The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-12-21

can very easily imagins that the wo.
men aud the children of the kings
household might have been nervous
about going on that beat, afraid that
the csrsman OF the helmsmsu might
give cut and that the boat might be
dashed on the rocks, as sometimes
boats we're dashed in ths Jordan, and
then l could have imagined the boat
starting AID rocking, and they crying
ont: ''Oa, We are going to be lost.
We are going DOWN. Not 80: The
king was on board the bta5, and those
women and children and all the house
hold of the kibg knew that every care
was taken to nave the king-the head
Of the emrire-rass in safety.
Now, want 10 break up deluslon
in your mind, and that is this: When
cur friends 90 out from this world, We
feel sorry for them because they have
to 60 alone; aud parents hold on to the
hands of their children who sre dying
and hold on to something Of the i'm
preston that the moment they let 60
the little one will be in the darkness
and in the boat all alone. 'sOh," the
parent says, IF 1 could only 80 with
my child, / would be willing TO die
half dozen times. I am afraid she
will be lost in the woods or in the dsrS,
ness; I am afraid she will be very much
frightened in the boat sill alone" 8!
break up the deIusion. When q soul
goes to heaven, it does not 60 alone;
the King is on board the boat: Was
Paul alone in the last extremity? Hear
the shout Of the sacred missionary as
he cries out, 81 sm row ready to be Of
fered, and the time of my departure is
at hand" Was John Wesley alone In
the last extremity? No Hear him
say, Best of all God is with US"
Was Sir William Forbes alone in the
last extremity? No. Hear him say
to his friends. Tell all the psople who
arc coming down to the bed of deash
from ny experience it has no terrors. ="
o." ssy great many people, that
does very well for distinguished Christ
ians, but for me, a com non man, for
me, a common woman, we cant ex
peet that guidance and help" If 1
should give you passage Of Scripture
chat would promise to you positively
wher you are crossing the river to the
next world the king would be in tho
boat, would you believe the promise?
Ca yes" you Say, II would. Here is
the promise. "When thou passest
through the waters, will be with thee,
and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee" Christ at the sick pill
low to take the soul out Of the body;
Christ to help the soul down the bank
into the boat; Christ midstream; Christ
on the other side to help the sou! up
the beach. Be conforted about your
departed friends. Be comforted about
your own demise when the time shall
come. Tell it to all the people under
the sun that no Christian ever dies
alone; the King is in the boat.
Again, my text suggests that leav'
ing this world for heaven is only Cross
ing a ferry. DR.. Shaw estimates the
average width Of the Jordan to be about
80 yards. What, so BARLOW? Yes.
There went over ferrebost to carry
the kings household" Yes, going to
heaven is only short tsip-orly fer
~. It may be 80 miles-that is 80
yesrs-before we get to the vet bank
on the other side, but the crossing is
| short. will tell you the whole secret.
It is not FIVE minutes across, nor three,
| nor one minute. It is an instantaneous
transportation. People talk as though
leaving this life, the Christian went
hourdering and swimming, to crawl up
exhausted on the other shore, aad 10 be
pulled out of the pelting surf as by a
Rausgate lifeboat No such thing It
is only ferry. It is so narrow that we
can hail esch other from bank to bank.
1t is only four arms lengths across.
The arm of earthly farewell put ous
from this side the arm Of heavenly vel,
come put out from the ctter side,
while the dying Christian, standing
midstrean, stretched out his two arus,
! the one to take the farewell of earth,
and other to take greeting of heaven
That makes four arms lengths across
the river.
Blessed be God, that when We leave
this world We are not to have great
aud perilous enterprise Of getting into
heaven. Not dangerous franklin ex-
petition to find the northwest passage
among ieebergs Oaly ferry. That
accounts for something you have peV%r
been able to understand. You never
supposed that Very nervous and simid
Christian people could be so u,excised
and plscid in the last hour. The ia It
is, they we're clear down on the bank,
and they saw there was nothing to be
frightened about. Such a short dis
tance-only ferry. With one ear
they heard the fuoeral psslm in their
memory, and With the other ear they
heard the soug-of heavenly sa!u<ation.
Tue willows on this side Of Jo77aaee:ss Jo77aee:ss and
the Lebanon cedars on the other almost
interlocked their branches. Only a
ferry.
My sab;ect also suggests the fact
fact that when We cross over at the
last we shall find solid landing. The
ferryboat as spoken Of in my text
means place to start from and a place
to land. David and his people did not
find the eastern shore Of the Jordan
any more solid than the western shore
where he landed, and yet TO a great
many heaven is not real place. To
you heaven is a fog bank in the dis
tance. Now, my heaven is solid
heaven. After the resurrection has
come you will have q resurrected foot
and something to tread on and res
directed eye and colors to see with it
resurrected ear and music to regsle
it. Smart men in this day are making
great deal Of fun about St. Johns
msterialistic descriptions of heaven.
Well, now, my friends, if you will tell