The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-07


regiments. thousand regiments of angels; for
on that day ali heaven will be emptied out of its
inhabitants to let them attend the scene All
the holy angels! From what center to what a
circumference! Widening out and widening
out, and higher up and higherup. Wings inter
locking wings. Galleries of cloud above galleries
of cloud, all filed with the faces of angels come
to listen, and come to watch, aud come to help
on that day for which all other days were made.
Who are those two taller and more conspicuous
angelsa The one is Michael, who is the commander
OF ali those who came out TO destroy sin. The
other is Gabriel, who is announced as command
er OF all those who como forth to help the
righteous. Who is that mighty angel near the
thronef That is the resurrection angel, his lips
still aquiver and his cheeks ahush with the blast
that shattered the cemeteries and woke the dead
Who is that other great angel, with dark ana
overshadowng hrow2 That is the one who. IN
one night. by one flap of his wing, turned 1885,
900 of Sennacheribs host into corpses. Who
are those bright immortals near the throne,
their faces partly turned toward each other as
though about to siDgs Oh. they are the Bethe-
hem chanters of the first Christmas night Who
this other group standing so near the throne!
They are the Saviors especial body guard, which
lowered over Him in in the Wilderness and
administered to him in the hour of mar tyrdom,
and heaved away the rock of His sarcophagus.
and escorted him upward Ascension Day,
now appropriately escorting Him down. Divine
glory fanked on both sides by angelic radiance.
ALL NATIONS SHALL BE GATHERED.
But now lower your eye from the divine and
angelic to the human. The entire human race
Is present All nations, says my text Before
that time the American Republic the English
government, the French republic, all modern
modes of government may be obiterated for
something BETTER but all nations, whether dead
Or alive, will be brought up into that assembly.
Thebes, and Tyre. and Babylon and Greece
and Rome wide-awake in that assembly as
though they had never slumbered amid the dead
nations. Europe, Asia. Africa. North and South
America, all the nineteenth century, the
eighteenth century, the twelfth century, the
tenth century, the fourth century--all centuries
present Not one being that ever drew the
breath or life but will be in that assembly Vast
multitude No other audience thousandth
part as large. No other audience a millionth
part as large No human eye could look across
IT. Wing OF albatross and falcon, and eagle not
strong enough TO fly over it. congregation, |
yerily believe. not assembled on any continent,
because continent would be large enough to
aold it. But as the Bible intimated. in the air.
The law of gravitation unanchored. the world
moved out of its place. AS now sometimes
earth great tent is spread for some great con-
ventlon. so over that great audience of the
judgment shall DO lifted the blue tent of the sky,
and underneath it for floor the air made buoyant
by the hand of Almighty God. suspended
auditorium. An architecture of atmospheric
galleries strong enough to hold up worlds.
Two pillars strong enough to hold up any audi
torium.
But that audience is not to remain in session
long. Most audiences earth, after an hour
two, adjourn. Sometimes in court-rooms an
audience will tarry four or five hours but then
1T adjourns So this audience spoken of in the
text will adjourn. My text says HE will
separate them one from another as shepherd
dvideth the sheep from the goats"
mo" says my friend ''let them all stay
m a Ha hall
rate them" mo, Say the kings of this world,
''let men have their choice, and if they prefer
monarchical institutions let them go together,
and if they prefer republican institutions, let
them go together" NO say the convention
alties of this world, "let all those who moved in
what is called high circles go together, and all
those who on earth moved in low circles 60
together The rich together the poor together
the wise together, the ignorant together" A.
no. Do you not notice in that assembly the
king is without his sceptre, and the soldier with
out his uniform, and the bishop without his
pontlfical ring. and the millionaire without his
certificates of stock, and the convict without his
chain, and the beggar without his rags, and the
llliterate without his bad photography, and all of
US without any distinction of earthly inequality?
So take it from that. as well as from my text,
that the mere accident of position in this world
will do nothing toward deciding the questions of
that very great day.
HE will separate them as a shepherd 6ivideth
his sheep from the goats" The sheep, the
cleanliest of creatures, here made symbol of
those who have all sins washed away in the
foun tain of redeeming mercy. The goat one of
the filthiest of creatures here type of those
who, in the last Judgment, will be found never
TO have had any diyine abution. Division ac-
cording to character. Not only character out
side, but character inside. Character of heart,
character of choice, character of allegiance,
character of affection, character inside as we'll
rs character outside.
THE JUDGMENT.
In many case it will be complete and inn
mediate reversal of all earthly conditions. Some
who in this world wore patched apparel will
take on raiment lustrous summer noon.
Some who occupied palace will take dungeon.
Division regardless of all earthly caste; and
some who were down will be up, and some who
we're up will be down. Oh, what SCATTERING of
conventioralities! What an upheaval of all
social rigidities; what turning Of the wheel of
earthly condition, thousand revolutions in a
second. Division of all nations, of all ages not
by the figure 9, nor by the figure g. nor the
figure Z, nor the figure g. nor the figure s. nor
the figure 4; but by the figure 2. Two! Two
characters, two destinies, two estates two
dominions, two eternities-a tremendous, an all
comprehensive, adhesive, all everlasting two.
l sometimes think that the figure of the book
that shall be opened allows us to forget the thing
signihed by the symbol. Where is the book
binder that could make 3 volume large enough to
contain the names of all the people who have
ever lived2 Besides that, the calling of such a
roll would take more than fifty years, more than
hundred years. and the Judgment is to be con-
summated in less time than passes between sun
rise and sunset. All! my friends, the leaves of
that book of judgment are not made out of
paper, but Of memory. One leaf in every hu-
man heart. You have known persons who were
near drowning but they were afterward resus-
citated and they have told you that in the two
or three minutes between the accident and the
resuscitation all their past life flashed before
them-al they had ever thought all they had
ever done, all they had ever seen, in instant
came to them The memory never loses anv
thing 1t is only folded leaf. 1t is only a
closed book. Though you be an octogenarian,
though you be a nonagenarian all the thoughts