The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-06-10
HEAVEN.

Rev. Henry Ward Reafher's Idea Of
tho "Land or the Aereafter."
The following is from a report of Mr.
Beecher's sermon in Plymouth church
last Sunday:
Remarkiug, with a glance through
the windows, upon the clear, delightful
brightness OF the first morning OF sum-
mer, that it was a good time to talk
about heaven when the very tranquility
and sereneness OF the scene was SYM
Dol of the peace and order that we shall
find in heaven, Mr.. Beecher confined
the ideas OF his sermon yesterday morn
ing to the one topic OF the future world,
and the people who live there. Taking
his text from the Revelations. he refer
red to the belief popular among 90
many that there is an intermediary pro-
stationary state between existence here
and life in what is regarded as heaven,
and said that his own feeling was that
after death the soul rises Immediately
into the presence of God, for if there
was any intermediate place we should
have come conclusive testimony OF it
somewher in the Bible; and he quoted
the passage: when the dead shall
rise, all the living at the time shall
60 with them and be in the presence Of
their Father" so that it would plainly
appear that there is no intermediate
camping ground where the soul can
wait until it is better prepared to inherit
eternal lie. That dying is an entrance
at once into heaven, every person may
have reasonable presumption for be-
lieving. And this theory OF the entrance
of believing souls into heaven immedi-
ately after death does not forego that
idea Of an unfolding process, which,
though not probational, is yet
gradual and gradational. On this
point positiveness should be avoid
ed, but there is an illus
tration in the 22d Of Matthew
which shows the soundness OF the idea.
This was an illusion to the proposition
made to Christ OF a woman who was
seven times married, and at last died,
the question occurring as to whose vile
che should be of the seven. Christ
says: "Ye do err, not knowing the
Scriptures or the power OF God, for in
the resurrection they neither marry nor
are given in marriage, but are as the
angels OF Cod which is condition,
added Mr.. Beecher. totally different
from that which prevails on earth. The
passions which continue the race, huns
ger and thirst which supply the body
With food and drink, and the combat
i've tendencies which earth inspires,
shall be wanting there. When we
leave this body we leave many burnt
out passions and sppetites. There is
no propagation ofrace there; there ia no
hunger or thirst; there is no fighting or
jealousy. Why. then, should we pos
SEES those functions OF the body that
we have no need of?-and the preacher
cited St. PauPs declaration that we
shall not carry our earthly bodles
through into the other world. We
shall hsve bodies that will not be fleet
ing, and yet which will ldentlfy us:
We shall there have the affections and
the thoughts of the mind which do not
belong to brutehood.
Speaking of the point OF goodness to
which one must, or rather must not,
necessarily arrive, Mr.. Beechsr said !:
II can conceive OF men whose work
here is covered al over with faults, and
unfit, when dying, for even the better
part of society on earth, who can Oh.
tain entrance into heaven, and though
their place there shall be lowly-and
there is an initiate distance between the
top and bottom degrees Of spiritual ad-
vsucement-yet they will rise with q
rapidity not known on earth into purer
latitudes, and the rude. inchoate nature
may thus always have starting point
in heaven; for there is room there for
the lowest. Like the seed forty feet
below the surface OF the ground, which
never sprouta, when the we'll is dug
aud the earth thrown ouf into the
warmth and under the showers they will
catch the impetus Of divine life, and
rise 10 glorious Development