The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-02

Ill all tne streams, neaIth blooming on inc
banks. No headaches, no sideaches, no
backaches. That child that died in the
agonies of Group, hear her voice now ring
ing in the anthem. That old man that went
bowed down with the inflrmities of age, see
him wa X now with the step of an immor-
tai athlete-forever young again. That
night when the needlewoman tainted away
in the garTet, a wave of the heavenly air re-
suscitated her for ever. For everlasting
years TO heve neither aches, nor pain, nor
weakness, nor fatigue Eye hath not seen
1T, ear hath not heard it
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 a blaze of anne
thyst, and pearl, and emerald, and sar-
donyX, and chrysoprasus, and sapphire,
mountain 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-throre of God. And we
turn round to see the glory and it is
thronesi ThrOnesl Thronesl
John bids us look again, and we see the
great procession of the redeemed passing;
Jesus, on 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 Dspensation tramping on
after dispensation. Glory in the track of
glory. Europe, Asia, Africa, North and
South America presssingtinto lines. Islands
of the sea shoulder to shoulder. Genera
fbs Al
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 Slung out and all
chimes rung, and all halleiujahs 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 exclamations of endearment
and homage IN the vocabulary of heaven
are exhausted, and there comes up surge
after surge of ''Amen! Amen! and Amenm
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 a stepping-stone by which
YOU might mount to the city of God. Every
house is a palace. Every step a triumph.
Every covering of the head a coronation.
Every meal is banquet. Every stroke
from the tower is a wedding-bell. Every
day is jubilee, every hour a rapture, and
every moment an ecstacy. Eye hath not
seen it, ear hath not heard it"
Iremark 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 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 in their faces, and we
say, "How you have changedp' But oh,
when we stand before the throne, all cares
gone from the face, all marks of sorrow dis
appeared, and feeling the joy of that blessed
land, methinks we will say to each other,
with an exultation we cannot now imagine,
'How you have changedl" In this world
we only meet to part. 1t is good-by, good
by. Farewells floating in the air. We hear
il at the rail-car window, and at the steam
old age answers it. Sometimes we say it in
a 4ght way 'good-by;" and some
times with anguish in which the
soul breaks down. Good-byi All there is
the word that ends the thanksgiving ban
quet that is the word that comes in to close
the Christmas chant. Good-by, good-by.
But not so in heaven. Welcomes in the air,
welcomes at the gates, welcomes at the
houses of many mansions-but, no good-by.
That group is constantly being 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 dance in the eternal
glee-little crowns to be cast down before
the feet of Jesus. Our friends are in two
groups-a group this side OF the river, and
group on the other side of the river. Now
there goes one from this to that, and an
other from this to that, and 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 / could put
them all downl Ah, my friends, the
waves of Jordan roar so hoarsely, we Can
not hear the Joy on the other side when
that group is augmented. 1t is graves
here, and coffins 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, 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
enf Oh! we have no idea what heaven is.
1t is the grave here--it is darkness here
| but there is merry-mabing yonder. Me
| thinks when a soul arrives, some angel
| takes it around to show it the wonders of
! that blessed place. The usher-angel says to
the newly-aIrived, ''These are the martyrs
| that perished at Piedmont; these were torn
| TO pieces at the Inquisition this is the
throne of the great jehovah; this is Jesus"
II am going to see Jesus" said a dying
| boy Il am going to see Jesus" The mis-
sonary said, "You are sure you will see
| hing "Oh! yes that's what | want to go
to heaven forh But" SAID the missionary,
! "silppose Jesus should 90 away from heaven
what then" II should follow him, " said
| the diving boy. "But if Jesus went down
| to heIl-what then" The dying boy
| thought for a moment, and then said,
"Where Jesus is there can be no hell" Oh!
to stand in his presence That will be
heavenl Oh! to put our hand in that hand
which was wounded for us on the cross-to
20 around amid the groups Of tho redeemed,
aud shake hands with the prophets, and
apostles, and martyrs, and with our own
dear. beloved ones That will be the great
reunioa 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, "ls
il well with the childf is it well with the
loved onesH and we listen to hear II any