with feet
untrammeled, free from pain and fa-
tigue, 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 struggle upward. That will
be heaven. Oh, pray for all my dear
people safe Jordanic passagei That is
what the dying Christian husband felt
when he said: "How the candle fiickers,
Nellie! Put it ont. shall sleep well to-
night and wake in the morning."
COMFORT FOR THE BEREAvED.
One word of comfort on this subject
for all the bereaved. You see, our de-
parted friends have not been submerged,
have not been swamped in the waters.
They have only crossed over. These
Israelites were just as thoroughly alive on
the western banks of the Jordan as they
had been on the eastern banks of the
Jordan, and our departed Christian
friends have only crossed over--not sick.
not dead, not exhausted, not extin-
guished. not blotted out, but with
healthier respiration, and stoutar pulses,
and keener eyesight. and better prospects
crossed over, their sins, their physical
and mental disquiet, all left clear this
side, an eternally flowing, impossible
obstacle between them and all human
and satanic pursuit. Crossed overl Oh,
l shake hands of congratulation with
all the bereaved in the consideration that
our departed Christian friends are safel
Why was there so 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 ves-
sci 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 congrat-
ulate the people in New York that their
friends had got safely across? And is it
not right this morning that congratu-
late you that your departed friends are
safe on the shore of heaven? Would you
have them back again? Would you have
those old parents back againp You know
how hard it was sometimes for them to
get their breath in the stified atmosphere
of the summer. Would you have them
back In this weather? Didn't they use
their brain long enough? Would you
have your children back again? Would
you have them take the risks of tempta-
ton which throng every human path
way? Would you have them cross the
Jordan three times1 In addition to cross
ing 1t already, cross 1t again to greet you
now and then cross back afterward? For
certainly you would not want to keep
them forever out of heaven.
Pause and weep, not for the freed from pain,
But that the sigh Of love would bring them back
again.
! ask a question, and there seems to
come back the answer in heavenly echo:
"What, will you never be sick AGAIN.
"Never-sick-again." What, will you
never be tired againT "Never--tired-
again." "What. will you never weep
again" "Never-weep-again." "What,
will you never die againY' "Never-die
again"
Oh, ye army Of departed kindred, we
hail you from bank to bankl Wait for
us when the Jordan of death shall part
for US. Come down and meet us half
way between the widowed banks OF
earth and the palm groves Of heaven.
May our great High Priest 60 ahead Of
us. and with bruised feet touch the wa
ter, and then shall be fulfilled the words
of my text. "Ali Israel went ovs- on dry
ground until all the people were gone
clear through Jordan"
II ask you what shall be the glad
hymn Of this morning, think there
would be thousand voices that would
choose the same hymn--the hymn that
illumines 80 many death chambers--the
hymn that has been the parting hymn
in many an instance-the old hymn:
On Jordan's stormy banks stand
And cast wistful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
Oh, the transporting, rapturous scene
That rises on my sight
Sweet fields arrayed In living green,
And rivers Of delight.
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Save Your Old Pens.
Joseph elliott, a member Of the well
known firm of makers Of steel pens, says