St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-17

| think more of heaven. It is not mere
| annex of earth. 1t is not desolate OUT
| post. AS Jerusalem was the capital Oh
Judah, and Babylon the capital OF 1he
Baby1onian monarchy, and Lon
don is the capital of Great Britain
and Washington is the capital OF our
own repub1e, the New Jerusalem IS 0he
capital of the universe. The King lives
there, and the royal family OF the re-
| deemed have their palaces there, ana
there is a Congress of many nations ana
the Parliament of all the worlds. Yea, as
Daniel had kindred in Jerusalem of whom
he often thought, though he left home
when 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 great many kindred, and we are
sometimes homesick to see them, and
they are all Princes and Prineesses, in
| them the blood imperial, and we do well
to keep our windows open toward their
eternal residence. It is a joy for us to
believe that while we are interested
| in them they are interested
! in US. Much thought o.
Heaven makes one heavenly. The airs
that blow through that open window are
charged with life and sweep up to us
aromas from gardens that never witheH
under skies that never cloud in spring.
tide that never terminates. Compared
with it all other things are dead failures.
Homer's Heaven was an elysium, which he
describes as plain at the end of the earth,
or beneath, with no snow or rainfall, anG
the sun never goes down, and Rhadaman.
thus, the justest of men, rules. Hesiod'I
Heaven is what heacalls the islands of the
blest, in the midst of the ocean, three
times 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 Scandna.
VANS Heaven was the hall of Walhalla,
where the god Odin gave unending wine
suppers to earthly heroes and heroines.
The Mohammedan's Heaven passes its dis
ciples in over the bridge Al Sirat, which is
finer than hair and sharper than sword
and then they are let loose into riot OF
everlasting sensuality.
The American aborigines look forward
to heaven of illimitable hunting ground,
partridge and deer and wild duck more
than plentiful, and the hounds never of
the scent, and the guns never missing fire.
But the geographer has followed the earth
around, and found no Homer's Eiysium
Voyagers have traversed the deep in al.
directions, and found no Hesiod's islands
of the blest. The Mohammedan's celestial
debauchery and the Indians eternal hunt
ing ground for vast multitudes 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 and bitter draught and miasma and
Punishment of neuralgia and catalepsies
and consumptions. All colors in the wall
except gloomy black. All the music il
the major key because celebrative and ia.
bilant. River crystalline, gate crystalline
and skies crystalline because everything
is clear and without doubt. White robes.
and that means sinlessness. Walls full OF
odors, and that means pure regalement OF
the senses. Rainbow, and that means the
storm is over. Marriage supper, and that
means gIaddest festivity. Twelve man
ner of fruits, and that means lus.
eious and amending variety. Harp,
trumpet, grand march, anthem, amen
and hallelujah in the Same orches.
ira. Choral meeting solo and overture
meeting antiphon and strophe joining
dithyramb as they roll into the ocean OF
doxologies. And you and may have 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
window open toward that j jerusalem
Sing about it. Pray about it. Think about
it. Talk about it. Dream about it. Dc
not be inconsolable about your friends
who have gone into it. Do not worry ii
something in your heart indicates thai
you are not far off from its ecstasies
Do not think that when 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 hun
dred million yearly. But all the rooms
of heaven will be ours, for they are fam.
lily rooms, and as no 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: ITO him that
overcometh will 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
tians were defeated, and with their com.
mander, Stephen, fad iowa d fortress
IL =, nathan 4I,fn ,n,,,.,,n,a L..