The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-03


satlon, Glory in track Of glory. Europe,
Asia. Africa, North and South America press
ing into lines. Islands Of the sea Shoulder to
shoulder Generations befolo .he food follow
ing generations after The food. ana as Jesus
rises At the head Of that great host waves His
sword in signal Of victory. all crowns are
lifted. and al er>ignS siuug ont and all
chimes rung, and all ha!lcluiahS chautcd, ana
some cry GLORY "a God most high" and
some, HoSanna 10 tie sen of David -
and some, Worthy is the
Lamb that was Slain . - till
all explanations of endearment and homage in
the vocabulary of heaven are exhausted and
there comes up surge after surge of amen!
Amen. and AmCn!"
Eye hath not seen il, car hath not heard it."
Skim from the summer waters the brightest
sparkos. and You viii get no idea of the sheen
OF the everlasting sea. Pile up the splendors
at earthly cites and they would not make
stcpping-stone by which you might mount to
the city of God. Every house is a palace.
Every step triumph. Every covering of the
head a coronation. Every meal is a banquet.
Every stroke from the tower is a wedding he'll.
Every day is a jubilee, every hour rapture,
and every moment an ecstacy. Eye hath not
seen it, ear hath not heard it,"
L remark further, We can get idea on
earth of the reunions of heaven. If you have
ever been across the seas, and met friend, or
even an acquaintance in some strange city,
you remember how your blood thrilled, and
how glad you were to see him. What will be
our Joy, after we have passed the seas OF death,
to meet in the bright city of the sun those from
whom we have long been separated After we
have been away from our friends ten or fifteen
years, and we come upon them, we see how
differently they look. The hair has turned,
and wrinkles have come i'll their faces, and we
say, How you have changed" But, oh,
when we stand before the throne all cares
gone from the face all marks of sorrow disap-
pearcd, and feeling the Joy of that blessed
land, me thinks we will say to each other,
with an exultation we cannot now imagine.
"How you have changed" IN this world we
only meet to part. 1t is good-by, good-by.
FareWells floating in the air. We hear it at
the rail-car window, and at the steamboat
wharf-good-by. Children lisp it, and old age
answers it. Sometimes we say it i'll a
light way--"good-hy; and some
times with anguish in which the
soul breaks down. Good-by! All! that is the
word that ends the thanksgiving banquet;
that is the word that comes in to close the
Christmas chant. Good-by, good by. But not
so i'll heaven Welcome in the air, welcome
at the gates, welcome at the house of many
mansions-but, no good-by That group is
| constantly be augmented. They are going up
from our circles of earth to join it--little
voices to join the anthem-little hands to take
hold in the great home cirCle-little feet to
cast down before the feet of Jesus. Our friends
are III TWO groups-a group this side of the
river, and group on the other side of
the river. Now there goes one from
soon we will all be gone over. How many of
your loved ones have already entered upon
that blessed place? If l should take paper
and pencil, do you think l could put them all
down? All, my friends the waves OF Jordan
roar so hoarsely, we cannot hear the Joy on the
other side when that group is augmented. 1t
IS graves here, and collins and hearses here.
| a little child's mother had died, and they
coniorted her. They said: your mother has
gone to heaven-don't cry and, the next
day, they went to the graveyard, and they
laid the body of the mother down into the
ground; and the little girl came up
to the verge OF the grave, and, looking down at
the body OF her mOther, said, SIS this heaven 2"
oh! we have no idea what heaven is. 1t is
the grave here-it is darkness here-but there
is merry-making yonGer. Me thinks when
soul arrives. some angel takes it around to
show it the wonders of that blessed place. The
usher-angel'sayS to the neWly -aWived, 'These
are the martyrs that persisted at Piedmont;
these were torn to pieces at the iuquSition :;
thlSslS the throne Of the great Jehovah this is
Jesus" 81 am going to see Jesus, said dying
boy, Il am going to see Jesus" The mission
airy said, lyon are sure you will see Him 2"
"Oh! yes that's what / want to 90 to heaven
| Tor" But" said the missionary, suppose
| Jesus should go away from heaven-what
| them 81 should follow Him." said the
! dying boy. But if Jesus went down to hell
what them" The dying hoy thought for
moment and then said ''NYhere Jesus is
there can be no helln' Oh! to stand in His
our hand in that hand which was wounded for
rs on the cross-to go around amid the groups
OF the redeemed, and shake hands with the
prophets and apostles and martyrs and with
our own dear beloved ones. That will
be the great reunion; we cannot imagine it
now, our loved ones seem so far
away. When we are in trouble and lonesome,
they don't seem to come to Us. We go on the
banks OF the Jordan and call across to them,
but they don't seem to hear. We say, "Is it
well with the child? is it well with the loved
ones and We listen to hear if any voice comes
back over the waters. None! none! Unbelief
says; They are dead. and they are anlhi-
lated but blessed be God, we have q Bible
that tells us different We open it and we
find they are neither dead nor annihilated-
that they never were so much alive as now
that they are only waiting Tor our coming, and
that we shall Join them on the other side of
the river. Oh glorious reunion we cannot
grasp it now. Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart OF
man the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him" Oh what place of ey-
PLANTATION it will be-
| see, every day, profound mysteries of
providence. There is no question we ask
oftencr than Why? There are hundreds Of
graves in Greenwood and Laurel Hill that
need to be explained Hospitals for the blind
and lame. asl lums for TIE idiOtic and insane
almshouSes for the destitute and world of
pain and misfortune that demand more than
human solution. All God will clear il all up.
lin the light that pouus from the throne no
dark mystery can live Things now utterly
inscruta0le will be illumiuod as plainly rs
though the answer were written on
the jasper wall. or sounded in the tenn
pie anthem Hartimeus will thank God that he
was Blind; and Lazarus that he was covered
with sores and Joseph that he was cast into
the pit aud - picl that &c denncd with lions:
and Paul ihat he was hunp1acfcd; and David
that ie was driven from Jerusalem: and that
uii3iid Tat for twenty years he coaid not lit
f.f. 4.g frst. 41..., !.