Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-12-28
Yearly Subscription sloo WAKEENEY KAN. SATURDAY, DEC

But closely allied is the other fact
which we limited at in the opening
that we will not pass this way again.
This is our only opportunity for doing
certain things that ought to be done.
On all sides there are griefs We ought
to solace, hunger we ought to feed, cold
that we ought to warm, kind words
that we ought to speak, generous deeds
we ought to perform. All that you and
1 do toward making this world better
and happier we must do very soon or
never do at all. Joshua and his troops
never came back over the way they
were marching toward the crossing of
the Jordan. The impress of the sandal
or the bare feet of each soldier showed
in what direction he was going, but
never did the impress of the sandal of
any one of them show that he had re-
turned. We are all facing eternity to
come. There is no retreat. Alertness
and fidelity would not be so important
if we could truthfully say: ct will be
back here again. The things I neglect
now 1 will do the next time come.
I will be reincarnated, and I will re-
sumo my earthly obligations. Having
then more knowledge than have now,
l will discharge my earthly duties bet
ter than l can now discharge them.
do not give solemn farewell to these
obligations and opportunities, but a
smiling and CHEEKY good-by until I
see them again. No; we cannot say
that. There will be no new and cor
rected edition of the volume of our
earthly life. How many millions of
people have lived and died know not,
but of all the human race who have
gone only seven persons that I now
think of have returned, the son of the
widow at Zarephath, the young man Of
Main, the rulers daughter, Tabitha,
Eutychus, Lazarus and Christ. Among
all the ages to come 1 do not suppose
there will be one more who will return
to this life, having once left it.
Lord Bacon said that he who shall
discover the way to make myrrh solu-
bic by human blood will discover i'm
mortal life on earth, but no such dis
covery will ever be made. With what
| suggestive solemnity does this thought
| charge every hour of our earthly exist
| ence. 1t is said that it is possible to
| know which way the wind blew at the
| time of the deluge by the mark of the
| wave still to be found in the sand, and
| the direction of our influence, however
| slight, will leave a mark thai will last
| forever
At this point I ask you to notice the
Iact that my text does not call atten-
tion to the crossing of the Jordan, but
| to the way leading thereto. We all
| think much of our crossing of the Jor-
| dan when the march of our life is end
ed, but put too little emphasis on the
way that leads to the crossing. What
| you and / need most to care about is
| the direction of the road we are travel
| ing. We need have no fear of the
| crossing If we come to it in the right
| way. In other words, we need not care
| about death if our life has been what
it ought to be. We will die right if we
| live right.
What an absurdity it would have
been for Joshua and his men to have
asked each other questions like these:
How can we cross the Jordan if we
get there2 Will not the water be toe
deep to allow us to wade? Will we mo-
all be SO saturated that we NAV LOSE
our lives by exposure? How many o.
US can swim? Had we better not wal
until the annual freshet has subsided?' 2
No such folly did they commit. The,
were anxious chiefly about the way
that they had mot passed before" ant
were ignorant of and TO keep their eye
on the golden covered acacia box, wing
mounted, which was the ark of the GOV
enant.
o hearer, stop bothering about you
exit from sublunary scenesi By tn,
grace of God get your heart right an,
then go ahead. If the Lord takes car
of you clear on to the bank on thi
side of the river, I think you cal
trust him to take you from bank t,
bank on the other side. Keep your ey
on the ark, and whatever betides, yol
will go through all right.
One Easter morning Massena, tn
marshal of France, appeared with Is,
the town of Feldkirch. There were n
arms to defend the town, and the in
habitants were wild with terror. The,
| the old dean of the church cried out
MY brothers, this is Easter day! w
have been depending on our owl
strength, and that fails. Let us turr
to God. Ring the bells and have serv
ice as usual" Then the bells rang ou
sweetly and nightly from the churc
towers of Feldkirch, and the peopl
; thronged to the houses of prayer 70
. worship. The sound of the bells mad
the enemy think that the Austria
, army had come in to save the plac,
and Massena and his $4,000 soldiers re
: treated. BY the time the bells ha
e<orDod fho-o not ono So