The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-03-13


other side Of some heavenly hill and call
to you, you would hear her voice above
the burst Of heavens great orchestra
Know il You could not help but
know II.
Now bring you this glorious consola.
ton Of future recognition. II you could
get this theory into your heart 1t would
life q great many shadows that are
stretching across it. When vas a lad |
used to 20 out to the railroad track and
put my ear down on the track and cod
hear the express train rumbling miles
away and coming on, and to-day, my
friends, if we only had faith enough we
could put our ear down to the grave of
our dead and listen and hear in the dis.
tanCe the rumbling on of the Chariots Of
resurrection victory. 0, heaven, sweet
heaven You do not spell heaven as
you used to spell. You used to spell 1t
h.e-a.V en-, heaven but now when you
want to spell that word you place side by
side the faces of the loved ones who are
gone, and in that irradiation of light,
and love, and beauty, and joy you spell it
out as never before, in songs and hallelu.
jahs. Dye whose hearts are down un-
der the sod of the cemetery, cheer up,
at the thought of this reunion. Oh, Low
much you will have to tell them when
once you meet them. How much you
have been through since you saw them
last. On the shining shore you will talk |
it all owe. The heartaChes, the loneli-
ness, the sleepless nights, the weeping
al Nod No IN MI
because the heart was withered and |
dried up. Story Of vacant chair, and |
empty cradle, and little shoe only half
worn out, never to be worn again, just
the shape of the foot that once pressed |
it, and dreams when you thought that
the departed had come back again, and
the room seemed bright with their faces,
and you started up to greet them, and in
the effect the dream broke and you
found yourself standing amid.room in
the midnight alone, talking it all over,
and then hand in hand walking up and
down in the light. No sorrow, no tears
and no death, Oh, heaven beautiful
heaven Heaven where our friends are
Heaven where we expect to be. In the
East they take a cage of birds and bring
it to the tomb of the dead, and then they
open the door of the cage, and the birds,
flying out, sing, and | would to-day
bring cage of Christian consolation to
the grave Of your love ones, and | would
open the door and let them fill all the air
with the music of their voices. Oh how
they bound iu. these spirits before the
throne. Some shout with gladness-
Some break forth into uncomfortable
weeping for joy. Some stand speechless
in their shock of delight. They sing
They quiver with excessive gladness.-
They gaze on the temples, on the palaces,
on the waters, on each other. They
weave their Joy into garlands, they spring
it into triumphal arches, they strike 1t
on timbrels, and then all the loved ones
gather in great circle around the throne
of God-fathers, mothers, brothers, Bis
ters, sons and daughters, lovers and
friends, hand to hand around about the
throne of God-the circle ever widening
hand to hand, joy to joy, jubilee to ju-
biee, victory to victory, until the day
breaks, and the shadows fee away.
Turn, then, my beloved, and be like "a
roe, or a young hart upon the Mountains
Of Beetha." 0, how different it is
on earth from the way it is in heaven
when Christian dies. We say, "Close
his eyes" In heaven they say "Give
him a palm" On earth they say Let
him down into the ground" In heaven
they say "Host him on throne" On
earth it is Farewell, farewell" In
heaven it is "Welcome, welcome" And
30 sse a Christian soul coming down to
tbe river of death, and he steps into the
rider and the water comes to the ankle.
He says, "Lord Jesus, is this death Pr
No." says Christ, "this is not death. -
And he wades still deeper down into the
yaterc. until the flood comes to the knee,
nd he says, "Lord Jesus, tell me, tell me,
8 this death ?" and Christ says, No, no,
his is not DEATH" and he wades still fur
her down until the wave comes to the
irdle, and the soul says, Lord Jesus, is f.
his death ?" "No," says Christ, this is j
ot." And deeper in wades the soul till q
be billow strikes the lip, and the de- i
arting one cries, Lord Jesus, is this Al
cath ?" mo, says Christ, this is not"
'ut when Christ had lifted this soul up 'c
n a throne of glory and the pOmp p
nd joy of heaven came surging to his III
,et, then said Christ, This, o trem-
ling soul This is DEATH" b,
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