The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-06-05

want not to see that last struggle. One
sharp, keen stroke, and Paul does dine
with the King. What a transition II
wasl From the malaria of Rome to the
finest climate in the universe-the zone
of eternal beauty aud health, His ashes
were put in the catacombs of Rome, but
In one moment the air Of heaven bathed
from his soul the last ache. From ship
wreck, from dungeon, from the biting
pain OF the elm wood rods, he goes into
the most brilliant assemblsge Of heaven
"a king among kings. Multitudes o!
the sainthood rushing out and stretch
ing forth hands Of welcome, for dc
really think that. as on the right hand
of God is Christ, so on the right hand Of
Christ is Paul, the second great In
heaven.
He changes Kings likewise. Before
the hour of death, and mp to the last mo.
ment, he was under Nero, the thick.
necked, the cruel eyed, the filthy Tipped,
the sculptured features of that man
bringing down to us, this very dav, the
horrible possibilities of his nature-seat'
ed as he was amid pictured marbles OF
Egypt, under roof adorned with moth.
er Of pearl, in dining room which, by
machinery, was kept whirliug day and
night with most bewitChing magnifi.
cence; his horses standing in stables of
solid gold, and grounds around his pal
ace lighted at night by his victims, who
had been bedaubed with tar and pitch
and then set on fire to illuminate the
darkness. That was Pau's king. But
the next moment he goes into the realm
of Him whose reign is love, and whose
court is paved with love. When Paul
was leaving so much on this side, to gain
so much on the other side, do you won
der at the cheerful yaledictory of the
text, "The time Of my departure is at
haDdp
Now, why can not all the old people Of
my congregation have the same holy
plee as that aged man had? Charles l.,
when he was Combing his head, found
gray hair, and he sent it TO the Queen us
a great joke; but old age is really no joke
at all. For the last forty years you have
been dreading that which ought to have
been an exhileration. You say you feel
the struggle most when the soul and
body part. But millions have endured
that moment and why may not we as
well2 They got through with it, and 30
can we. Besides this all medical men
agree in saying that there is probably no
struggle at all at the last moment; not 80
much as the prick of pin, the seeming
signs OF distress being altogether invol'
untary. But you say: ut is the uncer-
tainty of the future" Now, child of God,
do not play the infdel. After God has
filed the Bible until it can hold no more
of the good things ahead, better not talk
of uncertainties. But you say: Il can
not bear to think of parting from friends
here" If you are old you have more
friends in heaven than here. Just take
the census. Take some large sheet of
paper, and begin to record the names of
those who have emigrated to the other
shore-the companions of your school
days, your early business associates, the
friends Of mid life, and those who more
recently went away. Can it be that they
have been gone so long you do not want
their society any more? Oh, no. There
have been days when you have felt you
could not endure it another moment
away from their blessed Companionship.
They have gone. You say you would
not like to bring them back to this world
of trouble, even if you had the power.
1t would not do to trust you. God would
not give you resurrection power. Before
tomorrow morning you wonld be rat
thing at the gates of the cemetery, crying
to the departed, Come back to the era
die where you slepll Come back to the
hall where you used to playI Come
back to the table where you used to sill"
and there would be a great burglary in !
heaven. No, no. God will not trust
you With resurrection power, but he
compromises the matter and says: you
cannot bring them where you are, but
you can 90 where they are" They are
more lovely than ever. Were they beau
tiful here; they are more beautiful there.
Besides that, it is more healthy there
than here, aged man; better climate there
than these hot summers and cold win
ters, and late springs; better hearing,
better eyesight; more tonic'in the air
Do you not feel, aged man, sometimes as
though you would like to get your arm
and foot free? Would you not like to
feel the mirth and elasticity of eternal
boyhood. When the point at which you
start from this world is old age, and the
point to which you go is eternal youth,
aged man, clap your hands at the antici'
patton, and say in perfect rapture of Goul,
The time of my departure is at hand"
Paul, Isuppose, had the most satisfactory
view of heaven, and be says, ut doth
not appear what we shall be-" 1t is like
looking through broken telescope
Now we see through glass darkly."
Can you tell me anything about that
heavenly place? You ask me thousand
questions about it can not answer. |
ask you thousand questions about it
you can not answer. And do you won
der that Paul was so glad when martyr
dom gave him a chance to go over and
make discoveries in that blessed count
ry. | hope, some day, by the grace of
God, to 90 over and see for myself, but
not now. No well man, no prospered
man, think, wants to go now. But the
time will come, think, when l shall go
over. want to see what they do there,
and want to see how they do it; l do
not want to be looking through the gates
aiar forever. want them to swirg wide
open. There are ten thousand things
want explained; about you, about my
self; about the government of this world,
about God, about everything. We start
in plain path of what we know, and
in moment come up against high wall
of what we do not know. 1 wonder
how it looks over there2 Somebody
tells me it is like paved city-paved
with gold; and another man tells me it
Is like fountain, and it is like tree,
and it is like a triumphal procession;
and the next man l meet tells me it is
all fgurative. l really want to know af.
ter the body is resurreCted what they
wear and what they eat; and have an
intense curiosity to know what it is, and
where it is. Columbus risked his life to