The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-12-21

went over" When man puts OUT
from the shore of this world on the
river of Death in a boat OF his own
construction, he has worse disaster
than shipwreck, eternal ship
wreck.
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 TINS
Gospel from the other shore; pardon
from the other shore; mercy from the
other shore; pity from the otner
shore; ministry of angels from the
other shore; power to work miracles
from the other shore; Jesus Chrlst
from the other shore. This is talth-
full saying and worthy of all accepta-
ton that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save Sinners" and from
foreign shore see the ferryboat COM
ing, and it rolls with the surges OF
Saviour's suffering; but as 1t strikes
the earth the mountains rock, and the
dead adjust their apparel so that
they may be fit to come out. Ihat
boat touches the earth, and glorious
Thomas Walsh gets into it in his ex-
piring moment, saying: HE has
come! He has come! My Beloved is
mine, and 1 am His" Good Sarah
Wesley 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 to die, the boat will come from
the same direction. 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 its
infancy. The boats were not skill
fully made, and can very easily i'm
agine that the women and the chill
dren of the Kings household might
have been nervous 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 l could have
imagined the boat starting and rock
ing, and they crying out: "Oh, we are
going to be lost. We are going DOWN.
Not so. The King was on board the
boat, and those women and children
and all the household of the king
knew that every care was taken TO
have the king-the head OF the en-
pire-pass in safety. q
Now, 1 want to break up delusion
in your mind, and that is this: When
our friends go out of 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
darkness and in the boat all alone.
"Oh," the parent says, IF could only
go with my child, l would be willing
to die half dozen times. / am afraid
she will be lost in the woods or in the
darkness; l am afraid she will be
very much frightened in the boat all
alone" I 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: Il
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." Was Sir
William Forbes alone in the last ex-
tremity? No. Hear him say to his
friends: "Tell all the people who are
coming down to the bed of death from
nv experience it has no terrors.'
"Oh," say a great many people, that
does very well for distinguished Chris
tians, but for me, common man, fol-
me, a common woman, we can't ex
pect that guidance and help" If
should give you passage of Scripture
that would promise to you positively
when you are crossing the river t.
the next world the King would be il
the boat, would you believe the prom
Use? "Oh. yes" you say, II would
Here is the promise: when thol
passest through the waters, l will b.
with thee, and through the rivers
they shall not overflow thee" Chris
+ at the sick pillow to take tn, soul Gu
{ of the body; Christ to help the sou
: down the bank into the boat; Chris
midstream; Christ on the other sid
to help the soul up the beach. b
= comforted about your departe,
= friends. Be comforted about you
!. own demise when the time shall come
/. Tell it to all the people under the SUI