The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-12-21

| and be shaved and painted and rouged.
OF all the unbelievers of all ages not
| one died well. Some of them neake
| out of life, some wept themselves away
ed n tore their bed covers to tatters.
| This is the way worldly philosophy
helps a man to die.
A guide at Niagara falls said to me,
D you see that rock down in the
rapids?" 1 said, Yes" We'll" he
said. some years ago a man got n
the rapids and foated down until he
came to that rock, and he clutched
that and held on. We sent five life
| boats at different times out TO him, and
they were all broken to splinters. At
ter awhile we got him some food, but
| he could not eat it. He seemed to nave
no appetite. He wanted to get ashore
and the poor fellow held on n held
on, and with a 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
q o of his own construction. he has
worse disaster than that-shipwreck,
eternal shipwreck
WORD FROM THE OTHER SHORE.
Blessed be God. there is a boat COM
ing from the other side. Transports
ton at last for u souls from the
other shore; everything about this Cos
pei from the other shore; pardon from
the other shore: mercy from the other
shore; pity from the other shore; min
istry of angels from the other shore;
power to work miracles from the other
shore; Jesus Christ from the othe"
shore. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ
Jesus came into he world to save sin
rers." and from a foreign shore I see
the ferryboat coming. and 1t rolls with
the surges of a Saviour'S suffering:
but as Ii strikes the earth the noun
tains rock. and the dead adjust their
apparel so that they may be fit TO
come out. That boat touches the
| earth, and glorious Thomas Walsh gets
! into it in his expiring moment. saying:
He has come! He has come! My
Beloved Is mine. and I 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 Arpentry
in Bible times was in it's infamy. The
| boats were not skillfully made. and l
car very easily imagine that the wo-
men and the children of the king 8
household might have been nervous
about going on that boat afraid that
the horseman or the helmsman might
Civ out and that the boat might be
dashed On the rocks. as sometimes
boats were dashed in the Jordan, n
then 1 could have imagined the boat
starting and rocking. and h cry
ing out: "Oh, we are going to be lost.
| We are going DOWN." Not so. The
king was ON board h boat. N those
women and children and all the house
hold of the king knew that every care
was taken to have the king-the head
Of the empir-pas in safety.
THE SOULS COMPANION.
Now, 1 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 go alone. n parents hold on 10
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 / could only go
with my child. 1 would be willing to
die half a dozen times I I'm afraid
| she will be lost in the WOO or in the
darkness; 1 am afraid she will be very
much frightened in the boat all alone"
/ break UP the deluSion. When a soul
goes to heaven, 1t does not go alone:
the King is on board the boat. Was
Paul alone in the last extremity? e
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 us"
Was Sir William Forbes alone in the
last extremity? No. Hear him say
to his friends: Tell all the peope who
are coming down to the bed of death
from my experience it q no terrors."
oh" say a great manv people, that
does very well for distinguished Chris
tianS. but for me. a common man. for
me. a common m we can't ex-
pect that guidance and help" If l
should give you a passage of Scrip
IRE that would promise to you posi-
lively when vou are crossing the river
to the NEXT world the King would be
in the boat. would you believe the
primise? "Oh. yes" you say Il
would" Here is the promise: "When
thou passest through the waters. /
will be with thee. and through the riv-
ers. they shall not overflow thee"
Christ at h sick pillow to take the
soul out Of the body; Christ to help
the soul down the bank into tn boat:
Christ midstream; Christ on the other
side to help the SOL 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.
Agan, my text suggests that leaving
this world for heaven is only crossing a
ferry. DR.. Shaw estimates the average
width of the Jordan to be bot 80
yards. What. SO narrow? Yes. There
went owe a ferryboat to carry the kings
household" Yes. going to heaven is
only a hort tripeonly a ferry. 1t nay
be so miles-that Is. so years-before we
get to the west bank OF 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. People talk as though,
leaving this life, the Christian went
plnnpipD and f~0nndoriuO and cwin-