National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-28

ALEXANDRIA BAY, N. y, June 27.--The
congregation Of the Brooklyn Tabernacle
this year have made pilgrimage TO this
place, accompanied by the Rev. T. Dewitt
tralmage, ID. d., their pastor. MapJ hun
dreds Of them left Brooklyn on Saturday,
June 90, arriving here the evening Of the
came day, and will remain until Tuesday.
Special trains Of cars wure provided for
them. A multitude from 'he surrounding
villages Joined them to-day, and DIR. Tai
mage preached the following sermon. His
subject was: "An leland vision," and his
texts, Revelation 9-"I John, was in the
isle that is called Patmos," and Revelation
xxi: 21-"And the twelve gates we're twelve
pearls" The preacher said
Sabbath morning finds us amid the Thou
sand Isles of the st. Lawrence. Amid the
enchuntment OF the scenery some OF us are
like Paul when he said "Whether in the
body or out Of the body cannot telln Not
having read the geologist's account Of how
this region was formed, may surmise that
after the st. Lawrence began It's majestic
roll, these islands were dropped into Il out
Of the heavenly landscape. Islands above
us, islands below us, islands all around us,
am reminded how much the islands OF the
world have had 10 do with sacred and pro-
started for his last struggle; and st.
Helena, where he ended It; island of
Guernsey, where the great soul of Victor
Hugo chafed in exile until republication in
France drove back despotism; isle Of
Borneo, where Adoniram Judson stood a
flaming evangel; the island of Caprera,
where Garihaldi rested after the emancipa-
tlon of Italy; island OF Cyprus, where
Barnabas preached island OF Mellta, on
which Paul was ehipwrecked, and last OF all,
but mighter than all and more impressive
than all, the island of Patmos, OF which my
text speaks and from which st. John, the
exiled Ephesian Gospelizer, saw the twelve
pearline gates. II God will help us, we
can, from these Thousand Isles, on this Sab
bath morning, sec the same glitterlng por-
tails.
Our subject speaks OF great metropolis,
the existence Of which many have doubted.
Standing on the wharf and looking OF upon
the harbor, and seeing the merchantmen
coming up the bay, the flags Of foreign ma
lions streaming from the top-gallants, you
Immediately make up your mind that those
vessels came from foreign ports, and you
say "That is from Hamburg, and that is
from Marseilles, and that is from South
ampton, and that lie from Havana" and
your supposition is accurate. But from the
city OF which / am now speaking no
weather-beaten merchan smen or frigates
with Scared bulkheads have ever come.
There has been vast emigration into that
city, but no emigration from it--so far as
our natural vision can descry.
"There is no such city," says the UNI
devout astronomer. ~ have stood In high
towers with mighty telescope and have
swept the heavens, and have seen spots on
the sun and caverns In the moon; but no
towers have ever. risen on my vision, no
palaces, no temples, no shining streets, no
massive wall. There is no such city,"
Even very good people tell me that heaven
is not a material organism, but grand
spiritual fact, and that the Bible descrip-
lions Of 1t are In all cases to be taken figura-
lively. ] bring In reply to this what Christ
said, and He ought TO know: ~ go to pre-
pare" not theory, not principle, not
sentiment, but ~ go to prepare place for
your The resurrected body implies this.
II my foot is to be reformed from the
dust 1t must have something to tread
on. II my hand is to be reconstructed
It must have something to handle.
Is to be rekindled, / must have some
thing TO gaze on. Your adverse theory
seems to imply that the resurrected body
is to be hung on nothing, or to walk In air,
or to float among the intangibles. You may
say, II there be material organisms, then q
soul In heaven will be cramped and hindered
In Its enjoyment; but L answer, Did not
Adam and Eve have plenty OF room In the
garden Of Eden2 Although only few
miles would have described the circum-
ference Of that place, they had ample room.
And do you not suppose that God In the
immensi!ies can build place large enough
to give the whole race room, even though
there be material organisms
Herschel looked into the heavens. AS q
Swiss guide puts his Alpine stock between
the glaciers and crosses over from crag to
crag, so Herschel planted his telescope be-
tween the worlds aud glided from star to
star, until he could announce to us that we
live in part Of the universe but sparsely
strewn with worlds and he peers out into
immensely until he finds a region no larger
than our solar system, in which there are
10000 worlds moving, And Prof. Lang
says that by philosophic reasoning there
must be somewhere a world where there Is
no darkness, but everlasting sunshine; so
that do not know but that 1t is simply be-
cause we have no telescope powerful enough
that we cannot see into the land where there
is no darkness at all, and catch glimpse Of
the Furnished pinnacles. AS conquering
army marching on to take city comes at
nightfall TO the crest OF mountain from
which In the midst of the landscape they
see the castles they are to capture, aud rein
In their war chargers and halt and take a
good look before they pitch their tents for
the night so, now, coming as we do on
this regiment Of God TO rein In their
thoughts and halt, and before they pitch
their tents for the night take one good, long
look at the gates of the great city. Sand
the twelve gates were twelve pearls"
In the first place want you to examine
the architecture Of those gates. Propri-
etors OF large estates are very apt to have
an ornamented gateway. Sometimes they
spring an arch OF masonry; the posts OF the
gates fianked with lions in statuary; the
bronze gate representation OF intertwin-
lug foliage, bird haunted, until the hand OF
architectural genius drops exhausted, all its
life frozen into the stone. Babylon had O
hundred gates, SO had Thebes. Gates OF
wood and iron and stone guarded nearly all
the old cities. Moslems have inscribed
upon their gateways inscriptions from the
Koran OF the Mohammedan. There have
been great many fine gateways, but Christ
set his hand to the work, and for the upper
city swung gate such as no eye ever gazed
on, untouched of inscription. With the
nail Of his own cross he cut into It's wonder
full traceries stories Of past suffering and Of
gladness TO come. There is no wood oil
stone or bronze in that gate, but from tor
to base, and from side to side, 1t Is all OF
pearl. Not one piece picked up from Cey
Ion banks, and another piece from
the Persian gulf, and another from the Isl
and Of Marguerite; but one solid pear
picked up from the beach OF everlasting
light by heavenly hands, and hoisted anc
swung amid the shouting of angels. The
glorles Of alabaster vase and porphyry pill
lar fade out before this gateway. 1tput,
out the spark Of feldspar and Bohemian
diamond. You know how one littl,
precious stone on your finger will flash
under the gasllght. But Oh the brightness,
when the great gate OF heaven swings
struck through and dripping with the light
of eternal MONDAY
Julius Caesar paid $4,000 crowns for one
pearl. The government of Portugal boastet
81 having "a B Psari larger than pear
vision with precious stones But gather al
these together and lift them and add Il
them all the wealth of the pearl fisheries