The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-14

thought of the homesickness of Christi Some
of you know what homesickness is when you
have been only few weeks absent from the do
mestic circle. Christ was thirty three years
away from home Some Of You feel homesick-
ness when you are hundred a thousand
miles away from the domestic circle. Christ
was moro millions of miles away from
homo than you could calculate if all your
life you did nothing but calculate You know
what it is to be home-sick even amid pleasure
bic surroundings; but Christ slept in huts, and
He was a-thirst, aud He was a-hungered, and He
was on the way from being born in another
mans barn to being buried in another mans
grave. have read how the Swiss, when they
are far away from their native country, at the
sound of their national air. get 80 homesick that
they fall into melancholy, and sometimes they
die under the inconsistencies But oh! the home
sickness OF Christ! Poverty, homesick for
celestial riches. Persecution, homesick for
hosanna WEAKNESS, homesick for rest Home
sick for angelic and archangelic companionship.
Homesick to go out of the night, and the storm,
and the worlds execraton, and all that home
sickness suffered to get US home.
At our best estate we are only pilgrims and
strangers here. Heaven is our home" Death
will never knock at the door of that mansion.
and in all that country there is not single
grave. How glad parents are in holiday times
to gather their children home again. But have
noticed that there is almost always a son a
daughter absent-absent from home, perhaps
absent from the country, perhaps absent from
will be when he gets all his children home with
him in heaven. And how delightful it will
be for brothers aud sisters to meet after
long separation. Once they parted at the door
of the tomb; now they meet at the door OF
immortality. Once they saw only through
glass darkly; now it is face to face; corruption.
interruption, mortality, Immortality. Where
are now all their sins, and sorrows and troubles!
Overwhelmed in the Red Of death while
they passed through dry shod
Gates of pearl capstones of amethyst, thrones
of dominion do not stir my soul SO much as the
thought of home. Once there, let earthly sor-
rows howl like storms and roll like seas. Home!
Let thrones rot and empires wither. Home!
Let the world die in earthquake struggle, and be
buried amid procession of planets and dirge of
spheres. Home! Let everlasting ages roll ire
sstble sweep. Home! No sorrow, no crying.
No tears No death. But home. sweet home;
home beautiful home; everlasting home; home
with each other. home with angels, home with
God.
One night, lying on my lounge, when very
tired, my children all around about me in full
romp and hilarity and laughter-on the lounge,
half awake and half asleep, I dreamed this
Persia, although more than Oriental luxuriance
crowded the cities. 1t was not the tropics, al
though more than tropical fruitfu.ncss filed the
gardens. 1t was not Italy, although more than
Italian softness filled the air. And / wandered
around looking for thorns and thistles, but
found that none of them grew there, and saw
the sun rise, aud l watched to see it set but 1t
sank not. And / saw the people in holiday
attire, and / said: when will they put. off
this and put on workmens garb and again delve
in the mine or swelter at the forgeP but they
never put of the holiday attire. And | wandered
in the suburbs of the city to find the place where
the dead Sleep and looked all along the line of
the beautiful hills, the place where the dead
might most blissfully sleep, and / saw towers
and castles but not mausoleum, or monu-
ment, or white slab could l see And went
into the chapel Of the great town and said:
where do the poor worship, and whore are the
hard benches on which they sit!" And the
swer was made nue.: Two have no poor in this
country" And then wandered out to fnd the
novels of the destitute, and 1 found mansions of
l see not sigh could I hear, and ! was be-
wildered and sat down under the branches of
great tree and I sad Where am II And
whence comes all this sceneW And then out
from among the leaves. and up the dowery
paths, and across the bright streams there came
beautiful group, thronging all about me, and as
saw them come thought | knew their step.
and as they shouted I thought knew ttheir
voices; but then they were so gloriously
arrayed IN apparel such as | had
as stranger to stranger. But when again they
clapped their hands and shouted Welcome, well
GOMEZ the mystery all vanished, and / found
that time had gone and eternity had come, and
we were all together again in our new home in
heaven. And I looked around and said: "Are
we all hereln and the voices of many generations
responded, ''All here!" And while tears of glad
ness were raining down our cheeks, and the
branches of the Lebanon cedars were clapping
their hands and the towers of the great city were
leap and shout, and sing. Home, home, home,
home"