The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-02-02

away in the garrett a wave of the heaven
ly air resuscitated her forever. For ever
lasting years to have neither ache. nor
pain, nor weakness, nor fatigue. Eye
hath not seen it, ear hath not heard it."
81 remark, further, that we can, IN this
world, get no just idea of the splendors of
Heaven. John tries to describe them.
He says: "the twelve gates are twelve
pearls" and that "the foundations of the
wall are garnished with all manner of
precious stones" AS we stand looking
through the telescope of st. John we see
blaze of amethyst, and pearl, and emer-
aid, and sardonyx, and chrysoprasus, and
sapphire, a mounta of light, cataract
of color, a sea of glass. and city like the
sun.
John bids us look again, and we see
thrones; thrones of the prophets, thrones
of the patriarchs, thrones Of the angels,
thrones of the apostles, thrones of the
martyrs, throne of Jesus-throne of God.
And we turn round to see the glory and
it is thrones thrones thrones!
John bids us look again and we see the
great procession of theredeemed passing;
Jesus, on a white horse, leads the march,
and all the armies of Heaven following on
white horses. Infinite cavalcade passing,
passing; empires pressing into line, ages
following ages. Dispensation tramping
on after dispensation. Glory In the track
of glory. Europe, Asia, Africa, North and
South America pressing into lines. Islands
of the sea shoulder to shoulder. Genera
tions before the flood following genera
tions after the flood, and as Jesus rises
at the head of that great host and waves
his sword in signal Of victory, all
crowns are lifted, and all ensigns flung
out, and all chimes rung, and all halle
lujahs chanted, and some cry, "Glory to
God, most high" and some, "Hosanna to
the son of David" and some, "Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain"-till all ex-
clamation of endearment and homage in
the vocabulary of Heaven are exhausted,
and there comes up surge after surge of
"Amen, amen, and amen!"
''Eye hath not seen it, ear hath not
heard it." Skim from the summer waters
the brightest sparkles, and you will get
no idea of the sheen of the everlasting
sea. Pile up the splendors of earthly
cities and they would not make
stepping stone by which you might
mount to the city of God. Every house
is palace. Every step triumph. Every
meal is a banquet. Every stroke from
the tower is a wedding bell. Every day
is a jubilee, every hour a rapture, and
every moment an ecstacy. Eye hath
not seen it, ear hath not heard it,"
remark further, we can get no idea on
earth of the reunions of Heaven. If you
have ever been across the seas and met a
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 joys, after we
have passed the seas of d oath to me ut 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. Their hair has turned and
wrinkles have come in their faces, and
we say: "How you have changedw But
oh, when we stand before the throne, all
cares gone from the face, all marks of
sorrow disappeared, and feeling the JOY
of the blessed land, methinks we will say
to each other, with an exultation we can
not now imagine: ''How you have
changedW In this world we only meet
in part. 1t is goodbye, good bye. Fare.
wells floating in the air. We hear it at
the rail- car window and at the steamboat
wharf-goed-by Children lisp it, and
old age answers it. Som stim9s we say it
in light way-s'good- bye!" and some
times with anguish. in which the soul
breaks down. Good-bye! ALL that is
the word that ends the Thanksgiving ban.
| quet; that is the word that comes in to
close the Christmas chant. Good bye,
| goodbye.
| But not SO in Heaven. Welcomes in the
| air, welcomes at the gates, welcomes al
| the house of many mansions-but no good.
| by. That group is constantly being aug.
mented. They are going up from our cir
| cles of earth to join it, little voices te
| join the anthem-little hands to take hold
in the great home circle, little feet te
dance in the eternal glee, little crowns to
| be cast down before the feet of Jesus
! Our friends are in two groups, a grour
| this side of the river, and a group en- the
! other side of the river. Now there goes
| one from this to that, and another from
| this to that, and soon we will al
be gone over. How many of your loved
| ones have already entered upon thai
blessed place. If 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 can
not hear the joy on the other side wher
that group is augmented. 1t is grave.
here, and collins and hearses here. a
| little child's mother had died, and they
| comforted her. They said: ''Your mother
has gone to Heaven-don't cry;" and, tn,
| next day, they went to the graveya ard
and they laid the body of the mother
| down into the ground; and the little CIR
came up to the verge of the grave, and
| looking down at the body of the mother
said: SIS this Heaven" Oh. we have nj
| idea what Heaven is. 1t is the gray.
here-it is darkness here-but there i.
merry-making yonder. Methinks when
soul arrives some angel takes i
around to show it the wonders of tina,
I blessed place. The usher angel saws t,
the newly arrived: ''These are the martyr.
that persisted at Piedmont; these were
torn to piecss at thu inquisition; this il
the throne of the great Jehovah; this il
Jesus" 81 am going to see Jesus" said
dying boy; 81 am going to see Jesus
The missionary said: "You are sure yo,
will see him?" ooh! yes; that's what
want to go to Heaven for" ''But," said
the miss ionary, Suppose Jesus should q
away from Heaven-what thenw -
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