Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-12-10

together in 10000 years they Will never
! be able to make a boat that can cross
this Jordan. Why was it that Spinoza
/ and Blount and Shaftesbury lost their
souls? 1t was because they tried to
cross the stream in Il boat Of their own
construction. What miserable work
they made of dying! Diodorus died OF
modification because he could not
guess q conundrum which had been
! proposed to him at a public dinner;
ZeuXis, the philosopher, died of mirth,
laughing at a caricature Of an aged
woman, a caricature made by his own
! hand; while another of their company
j and of their kind died saying, "Must 1
, leave all these beautiful pictures?' and
then asked that he might be bolstered
up in the bed in his last moments and
be shaved and painted and rOuged. Of
all the unbelievers of all ages not one
died we'll. Some Of them sneaked out
of life, some wept themselves away in
+ darkness, some blasphemed and raved
and tore their bed covers to tatters.
! This is the way worldly philosophy
helps q man to die.
A guide at Niagara falls said to me,
I do you see that rock down in the rap
ids?" said. yes" "Well," he said,
''SOme years ago q man got into the
rapids and f1oated down until he came
20 that rock, and he clutched that and
held on. We sent five lifeboats at diff
ferent times out to him, and they were
all broken TO splinters. After awhile
we got him some food, but he could not
eat it. He seemed to have no appetite.
He wanted to get ashore, and the poor
fellow held on and held on, and, with
Shrek louder than the thunder of the
cataract, he went over" When a man
puts out from the shore Of this world
on the river of death in a boat of his
own construction. he has worse disas-
ter than that-shipwreck. eternal ship
wreck.
From the Other Shore.
Blessed be God, there is boat COM
ing from the other side! Transporta-
ton at last for our souls from the other
shore; everything about this gospel
from the other shore; pardon from the
other shore; mercy from the other
shore; pity from the other shore; minis
try of angels from the other shore;
power to work miracles from the other
shore; Jesus Christ from the other
shore. This is faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptatiOn that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sin
ners.' and from 4 foreign shore | see
the ferryboat coming, and it rolls with
the surges of 4 Saviour'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.
hot CrIo
Gus Thomas Walsh gets into it in his
expiring moment, saying: 'He has
come, He has come. My beloved is
mine. and l am his" Good Sarah Yves
ley got into that boat. and as she shov-
ed off from the shore she cried: "Open
the gates. Open the gates!' l bless
God that as the boat came from the
other shore to take David and his men
across so when we are about to die the
boat will come from the same direc-
ton. God forbid that l should ever
trust to anything that starts from this
side.
Again, my subject suggests that
when we cross over at the last the
King will be on board the boat. Ship
carpentry in Bible times was in it's in
fancy. The boats were not skillfully
made. and | can very easily imagine
that the women and the children of the
kings household might have been nerv-
Gus about going on that boat, afraid
that the oarsman or the helmsman
might give out and that the boat might
be dashed on the rocks. as sometimes
boats were dashed in the Jordan, and
then | could have imagined the boat
out. oh. we are going to be lost; we
are going down." Not so. The king
wasSpn board the boat, and those wo-
men apd children and all the household
of the king knew that every care was
taken to have the king, the head Of the
empire. pass in safety.
A Delusion DispeIIed.
Now. want to break up a 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 60 |
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 darkness and in the |
boat all alone. oh the parents say, |
'if | could only go with my child. l
would be willing to die half a dozen |
times. | am afraid she will be lost in
the woods or in the darkness. l am |
afraid she will be very much frighten-
ed in the boat all alone l break up |
the delusioE. When a 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 eXtrem-
ity? No. Hear him say. Best of all,