The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1865-03-24
Wiseella1eous.
Recognition in Heaven.

Y
children. or each other in the future lie.
On the other hand. 1t IS assumed all the way
through. in his instructions. and particular
| ly those of his apostles, that We shall know
each other beyond this world; where, for in
s.ancc. God hins,lf r,h,arsss the names OF
the patriarchs-of Abraham, Isaac and ia
cob; where. when he was pre6guring him.
self. Moses and Elias appeared so manitestly
that the disciples knew 1t to be them; where
there is the enumeration OF the various He
brew WORTHLESS that had been prominent in
the Jewish nation down to that time; and
where the apostle SAYS: ave are surround.
ed by these clouds OF witnesses" after hav-
ins mentioned them Individually, oneby one.
Now if the theory had been that person at
dying goes into an indistinguishable throng,
without name or personality, how should
there be such an inference IA is found there,
appealing to the strongest feeling OF the Jew
ish mind-its nationality? We find abun-
dant intimstions in the New Testament that
heaven is not filled with nameless and insipid
spirits, and that men carry with them into
the other lie the individualities which be-
long IN them npon earth.
This is hut sketch Of the pointings to
ward the fact in the New Testament.
Now look at it in another way. What is
the training OF the mortal life for, ii it is to
be obliterated at death? What does the
coming Of Christ into the world amount to,
IL there Is to be such change at death that
men will not know each other when they
meet above? II we carry out OF this lite
none of the characteristics which We lorm
here. what is the nature and DRIFT OF all this
supernatural system Of education through
which we are passing?
There can he no doubt that there will be
great changes at death. When We drop tn"
body matter is done with. After that we
are TO have spiritual bodies. We can scarce
ly conceive OF such n state rs that which
awaits us. We understand it bctter by neg
atiyes than by positives. Flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom Of God" As to
what a spiritual body is we can form no dis
tinct conception whatever. We shall doubt
less leave behind us many OF those passions
whose functions seem to he tho nourishm ent
of our physical life. We shall doubtless
leave behind us many OF those faculties which
inhere in the mind. and which build 1t up
rather IN it's physical connections than in its
immortal and spiritual unity.
When one car OF corn grows, 1t grows
with a stalk; but it is none the less u recos-
nizable ear Of corn il you bre,k it of from
that stalk. For the purposes Of growing II
is necessary that there should be n great deal
Of silk, but that silk dries up and perishes.
and leaves the corn intact Ii is needful
that there should no u husk to protect and
nourish the corn, and supply it with juices :
but, when the husk rs taken of the ear OF
corn remains. And there is cob which is
indispensable to the life Of the kernel during
its growing and maturity, from which the
moment il is matured, you may she'll the
cnrn without injuring it. You have taken
away the conditions that were essential to
the ripening Of the corn, but you have not
changed the corn particle.
Now, | cau cinceiyc that all that which
belongs to the bodily organization we
shall leave in this world ut death, but
the reason, the moral sentiments, the imag-
ination. the finer tastes and affections, that
belong not to our earthly condition, especial
ly, but that receive their training here-all
these emerge into the light ot heaven.
Then, in the next place, to have lett 1t so
that we should not know each other in the
other life. hut should roll ,osether like drops
of water in the ocean, or mingle like rain.
drops in the sky. unknown and unknowing.
would have been cruel indeed
For, il there be anything in the world
that helps US more than another tn get con-
ccption of heaven. it is our domestic ntfec
IL ms. You will take notice that now and
then there IL "a nature that lives almut en-
tirely by Ideally, and that has poetic real.
ization of heaven; but that Is not the case
with many. With the ordinary average OF
persons, when they begin to think OF heaven
Il is vague, distant, measureless, and almost
tenantless. They believe that it is popua-
ted, but they have no realization OF the fact.
As they grow older, little brother or sister
dies. The moment the child feels that u
dear friend has gone to return no more. 1t
experiences dreadful shock. Ii was 80 with
me. Nv little brother Frederic died. His
death was the first that made u strong i'm
presssou upon me: and to see him sick, to
see him put into the coffin, to follow him to
the grave. and to see him buried-it subsoiled
my soul. It plougbed 1t to the bottom. And
I instantly began to feel an immense work
ing within me-for had now something to
work on. When | heard persons say "nn
GEL" did not know what It was. II might
he a humrning bird. or swallow, or some
thing else. | had seen 80 many pictures o.
angels that I had enough to choose from
hut IL was something fugacious and thin;
w hen, however. my brother Frederic died,
and they told me that he had gone to heaven,
there was one thing there which could not
understand. and that was Fred. I was a
little boy then.
The next person whose death made strong
impression upon me was the son ot Seth
b .ers. and playmate OF mine; remcm'
her how every stroke OF the bell WIS like
;ayeliu thrown at me. recollect how my
Iiule stock in heaven increased alter his de-
parture. can almost trace the population
Of the future home. In my thought OF the
adven. there of those that had known on
earth. until. by one. and another. and an
other. and with larger knowledge OF Scrip
ture. teaching. and with reflection, heaven be-
gan to stand out very distinct. and to be u
reality to me. And In all my ministry !
have attempted to help others as have been
helped to enable them to realize distinctly
the condition Of heaven, and to follow thith.
or in their thoughts those who have preceded
them, and gone out from this earthly strug.