The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-03-16
O6SSINC OVER THE RIVER
|rv. Or. rALxAoE's SERMON.
o,tse Christian Vanish IL He But
b.. MS Trust in the Lord. and His
passage safe to the Other Side
is Assured.

/M u,xr. "Aud the priests hdt Odre ,hs drN
q fb, cop,ndnt Of the Lord s0oo nrm on
~ ,,o,,nd u, the midst Of The Jordan.
Iii he Isrosifes passed orer on drv
.,,J w. until nH the people tcere passed
r. o,,r .Joreian."-Joshus ILL.,, IL
,v..h,oo,on crossed the Delaware when
49,. was oronourced impossible, but he
IA ~ by boat. Xsrxes crossed the Hell
a.nont with 0N.00 men. but he dti II by
bridge. The Israei'tss crossed ,oe hn See,
,e,iverance OF the one army sounded the
..,.,,Iation of the other. This Jordanc
'..s,a differs from all. There was no sac
a. ~ human lifc-not so much as the loss
m a linchpin. The vanguard OF the host,
made no OF priests, advsnc III un,i' tney put
.a.d,a,elv the streets OF Jerusalem were
- ,,,ors drv land than the bed OF that river.
n, ,,ss as N all the water had been drawn CT,
.nd than the dampness had been soaked uu
with a sponge, and then by towel the road
had been wiped dry.
shs hosts In uniform. Following them the
,sivss the children, the tlocks. the herds.
Tho neople look uo at the crystalline wall
81 ~ the Jordan as they pass and think what
an awful disaster would come TO toem II be-
n fore they got 90 the opposite bank OF that
hialon wall that wall should fail on them.
A And the thought makes the mothers hug
chair children close 20 their hearts as they
81 switten their pace. Quick, nowl Get them
a ali ur on the banks-the armed warriors,
u tie wives and children. Hocks and herds,
"A and let this wonderful Jorianic passage be
VI completed forever.
sitting on the shelved limestone look of
K upon that Jordan where Joshua crossed un-
d der the trumphal arch OF the rainbow
woven out OF the spray; the river which af =
~ forwards became the baptstry where Christ
was snrinkled or plunged; the river where
~. h... aH mi ,l.~.... IL.
n swam nj the prophets order: the river H.
II lustrious in the history OF the world for he =
Il roic faith and omnipOtent deliverancs and
typical OF scenes yet 70 transpre IN your
4 life and miue-scenes enough to make US
4 from the sole OF the foot 70 tue crown OF the
g head. tingle with infinite gladness.
Standing on the scene OF that affrighteJ,
e fugitive river Jordan, learn for myself and
M for vou first, that obstacles, when they are
touched. vanish. The text says that when
& these priests came down and touched the
4 water-the edge OF the water with their feet
the water parted; Ihey diu not wade In
chin deep or waist deeper knee deep or ankle
deem but a 3 soon as their feet touched the
n water IL vanished. Aud IL makes me think
Il that almost all the obstacles of life need only
N be approached in order TO he conquered
N Difficulties but touched vanish. It Is the
N trouble, the difficulty, the obstacle far in the
distance, that seems go huge and tremend-
Gus
The apostlcs Paul and john seemed to dis.
+ like cross dogs for the apostle Paul tells us
q in Philippians. Beware of dogs" and John
. seems TO shut the gate of heaven against all
"A the canine species when he says. without
" are dogs But have been told that when
81 those animals are furious, IL they come at
YOU, il you will keep your eye on them and
III advance upon them thew will retreat
| Whether that be 50 or not cannot tell, but
"A ] do know that the vast majority OF the mis-
IA fortunes and trials and disasters OF your life
M that hounds your steps, II you can only get
m y,ur eye on them, and keep your eye on
VI them and advance upon them. and cry,
< "Begone." they will stink 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 a barrier OF brambles and sharp
thorns which forbade his going on, anil
81 there was a wild beast glaring at him from
NJ the thicket, but as he determined to 90 on
# his wav he did pursue II, and those BRAN.
"A bles were found TO be only phantoms, and
that beast was found to be n powerless
N ghost, and the impossible river that forbad de
#'h him rushing to embrace the Yaratilda
approved 10 be only a phantom river.
M Well, my friends, the fact is there ara a
great many things that look terrible across
'|tDur pathway, which, when we advance upon
Mthem, are only the phantoms only the ap-
par tons, only the delusions o. life. Diff.
Eultes touched are conquered. Put your
eet into the brim of the water, aud Jordan
fetreats. You sometimes see a great duty
p perform. IL is very disagreeable duty
IN on say, II can't go through IL: | haven't
The courage, haven't the Int diligence, to
VA go through it," Advance upon 1t, Jordan
|Rill vanish.
5W always sigh before begin 10 preach a.
the greatness of the unierttkiug, but as
toon as start 1t becomes to me an exhilara-
fion. And any duty undertaken with a con.
Ident spirit becomes a pleasure, and the
bigher the duty the higher the pleasure.
difficulties toucned are conquered. There
ere great many people who ara afraid ot
neath IN the future. Good John Livingston
pnce. ON a sloop coming from Eizabethport
y New York, was dreadfully frightened be.
fause he thought he was going To be drowned
p sudden gust came up. People were sur.
prised at him. IL any man in all tne world
as ready to die, 1t was good John Living :
ton.
30 there are now great many good peo.
pc VINO shuider in passing n graveyard,
M they hardly dare think of Canaan he
ause OF the Jordan that Intervene But
Rnce they are down on sick bed, then AL
helr Tears are gcne-the waters of death
ashlns on the beach are like the mellow
Xoice OF ocean shells-they smell OF the blos-
pms OF the tree OF life. The music of the
eaVenly choirs comes stealing over the
*sters, an / TO cross now is only plea SAINT
hh How long the boat is coming! Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly. Christ the Priest
hVances ahead, and the dying Christian
3oes over dry shod on coral beds and flowers
heaven and paths of pearl.
Oh could we make our doub,s remove
' ioese gloomy doubts that rise
anu view tue Canaan that we lows
With unbecouded eyes!
M 'ou q We but climb where Moses stood
Ma aug view the landscape DER.
w. 1ouane stream nor deaths cold flood
Nouu fright US from the shore.
galn' this Jordanic passage teaches me
eVmnpleteness OF everything taat Got
"hen God put an invisible dam across
anu 10 was halted, IL would have
~ na'uraI' you would have supposed, for
water TO have overdowed the regioa.aIl
~s,ld Iu ABOUT, aud that great devastation
~ dsn, w. .aken place. but when God put
e- a,n ,ha ~ 'front.' OF the river He put a dam
,in tue other side of the river, so that ae-
Ssssred snS 70 .. the text, the water halted and
surrounding country' Oh % tbs UscrvwsnS com~,s'e,
ono ' everything that God does