The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-12-14


shore. This Is faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sin
ners," and from foreign shore see
the ferryboat coming. and 1t rolls with
the surges of Savior's suffering; but
as It strikes the earth the mountains
rock, and the dead adjust their apparel
so that they may be fit to come out.
That boat touches the earth, and glori-
Gus Thomas Walsh gets into 1t in his
expiring moment, saying: HE has
come! He has come! My Beloved is
mine, and am his" Good Sarah Wes-
ley got into that boat, and as she
showed off from the shore she cried:
open the gates! Open the gates!" I
bless God that as the boat came from
the other shore to take David and his
men across, so, when we are about 10
die, the boat will come from the same
direction. God forbid that / should
ever trust to anything that starts from
this side
The Souls Companions.
Now, | want to break up delusion
in your mind, and that is this: When
our friends go out from this world. we
feel sorry for them because they have
to go alone; and parents hold on to
the hands of their children who are
dying and hold on to something OF the
impression that the moment they let
go the little one will be in the dark
H., al a1nnn "Oh "
the parent says, 'if l could only go
with my child, l would be willing to
die half dozen times. l am afraid she
will be lost in the woods or in the
darkness; | am afraid she will be very
much frightened in the boat all alone"
l break up the delusion. When soul
goes to heaven, it does not go 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 am now ready to be
offered, 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 u.s." Wac
Sir William Forbes alone in the last
extremity? No. Hear him say to his
friends, Tell all the people who are
coming down to the bed of death from
my experience it has no terrors. y
"Oh," says a great many people, that
does very we'll for distinguished Chris
tians, but for me- a common man, for
me, q common woman, we can't ex-
pect that guidance and help" II l
should give you passage OF Scripture
that would promise to you positively
when you are crossing the river to the
next world the King would be in the
boat would you believe the promise?
ooh, yes" you say, Il would" Here
is the promise, When thou passest
through the waters, l 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
soul up the beach. Be comforted 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.
The Ferry to Heaven.
Again, my text suggests that leaving
the world, for heaven is only crossing
a ferry. DR.. Shaw estimates the aver
age width of the Jordan to be about
30 yards. What, so narrow? Yes
There went over a ferryboat to carry
the kings household" Yes, going to
heaven is only a short trip-only a
ferry. 1t may be so miles-that is, SO
years-before we get to the wet 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 two, nor one minute. 1t is
an instantaneous transportation. Peo-
pie talk as though, leaving this life,
the Christian went plunging and fioun-
dering and swimming, to crawl up ex-
hausted on the other shore, and to be
pulled out of the pelting surf as by a
Ramsgate life-boat. No such thing. 1t
is only ferry. 1t is so narrow that
we can hail each other from bank to
bank 1t is only four arms lengths
across. The arm Of earthly farewell
put out from this side. the arm OF
heavenly welcome out from the other
side, while the dying Christian, stand
ing midstream, stretches out his two
arms, the one to take the farewell OF
earth, and the other to take the greet
ing of heaven. That makes four arms
lengths across the river.
Welcome at the Landing.
Again, my subject teaches that when
we cross over at the last we shall be
met at the landing. When David and
his family went over in the ferryboat
spoken of in the text they landed
amid a nation that had come out TO
greet them. AS they stepped from the
the deck of the boat to the shore there
were thousands of people who gather
ed around them to express satisfac-
ton that was beyond description. And
so you and l will be met at the land
| ing Our arrival will not be like step