Milford chronicle., 1893-03-17

q .
pushing and running IN the Christian life
that man got so strong for Gcd; in hun
dred Solferinos lie learned how TO fight; in
q hundred shipwrecks be learned how to
swim. Tears over sin, tears over lions
desolation, tears over the inpenitent, tears
over the graves made are tho Jordan which
TINT man had passed. Sorrow pales the
cheek, 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-all
around are the relics Of the dead.
The Christian has passed the Red sea OF
trouble, and yet he thinks there is Jordan
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 that river. And
there are a great many men who have gone
down in the river Of death; the Atlantic
and Pacific have not swallowed so many.
It is an awful thing to make shipwreoks on
the rock Of ruin; masts falling, hurricanes
| flying, death coming, groanings in the wa
ter, meanings in the wind, thunder in the
/ sky, while God with the finger Of the light
ming writes all over the sky, Il will tread
them in my wrath, and I viii trample
them in my fury"
/ The Christian comes down to this raging
torrent, and he knows he must pass out,
and rs he comes toward the time his breath
gets shorter, and his last breath leaves him
as he steps into the stream, and no sooner
does he touch the stream than it is parted,
and he goes through dry shod while all the
waters wave their plumes, crying; 20 death,
where is thy sting? o grave, where Is thy
victory" 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 supcrnatu-
| raj strength. The other morning at my ta-
be, all my family present, l thought to
myself how pleasant it would be if could
put all into boat and then SO in with
them, and we could pull across the river to
/ the next world and be there all together.
/ No family parting no gloomy obsequies. It
wouldn't take five minutes to go from bank
to bank, and then in that better world to
/ be together forever Wouldn't it be pleas
ant for you to take all your family into
/ that blessed country if you could all go to-
gether2
1 remember my mother in her dying hour
| said to my father, Father, wouldn't it be
| pleasant if we could all so togcthers" But
we cannot all so together. We must go
one BY one. and we must be grateful If we
get there at all. What heaven it will be
/ II we have all our families there TO look
| around and see all the children are PRESENT.
| You would rather have them all there, and
YOU 20 with bare brow forever, than that
one should be missing to complete the gar
/ lands of heaven for your eOrOnal The
Lord God of Joshua, give them safe Jor-
dGnic passngel
Even children will so 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 dag when We were to 60 bare
/ footed, and after teasing our mothers in re
gard to it for a good while, and they con-
sented, we remember the delicious sensation
of the cool grass when we put cur uncov-
cred foot oa it.
And the time will come when these shoes
we wear no1g, lest we &c cut Of the sharp
places Of this world, shall be taken OF, and
with uusandaled foo5 we viii step into the
bed of the river; with feet untrammeled,
free from pain and fatigue, we will gain
that last Journey, when, vita one foot in
the bed Of the river and the other foot on
the other bank, VIC struggle upward. That
will be heaven. CE, pray Tor all my dear
people e safe Jordanic passage That is
what the dying Christian husband felt
when lie said; 'How the candle fickers,
Nellie Put it out; I shall sleep well to-
night and wake in the morning"
A WORD OF COMFORT.
One word Of comfort on this subject for
all the bereaved. You see, our departed
friends have not been submerged-have
rot been swamped in the waters. They
have only crossed over. These Israelites
were just as thoroughly alive on the vest
ern banks cf tie jordan as they had been
on the eastern banks Of the Jordan, and
cur departed Christian friends have only
crossed over--rot sick, net dead, not eN-
hausted, not extiEgliished, not blOttod cut
but with healthier respiration. and stoater
pulses, aGl kce8er eytsigEt, and better
prospects-crosscd OYER Their sins, their
( physical and mental disquiet. all le.t clear
this side, an ctei na!ly loving, impGssaLle
obstacle between them and all human and
satanic pursuit. Crossed overi Oh,
shake LANDS Of congratulation with all the
| bereaved in tie consideration that our dc
parted Christian iricnGs are safe.
! Why was there SO mucl joy ia certain
circles in New York whta people heard
! from the friends who were Cl board thai
bclated 81 gamers lt was feared that vessel
had gone TO the bottom Of tae sea, and when
the friends ca tlis side heart that the
steamer lad arrived safely in Liverpool had
re not Il right Il congratulate nc people In
/ New YORK tEat their frieiiUs lad got safely
ucrossg And is il nos right this morning
that / con ,ratl.iate yon that your departed
friends are safe On the shore IF hcaveng
Would YOU lave l.suGi back s.aing Woaid
YOU have those Gid parents bGcls again? on
4 know how l;.id il WEES sometimes fer them
to get their br,iit. in Tie ssilsi atmosphere
Of the Summer: WotIi,i yoI lave thcm uack
ia this weather. Eidn't hey Use thor
brain long onou:ii2 AFoyl.i yoq have gour
children back ngain2 Would you have
them take the risks of temptation which
throng every human pathway? Would you
have them cross the Jordan three times?
In addition to crossing it already, cross j.
acain to greet you now and then cross back
afterward. Fer certainly you would not
want to keep them forever out Of heaven.
Pause and weep, not for tho freed from pain,
But that the siCh Of love would bring them
back agaiE.
ask a question, ard there seems to come
back the answer in heavenly echo: What,
will you never be sick agrin?" Never
sick-again." What, will you never be
tired againqi Never = tired Y again.
"what, will you never weep againf' ''Ney-
er-weep-again." what, Will you never
die eeain?n "Never-dic-again."
Oh, We army CT departed Kindred, we hail
YOU from bark to banbi N.ait for us when
the Jordan of 'aath shall part forUs Con-s
down and meet US Lslf way between The
widowed banks Of earEd rad tho paiia
qroyes Of heaven. Lay orr sreat High
Priest 20 ahead Il us, iisd 'g.th bruised feet
touch tae water, and tAca shaii be Laii-ed
the words Ct ny text, ''Ali Israel went oyer
on cry l.rouLd until al tae people We're
gone ciear though jordan"
IL ask yen what r.la.i s.e tbs gl.W lynn
Of tAis nolE..g, tusl1 thers would TO
thol.aid Nc4gss th;t Ncald eAeose tie
same lymn--lhe Lyian That iliunnes so
lsnn.lr l.lniL l.lnlll. lLI.I u. lllun Tint hla