The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-01-17
CROSSING THE FERRY
Dr.. Talmage Tells of David's Pas.
sage Over the Jordan.
lie Draws a Lesson of Comfort and
Hopefulness to All Gods Chill
dren-The Ferry to
Heaven.
copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopseh.l
Washington,

From an unnoticed incident of olden |
time DR.. Talmage in this discourse |
draws some comforting and rapturous
lessons. The text is Samuel 1918:
"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 IA
tigue dress. 1t is David, the exiled
king. He has defeated his enemies and
is now going home to resume his pal
ace. Good! l always like to see David
come out ahead But between him and
his home there is the celebrated 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 Roge-
lin. Besides that. David has his fam
lily with him. But how shall they get
across the river? While they are stand
ing there see a ferry boat coming from
the other side, and as it cuts through
the water see the faces of David and
his household brighten up at the
thought of so soon getting home. No
sooner has the ferry boat struck the
shore than David and his family and
his old friend Rarzilai, 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.
hat =
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
David'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 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
urious living, and so he begs that David
would let him go back to his country
seat.
| 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 If what Don;oI yyoIe+or e., Il
to him. but he declared: 81 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, 81 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 80 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 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 ferry boat, parted forever.
| This river Jordan, in all ages anG
among all languages, has been the sym
bol of the boundary line between eartf
and Heaven. Yet when on former oc
casion I preached to you about ths
Jordanic passage l have no doubt tha
some of you despondingly said: 9Th,
Lord might have divided Jordan fol
Joshua, but not for poor me-" Chez.
up! / want to show you that there il
a way over Jordan as well as through
it. My text says: and there wen
over ferryboat to carry over th
kings household"
My subject, in the first place. i'm
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, "
are informed, sent this ferryboat acros
to get David and his household. Istan,
on the eastern side of the river Jor
dan, and find no shipping at all, bu
while l am standing there see boa
plowing through the river, and as
hear the swirl of the waters and tn
boat comes to the eastern side of tn
Jordan and David and his family an
his old friend step on board that boa
] am nightly impressed with the fac
that when we cross over from thi
world to the next the boat will have
come from the opposite shore.
4 guide at Niagara falls said to me
"Do you see that rock down in tn
rapids?" l said: YES" Well" b
, said, "some years ago man got int
the rapids and foated down until h
came to that rock. and he clutche
that and held on. We sent five lif,
!. heats at different times out to hin
and they were all broken to splinter
After awhile we got him some foo
hut lie could not eat it He seemed
1--we no appetite, He wanted to g
! ashore. aud the poor fellow held G