The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-13

come! He has come! My Beloved Is
mine, and am his" Good Sarah Yves
ley got into that boat, and as she
showed off from the shore she cried:
open the gates! Open the gates!"
Dless 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
direction. God forbid that / should
ever trust to anything that starts from
this side
Tho 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
ness and in the boat all alone. oh"
the parent says, IF l could only go
with my child, would be willing to
die half dozen times. am afraid she
will be lost in the woods or In the
darkness; I am afraid she will be very
much frightened in the boat all alone"
break up the delusion. When soul
goes to heaven, 1t 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, II 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 arc
coming down to the bed Of death from
my experience 1t has no terrors."
"Oh." says great many people, that
does very well for distinguished Chris
tians, but for me, a common man, for
me, common woman, we can't ex-
pect that guidance and help" If 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?
"Oh. 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
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
ferry. DR.. Shaw estimates the aver
age width of the Jordan to be about
80 yards. What, SO narrow? Yes.
There went over 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. 80
years-before we get to the wet bank
on the other side, but the crossing is
short. I will tell you the whole secret
1t 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 houn-
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. It
is only ferry. It 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
4 amid 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 will be met at the land
ing. Our arrival will not be like step
ping ashore at Antwerp or CONSTANT
nople among a crowd of strangers. 1t
will be among friends, good friends.
those who are warm hearted friends,
and all their friends. We know peo-
pie whom we have never seen by hear
ing somebody talk about them very
much; we know them almost as well
as II we had seen them. And. do you
not suppose; that our parents and
brothers and sisters and children In
heaven have been talking about US all
these years, and talking to their
friends? So that, suppose, when we
cross the river at the last we shall
not only be met by all those Chris
tian friends whom we knew on earth
but by all their friends. They will
come down to the landing to meet us
| Your departed friends love you nov
more than they ever did. You will be
surprised at the last to find how the,
know about all the affairs of you
life.