The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-12-21
CROSSING THE FERRY
DR.. Talmage Tells of David's Pas
sage Over the Jordan.
He Draws a Lesson of Comfort ana
Hopefulness to All Gods Chill
dren-The Ferry to
Heaven.
copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch.I
Washington.

time DR.. Talmage in this discourse
draws some comforting and rapturous
lessons. The text is Samuel l9:lo
sand there went over ferryboat to
carry over the kings household
Which of the crowd is the klngF
That short man, sunburnt and IN Ia
tigue dress. 1t is David, the exlleo
king. He has defeated his enemies and
is now going home to resume his PAL
ace. Good! l always like to see Davlo
come out ahead. But between him and
his home there is the celebrated river
Jordan which has to be passed. Inc
king is accompanied to the bank OF the
river by an aristocratic old gentleman
of so years, Barzillai by name, who
owned a fine country seat at Roge-
linn. Besides that, David has his fam
lily with him. But how shall they get
across the river? While they are stand
ing there see ferryboat coming from
the other side, and as it cuts through
the water l see the faces of David and
his household brighten up at the
thought of SO soon getting home. No
sooner has the ferryboat 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 Jor-
dan 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
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 David asks
his old friend to go with him and live
at the palace, but Barzillai apollo
gizes and intimates that he is infirm
with age and too deaf to appreciate
the music, and has delicate appetite
that would soon be cloyed with lux
urious living, and SO he begs that David
would let him go back to his country
seat.
l 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 occurred
there, and of what Daniel Webster said
to him, but he declared II was glad
TO get home. There was too much GO
ing 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, II enjoyed the serv
ice, but there were too many people
there for me. 1t troubled my head
very much" The fact is that old peo
pie do not like excitement. If King
David had asked Barzillai 30 years be
fore 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 par
or an aged father and son go away
from each other never to meet again
No wonder that their lips met as Kins
David and old Barzillai, at the PROV o
the ferryboat, parted forever.
This river Jordan, in all ages ant
among all languages, has been the sym
boil of the boundary line between eartl
and Heaven. Yet when on a former oc
casion l preached to you about tn
Jordanic passage 1 have no doubt tina
some of you despondingly said: 9Th
Lord might have divided Jordan TO
Joshua, but not for poor me-" Chez
up! l want to show you that there
a way over Jordan as well as throug
1t. My text says: "And there wen
over a ferryboat to carry over tn
kings household"
Ny subject, in the first place, in
presses me with the fact that when W
cross over from this world to the mex
the boat will have to come from tn
other side. The tribe of Judah, W
are informed. sent this ferryboat acros
to get David and his household. Istan
on the eastern side of the river Jol
dan. and l find no shipping at all. bu
while / am standing there / see boa
blowing through the river, and as
hear the swirl of the waters and tn
boat comes to the eastern side of til
Jordan and David and his family an
his old friend step on board that boa
am nightly impressed with the fa'
that when we cross over from tn
world to the next the boat will have I
come from the opposite shore.
guide at Niagara falls said to m,
"Do you see that rock down. in Il
rapids?" I said: Yes" well" ]