The Wilmingtonian., 1882-09-30
4 DISCOURSE BY
Re v. +. DEWITT TALMAGE.
SHALL WE KNOW EACH OTHER IN HEAVEN?

Oh, heaven sweet heaven! You do not
spell heaven as you used to spell it. You
used to spell it h-e-a-v-e-n heaven But
now VIII you want to spell that word you
place side by side the faces ofthe loved ones
who are gone, and in that tradition of light
and and beauty and joy, you spell it out
as never before, i'll songs and hallelujahs.
Oh, We whose hearts are down under the
sod of the cemetery, cheer up at the thought
of this reunion! Oh, how much you will
have to tell them when once you meet them!
How much you have been through since
You saw them lastl On the shining shore
YOU will talk it all over. The heartaches.
The loneliness The sleepless nights. The
weeping until you had no more power to
weep, 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 see,ned- --silgfitt es
with their faces, and you started up to greet
them, and i'll the effort the dream broke and
YOU found yourself standing amid-room in
the Neutrality-suspicious..
Talking it all over, and them hand in
hand wal ing up and down in the light.
Nosorrow, no tears, no death. oh, heaven!
beautiful heaven! Heaven where our friends
are Heaven where we expect to be. In
the East they take cage Of birds and bring
it to the tomb of the dead and then they
open the door of the cage, and the birds, fly
ing out, sing. And l would to day bring a
cage of Christian consultations to the grave
of your loved ones, and would open the
door and let them fill all the air with the
music of their voices.
Oh, how they bound in these spirits be-
fore the throne! Some shout with gladness.
Some broke forth into uncomfortable weep
ing for Joy. Some stand speechless in their
shock of delight They sing. They quiv-
er with excessive gladness. They gaze on
the temples, on the palaces, on the waters,
on each other. They weave their joy in
garlands, they spring it into triumphal ar.
ches, they strike it on timbres, and then al
the loved ones gather in a great circle a
round the throne of God-fathers, mothers
brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, lover
and friends, hand to hand around the throne
of God-the circle ever widening-hand t.
hand, Joy to Joy, jubilee to jubilee victor,
to victory, udtil the day breaks and tn
shadows flee away
Oh, how different it is on earth from tn
way it is in heaven when "A Christian dies
We say, ''close his eyes," In heavel
they say, ''Give his. palm" On earth W
say, 'Let him down in the ground" i
heaven they say, "Hoist him on throne.
On earth it is, Farewell" farewell" 1
heaven it is, ''Welcome, welcomed Ant
SO / see Christian soul coming down tn
river of death, and he steps into the river
and the water comes to the ankle. He say;
Lord Jesus, is this death?' NO" say
Christ '.this is not death And he wade
still deeper down into the waters until tn
flood comes to the knee. and he says, 'Lor
Jesus. tell me, is this death?'' And Chris
SAYS. mo, no; this is not death" And h
wades still further down until the wav
comes to the girdle, and the soul says, Lor
Jesus, is this death? ''No, says Christ, tbi