The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-13
TALMAGE'S
sERMON.
TELLS or pAvID's PASSAGE
OVER THE JORDON.
from an Almost Unnoticed Incident Of
O1den Time Are Drawn Lessons of
Comfort aud Hopefulness to All Gods
Child2en.

O1O0n Al"6 <AE0 OEHWh A/0oSOsA" ~
Comfort aud Hopefulness to All Gods
Child7en.
Copyright 1900, Louis Klopsch. N. ~
Washington, Dec. 9.-From an I'M
noticed incident Of olden time DR..
Talmage in this discourse draws some
comfortable and rapturous lessons.
The text is II. Samuel xix, 18, And
there went over a ferryboat to carry
over the kings household"
Which of the crowd is the king?
That short man, sunburnt and in
fatigue dress. It is David, the exiled
king. He has defeated his enemies
and is now going home to resume his
palace. Good! always like to see
David come out ahead. But between
him and his home there is the cele-
brated river Jordan which has to be
passed. The king Is accompanied to
the bank of the river by an aristocratic
old gentleman of so years, Barzillai
by name. who owned fine country
seat at Rogelim. Besides that. David
has his family with him. But how
shall they get across the river? While
they are standing there see ferry
boat coming from the other side, and
as 1t cuts through the water I see the
faces OF David and his household
brighten up at the thought of so soon
getting home. No sooner has the fer
ryboat struck the shore than David
and his family and his old friend
Barzillai from Rogelim get on board
the boat. Either with splashing oars
at the side or with one oar sculling at
the stern of the boat they leave the
eastern bank of the Jordan and start
for the western bank.
That western bank Is black with
crowds Of people. who are waving and
shouting at the approach of the king
and his family. The military are all
out. Some of those who have been
Dayid's worst enemies now shout until
they are hoarse at his return. No
sooner has the boat struck the shore
on the western side than the earth
quakes and the heavens ring with
cheers of welcome and congratulation.
David and his family and Barzillai
from Rogelim step ashore. King Da-
vid asks his old friend to go with him
and live at the palace, but Barzillai
apologies and intimates that he Is in
firm with age and too deaf to appre-
ciate the music, and has delicate ap-
luxurious living. and so he begs that
David would let him go back to his
country seat
Dislike Of Excitement.
I once heard the father of presi-
dent of the United States say that he
had just been to Washington to see his
son in the White House. and he told
me Of the wonderful things that oc-
CURED there and of what Daniel Web
ster said to him, but he declared: 81
was glad to get home. There was too
much going on there for me-" My
father. an aged man, made his last
visit at my house in Philadelphia, and
after the church service was over, and
we went home, some one in the house
asked the aged man how he enjoyed
the service. "Well," he replied, 81 en-
1oyed the service, but there were too
many people there for me. It troubled
my head very much" The fact is that
old people do not like excitement. II
King David had asked Barzillai thirty
years before to go to the palace, the
probability is that Barzillai would
have gone, but not now. They kiss
each other good-by. custom among
men Oriental, but in vogue yet where
two brothers part or an aged father
and son go away from each other
never to meet again. No wonder that
their lips met as King David and old
Barzillai, at the PROV of the ferryboat,
parted forever.
An Unstable Craft.
Every day find people trying to ex-
temporize way from earth to heaven.
They gather UP their good works and
some sentimental theories, and they
make a raft, showing it from the shore,
Ind poor, deluded souls get on board
hat raft. and they go down. The fact
b that skepticism and infidelity never
ret helped one man to die. invite all
he ship carpenters of worldly philos-
Dphy to come and build one boat that
IAN safely cross that river. I invite
hem all to unite their skill, and Boil
ngbroke shall lift the stanchions, and
fyndall shall shape the bowsprit, and
Ipinoza shall make the maintopgal-
ant braces. and Renan shall go to
lacking and wearing and boxing the
hip. All together in 10000 years they
will never be able to make boat that
AN cross this Jordan. Why was it that
spinoza and Blount and Shaftesbury
ost their souls? It was because they
tried to cross the stream in boat OF
heir own construction. What miser.
lble work they made Of dying? Dio.
lorus died Of modification because he
tould not guess a conundrum which
had been proposed to him at public
linner. zeuxis, the philosopher. died
II mtrth, laughing at caricature Of
IN aged woman, caricature made by
his own hand, while another Of theil
company and of their kind died say
ing. Must leave all these beautiful
Dictures?" and then asked that h.
night be bolstered up in the he'd ir