The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-12-25
Aadersu1s gnteiligeuter.
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Heaven.

Heaven.
We know but very little about heaven.
1t is easy to dogmatize and speculate
about our future home. We are very much
concerned oIknow what kind of place
It will be, and just what We shall do
when we get there. 1t is much more
important that ne should spend our time
in preparing to enter heaven than in
irving to picture it t-to ourselves &or to
Others. The Scriptures have but little to
saw about :heayen. They, wisely leave
us in ignorance of many things which
we would like to know, but which would
add nothing to our happiness or useful
ness. It is impossible for US, in our
present mode of existence, to understand
what will be the nature of our future
life. The Scriptures invariably repre>
sent heaven under fgurative language.
Our danger is that We may literalize
what was never intended to be so inter
preted. No one would ever imagine
that, the heaven of John the revelator is
q literal heaven. We shall not find
golden:payed streets, nor jasper walls,
nor gates of pearl in heaven We are
accustomed to associate these things
with great splendor and great happiness.
The writer sought to awaken in our
minds some feeble apprehension OF the
glory and the splendor of our final home.
He could find no filter illustration of the
purity, beauty and glory of heaven than
in these costly and precious jewels.
Suppose for a moment that he should
have attempted to portray thereal beauty
and bliss of our, future home, where
would he have found language suited to,
our comprehension? He could not have
used the language ofsangels, for we,
would not understand it. What We de-
;mand of revelation is facts couched in
speech which we can comprehend. We
might have literal descriptions of heaven,
and be wholly unable to appreciate them.
Itsistnot. God SINAI bility to picture heav-
en-, but our inability to appreciate the
picture, that makes revelation difficult.
It is easy for us tosfnd fault with our
Bible because it. does not give us full
and complete accounts Of many things,
that are left vague and indefinite. It
would be much more sensible If we
should find fault with ourselves because
we are so stupid and Ignorant. IF we
want To- find out what heaven wi lEbe, we
must turn our thoughts to what We shall
be. It is easy enough for US to copjec.
ture that ne shall pass suddenly out of 9
life half consecrated, half, purified, half
sancti6sd into a.life Of perfect bliss and
felicity:
i Very few Christians read their Bible
with their sins before them. They put
them all behind them, and imagine that
all the promises Of God are uncondition.
al Ifsthere is anystruth taught in the
Bible, it is that our. happiness will de-
pend upon the degree of .onr fidelity and
conservation iin this life. Otherwise
eyery soul that enters heaven would be
perfectly blessed. Many people will no
doubs be astonished in heaven to find
that their poor, half hearted, broken and
battered lives in:;this world have dis.
qualified them for the degfee of happi-
ness they anticipated. It is only the
:untutored, unrefecting, immature mind
that expects the future life to be without
Its eHelopment and growth. We sus-
peel! !thatsthas aslaas.of growth and zexpan-
sion are the same in all worlds. We
shall no doubt find that each day OF
period of our existence will afford op.
porsunities that may be neglected OF i'm.
proved, just as here. Redemption from
sin is not freedom from law and respon.
sibility. - y ? : = -
Wshold sery firmly that our heaven.
win Be just what We are prepared to
enjoy. Our preparation is just what we
ourselves make. We can not live poor,
broken, feeble and laimless lives here,
and enter heaven. in all: the. fullness Of
bliss and Joy. We shall no doubt take
up,ithe song in heaven that We had
Learned to sing on earth. II, We have
been dwelling in the ,fog,land, dropping
and mopibg about on earth, We need not
expect at once; to stand on the golden
nights of heaven; .5+l55fe IS
Let rs live right each day. Let. US
make the, last day on earth a ft intro
duction to our FIRST in heaven. Life is
grand only as we make it 30. We
dalnde ourselves by supposiDg that we.
can; live weak, and heartless lives here,
and enter heaven ready for its supfemest
.io5s. We should learn to make each
day q real Jog, q real preparation for our
next day, and to find in it q foretaste of
heaven Cumberland Presbyteriau.
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