Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1869-04-14
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lRepRblished by request.l
NO SECT IN HEAVEN.


lRepablished by request.l
NO SECT IN HEAVEN.
Talking of sects till late one eve,
Ofthe various doctrines the saints believe,
That night stood in a troubled dream,
By the side Of q darkly flowing stream.
And a "Churchman" down to the river came
When heard strange voice call his name,
"Good father stop when you cross this tide
You must leave your robes on the other side"
But the aged father did not mind,
And his long gown foated out behind,
As down tho stream his way he took,
His pale hands elasping gilt-edged book.
"I'm bound for Heaven and when I'm there
shall want my book of Common Prayer;
And though put on a starry crown,
should feel quite lost without my gown"
Then he fixed his eye on a shining track,
But his coat was heavy, and held him back,
And the poor old father tried in vain,
A single step in the flood to gain.
saw him again on the other side
But his silk gown foated on the tide
And no one asked, in that blissiul spot,
Whether he belonged to "THE Church" or not.
Then dOwn.the river Quaker strayed,-
His dress Of a sOmbre hue was made;
MY coat and hat must be of gray
cannot go any other way"
Then he buttoned his coat straight up to his chin
And steadily, sOlemnly, waded in,
And his broad-brimmed hat he pulled down tight
Over his forehead, so cold and white.
But a strong wind carried away his hat
A moment he silently sighed over that,
And then, as he gazed to the farther shore,
The coat slipped off, and was seen no more.
As he entered Heaven, his suit of gray
Went quietly ysailing-away-away,
And none Of the Angels questioned him
About the width of his beavers brim.
Next came DIR. Watts, with bundle Of Psalms
Tied nicely up in his aged arms,
And hymns as many, a very wise thing,
That the people in Heaven ''all round" might
sing.
But thought that he heaved an anxious sigh,
As he saw that the river ran broad and high,
And looked rather surprised, as one by one,
The Psalms and the Hymns in the wave went
down.
And after him, with his MSS,
Came Wesley, the pattern of goodness;
But he cried, ''dear me what shall do?
The water has soaked them through and thro.''
And there on the river, far and wide,
Away they went down the swollen tide
And the saint, astonished, passed through alone,
Without his manuscript up to the throne.
Then gravely walking, two saints by name,
Down to the stream together came;
But as they stopped at the rivers brink!
saw one saint from tie other shrink.
"Sprinkled or plunged,-ma ask you friend,
How you attended to life's great end ?"
"THUs with a few drops upon my brow"
"But have been dipped as you'll sec me now"
"And really think It will hardly do,
AS I'm close communion to cross with you;
You're bound, know, to the realms of bliss,
But you must go that way, and I'll go this.
Then straightway plunging with all HIS might,
A~A Al IN ~ I'll - 4.-lN
Apart they went from this world of sin,
But at last together they entered in.
And now, when the river was rolling on,
A Presbyterian church Vent down,
OF women there seemed an innumerable throng
But the men could count as they passed along.
And concerning the road they could never agree,
The OLD or the NEW way, which it could be;
Nor ever n moment pause to think
That both would lead to the rivers brink.
And a sound of murmuring, long and loud,
Came ever up from the moving crowd;
'You're in the old way, and I'm in the new;
That Is the false, and this Is the true -
Or I'm in the old way, and you're in the new ;
THIS is the false and THAT is the true
But the BRETHREN only seemed to speak;
Modest the sisters walked, and meek.
But If ever'one of them ehanced TO say
What troubles she met with on the way
How she longed to pass to the other side,
Nor dared to cross over the swelling tide
A voice arose from the brethren then:
''Let no one speak but the ''holy men,
For have ye not heard the words of Paul,
"Oh let the women keep silence all?'
/ watched them long in my curious dream,
Till they stood by the borders Of the stream;
Then Just as I thought the two ways met,
But all the brethren were talking yet,
And would talk on, till the hoaying tide
Carried them over side by side;
Side by side for the way was one
The toilsome journey of life was done,-
And priest and quaker, and all who died,
Came out alike on the other side,
No forms, or crosses, or books had they
No gowns of silk, or suits of gray,
No creeds to guide them or MSS,
For all had put on Christs righteousness.