American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-30

keep our faces turned towards it, and to
press towards it in all our journeyings.-
Who does not love and cherish the land
in which they claim citizenship If you
have ever been separated from it for a
season, ,-and have been cast a stranger in a
strange land, you can better understand
the love of citizen for the land of his
birth OF adoption. When absent, how
cheering is news from home, how delight
ful to see face from home. Any fellow
citizen seems kindred, but the heart
thinks most of the dear ones in the far-off
land and longs most for communion with
them. So the child of God has its citi-
zenship in heaven. Earth is strange
country; here We may be left in the prov
idence Of God here may be our bust
ness here we may make friends and form
attachments, but here we do not desire to
lineer; here we do not desire to keep our
loved ones here is not our citizenship,
nor here our home; now we are journey
ing and dwell in tents, our mansions have
been prepared in the Father house by a
Brother gone before. Our great aim
should be to be speedily returned to the
land of citizenship, ourselves and our
loved ones. Why should it matter much
whether our kindred go before or follow
after? The great end to be accomplish
ed is to get all home it is ungratsful for
getfulness of home to get wrapt up in the
pleasures and pursuits of the land of our
pilgrimage; it shows too much attach
ment for strange land, and too little for
the land of our citizenship to be afraid to
die, to be anxious to live; lukewarm must
| be our ,ove for Christ if we are aught
than happy when the time approaches in
which we are TO depart to be with Him /;
we call that love which prompts us to
seize the garments of our departing Chris
tian friends as they 90 down into the dark
valley leaning on the arm of our resur
rected Brother, to be taken to the man
sion prepared aud furnished; which
prompts us to try to wake them from their
sleep in Jesuss by the grief of our urstrick-
en- hearts; but is it not selfish love that
would keep them back because we are not
ready to depart, that would deprive Il hem
longer of their promised rest and reward
that yoHlq selfshly ask them to stay
and close OFF eyes in death, apd wait,
weeping at oHr graves rather than we at
theirs Our Christian friends rebuke our
tears and grief by calling back in their
unbounded joy, ''If ye loved me, &c"
Surely the best boon that fondest affec-
tiog can ask for Christian friend is
death, for it is far better to depart and
be with Christ Heaven is attractive in
itself and in its own peculiar society as
distinguished from the society of earth.
Leaving out of view our relations to our
kindred according tothe flesh, not taking
into account the fact on which we rest
many hopes that in heaven we shall en-
joy in perfection much thatwas here only
partial and incomplete, there is much in
heaven and heagepiy society that draws
us and induces us to make it the country
of our choice, and to claim there our cit.
izenship, All reports agree that it is an
exceedingly good land that is beyond
Jordan, land flowing with milk ard
honey, whose attractions will surely please,
and whose products will surely satisfy
our immortal natures, land in which
nothing could be found that would mar
the purity or disturb the peace of its cit
izens. And it is the dwelling place of
God-the home of our divine Redcemer,
and around the throne, in shining circles
and countless nqql ers, are the holy an
gels. All this attracts and draws us heav-
onward. But it is impossible to sepa-
rate our thoughts of heaven and our
thoughts Of kindred If it were the de.
clared viii of God, we should be ready to
dissolve, at the grave, forever the pleas
ant relations of life; but such is not His
will /; the reunion of parted friends is
continually presented in the scriptures for
the comfort of the bercaved spd sorrow
full, as We journey together to our better
country. So also shall we enjoy it to-
gether; LIES relations win be recognized
and continued; Christian society can
scarcely be said to be interrupted by
death; our departed Christian friends are
not associated with US in the body; we do
not see y form that we can touch, but
does the grave hide them, or has death
removed them so far that the soul cannot
catch precious vision for its comfort p
No audible voice falls upon our ear, and
still we hear them--in solitude, in the ST.
lent night, in the early morning-yea,
coptinpally we hear it like living echo