Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-03-13
CROSSING JORDAN.
DR.. TALMAoE'S SUNDAY SERMON DE.
LlvERED AT DETROIT.

He Compares the Children of Israel Cross
Ing the Jordan with Washington Cross
ing the Delaware and xerxes Crossing
the Heliespont--Tessons Of the Text.
DETROIT March 12. Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, who is now visiting this city,
preached today to large and intensely
interested audience in the Fort Street
Presbyterian church, of which Rev. Dr.
Radcliffe is pastor, on the crossing of
the Jordan by the children of Israel, the
text being from Joshua iii. II, "And the
priests that bare the ark of the covenant
| of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in
the midst Of the Jordan, and all the Is
raelites passed over on dry ground, until
all the people were passed clean over ,ror-
dan."
Washington crossed the Delaware
when crossing was pronounced impos-
sible, but he did it by boat. Xerxes
crossed the Hellespont with 1900, 900
men, but he did it by bridge. The Isra-
elites crossed the Red sea, but the same
orchestra that celebrated the deliverance
of the one army sounded the strangula-
ton Of the other. This Jordanic passage
differs from all There was no sacrifice
Of human life-not so much as the loss
of a linchpin. The vanguard of the host,
made mp of priests. advanced until they
put their foot at the 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 sponge, and
then by towel the road had been wiped
dry.
Yonder goes great army Of lsraelites
the hosts in uniforms.s Following them
the wives, the children, the focks, the
herds. The people look up at the crys-
talline wall of the Jordan as they pass
and think what an awful disaster would
come to them if before they got to the
opposite bank of that Ajalon 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, focka
and herds, and let this wonderful Jor.
danic 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 theax-the borrowed az
-miraculously swan at the prophets
order; the river illustrious in the history
of the world for heroic faith and omnip.
otent deliverance and typical of scenes
yet to transpire in your life and mine
scenes enough to make us, from the sole
of the foot to the crown of the head, tin
gle with infinite gladness.
Standing on the scene of that alright.
ed, fugitive river Jordan, l learn for my.
self and 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 ii
vanished. And it makes me think that
almost all the obstacles of life need only
be approached in order to be conquered.
Difficulties but touched vanish. 1t 18th.
trouble, the difficulty, the obstacle far in
the distance, that seems so huge and ire
mendous.
The apostles Paul and John seemed to
dislike cross dogs, for the apostle Paul
tells us in Philippians, Beware of Dogs
and John seems to shut the gate of heav.
en- against all the canine species when he
says, without are dogs" But have
been told that when those animals are
furious. if they come at you, if you will
keep your eye on them and advance up
on them they will retreat. Whether
that be so or not cannot tell, but do
know that the vast majority of the mis-
fortunes and trials and disasters of youi
life that hounds your steps, if you can
only get your eye on them, and keep
your eye ON them, and advance upon
them, and cry, ''Begone." they will stink
and cover.
A BEAUTIFUL TRADITION
There is a beautiful tradition among
the American Indians that Manitou was
travelling in the invisible world, and one
day he came to barrier of brambles and
sharp thorns, which forbade his going
on, and there was wild beast glaring at
him from the thicket, but as he deter
mined to go on his way he did pursue it,
and those brambles were found to be only
phantoms. and that beast was found to
be powerless ghost, and the impossible
river that forbade him rushing to en-
brace the Yaratilda proved to be only o
phantom river.
Well. my friends, the fact is there are
q great many things that look terrible
across our pathway. which, when we ad-
vance upon them, are only the phan-
toms. only the apparitions, only the de
lusions of life. Difficulties touched are
conquered. Put your feet into the brim
of the water, and Jordan retreats. You
sometimes see great duty to perform.
1t is very disagreeable duty. You say,
'I can't go through it; haven't the
courage, haven't the intelligence, to go
through il" Advance upon 1t, Jordan |