Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-30

manship went on until it was At to deck q
throne, a celestial embroidery which an.
gels admired and God approved.
But it is another Jerusalem toward
which we now need to open our windows.
The exiled evangelist of Ephesus saw it
one day as the surf of the Icarian Sea
loaned and splashed over the boulders at
his feet, and his vision reminded me of q
wedding day when the bride, by sister;
and maid, was having garlands twisted
for her hair and jewels strung for her
neck just before she puts her betrothed
hand into the hand of her afianced: 81,
John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem,
coming down frolA God out of heaven
prepared as a bride adorned for her hus.
band" Toward that bridal Jerusalem are
our windows opened? We would do we'll to
think more of heaven. It is not a mere
annex Of earth. 1t is not a desolate out
post. AS Jerusalem was the capital Of
Judah, and Babylon the capital of the
Babylonian monarchy, and Lon.
don is the capital of Great Britain,
and Washington is the capital of our
W republic, the New Jerusalem is the
capital of the universe. The King lives
there, and the royal family of the re-
deemed have their palaces there, and
there is a Congress of many nations and
the Parliament of all the worlds. Yea, as
Daniel had kindred in Jerusalem of whom
he often thought, though he left home
when a very young man, perhaps father
and mother and brothers and sisters still
living, and was homesick to see them, and
they belonged to the high circles of roy
atty, Daniel himself having royal blood
in his veins, so we have in the New Jeru.
salem a great many kindred, and we are
sometimes homesick to see them, and
they are all Princes and Princesses, in,
them the blood imperial, and we do we'll
to keep our windows open toward their
eternal residence. 1t is a joy for us to
believe that while we are Interested
in them they are Interested
in us. Much thought Of
Heaven makes n heavenly. The airs
that blow through that open window are
charged with life and sweep up to us
aromas from gardens that never wither
under skies that never cloud in a spring.
tide that never terminates. Compared
with it all other things are dead failures.
Homer's Heaven was an elysium, which he
describes as a plain at the end of the earth,
~ AS oAo" VI oAAACb4 u1O
the sun never goes down, and Rhadaman-
thus, the %justest of men, rules. Hesiod's
Heaven is what he calls the islands of the
blest, in the midst of the ocean, three
times a year blooming with the most ex-
quisite flowers, and the air is tinted with
purple, while games and music and horse.
races occupy the time. The Scandina.
VANS Heaven was the hall of Walhalla,
where the god Odin gave unending wine
;suppers to earthly heroes and h%eroines.
The Mohammedan's Heaven passes its dis
ciples in over the bridge Al Sirat, which is
finer than AFFAIR and sharper than a sword.
and then they are let loose into q riot Of
everlasting sensuality.
The American a%borigines look forward
to a heaven of illimitable hunting ground,
partridge and deer and wild duck more
than plentiful, and the hounds never of
the scent, n the guns never missing fire.
But the geographer has followed the earth
around, and found no Homer's Elysium.
Voyagers have traversed the deep in all
directions, and found no Hesiod's islands
Of the blest. The Mohammedan's celestial
~debauchery and the Indians eternal hunt
ing ground for vast n%lultitudes have nc
charm. But here rolls in the Bible heaven.
No more sea; that is, no wide separation.
No more tears; that is, no heartbreak.
No more pain, that is, dismissal Of
lancet n bitter draught and miasma and
Punishment of neuralgia and catalepsies
| and consumptions. All colors in the wall
| except gloomy black. All the music in
the major key because celebrative and ju-
bilar. River crystalline, gate crystalline
and skies crystalline because everything
is clear and without doubt. White robes,
n that means sinlessness. Walls full of
doors, and that means pure regalement Of
the senses. Rainbow, and that means the
storm is over. Marriage supper, and that
means gladdest festivity. Twelve man.
ner of fruits, and that means lus-.
cious and unending variety. Harp,
trumpet, grand march, anthem, amen
and h%allelujah in the same orches-
ira. Choral meeting solo and overture
meeting a%ntiphon and strophe joining
%dithyramb as they roll into the ocean Of
doxologies. And you and I may nave all
that, and have it forever, through Christ,
if we will let him with the blood of one
wounded hand rub out our sin and with
the other wounded hand swing open the
shining portals. Day and night keep your
WluOOW open UOWdFu GQdI JefuSalens
Sing about it. Pray about it. Think about
it. Talk about it. Dream about it. Do
not be inconsolable about your friends
who have gone into it. Do not worry if
something in your heart indicates that
you are not far off from its ecstasies.
Do not think that when a Christian
dies he stops, for he goes on. An ingeni-
Gus man has taken the heavenly fur
longs as mentioned in Revelation, and has
calculated that there will be in heaven
100 rooms 10 feet square for each ascend
ing soul, though this world lose a hum
dred million yearly. But all the rooms
of heaven will be ours, for they are fam
lily rooms, and as NJ room in your house
is too good for your children, so all the
rooms of all palaces of the heavenly Je-
rusalem will be free to Gods children,
and even the throne room will not be de-.
MED, and you may run up the steps of the
throne and put your hand on the side of
the throne, and sit down beside the King,
according to the promise: "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me
in my throne."
But you can not go in except as con.
querors. Many years ago the Turks and
Christians were in battle, and the Chris
x:.~. /, ,1ofo,toJ onj With %ho;r oop,-