The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-01-12

sun tnoso from Wnom We nave long peen sep
arated. After we have been away from our
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
changedln But oh, when we stand before the
throne, all cares gone from the lace, all
marks of sorrow disappeared, and feel
ing the joy of that blessed land, methinks
we will say to each other, with an ex-
utation we cannot now imagine: How you
have changedn In this world we only meet
to part. 1t is goodby; goodby. Farewels
floating in the air. We hear it at the rail
car window, and at the steamboat wharf
goodby. Children lisp it, and old age an
swers it, Sometimes we say it in light way
--"goodbyn and sometimes with anguish in
which the soul breaks down. Goodby! All,
that is the word that ends the thanksgiving
banquet that is the word that comes in to
close the Christmas chant. Goodby; gooiby.
But not so in heaven. Welcomes in the air,
welcomes at the gates, welcomes at the house
of many mansions-but, no goodby. 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-ltte 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
another from this to that, and soon we will
all be gone forever. How many of your
loved ones have already entered upon that
pencil, do you think l could put them all
downi 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
comforted her. They said: "Your mother
has gone to heavcn-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, look
ing down at the holy of her mother, said:
| SIS this heaven!n Oh, we have no idea what
heaven is. 1t is the grave here-it is dark
| ness here-5ut there is merrymaking yonder.
| Methinks when soul arrives some angel
takes it around to show it the wonders OF
| that blessed place. The usher angel says to
| the newly arrived: "These are the martyrs
| that persisted at Piedmont these were torn
| to pieces at the Inquistion; this is the throne
| of the great Jehovah this is Jesus" Il
am going to see Jesus said a dying
boy; II am going to see Jesus" Tie mis-
sionery said: You are sure you will sec
Himm ooh! yes; that's what Iwant to go to
heaven for" "But,n said the missionary,
suppose Jesus should go away from heaven
what thena' 81 should follow Him. said
the dying boy. "But if Jesus went down to
! hell-what then.n The dying boy thought
| for moment, and then said: where Jesus
| is there can be no help Oh! to stand in His
presence! That will be heaven! Oh! to put
our hand in that hand which was wounded
| for us on the cross-to go around amid the
| groups Of the redeemed, and shake hands
| with the prophets, and apostles, and martyrs,
aud 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: rs it we'll
| with the child! Is it well with the loved ones!"
and we listen to hear if any voice comes back
| over the water. Monet nonel unbelief says:
"They are dead, and they are annihilatedSp
| but, blessed be God, we have 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 for our coming, and
that we will join them on the other side OF
the river. Oh, glorious reunion! we cannot
heard, neither have entered into the heart of
| man the things which God hath prepared for
| them that love him." Oh, what a place of
| explanation it will be!
I see every day profound mysteries OF
! Providence. There is no question we ask
oftener than Why? There are hundreds Of
| graves in Greenwood and Laurel Hill that
need to be explained. Hospitals for the
blind and lame, asylums for the idiotic AMI
insane, almshouses for the destitute, and
world of pain and misfortune that de nand
more than human solution. All! God will
| clear it all up In the light that comes from
| the throne no dark mystery can live. Things
now utterly inscrutable will be illuminated as
plainly as though the answer were written
on the jasper wall, or sounded in the temple
| anthem. Bartimeus will thank God that he
was blind; and Lazarus, that he was covered
with sores; and Joseph that he was cast into
the pit; and Daniel, that he denned with thu
lions; and Paul, that he was humpbacked;
and David that he was driven from Jerusa-
lem; and that invalid, that for twenty years
| he could not lift his head from the pillow;
and that widow that she had such hard work
to earn bread for her children. The song
| will be all the grander for earths weeping
| eyes and aching heads, and exhausted hands,
and scourged backs, and martyred agomes.
But we can get no idea Of the anthem here.
| We appreciate the power of secular music,
but do we appreciate the power of sacred
song? There is nothing more inspiritinng to
| me than whole congregation lifted on
| the wave of holy melody. When we
sing some of those dear old psalms and
tunes they rouse all the memories OF the
| past Why. some of them were cradle songs
| with the morning dew Of a thousand Chris
| tian Sabbaths. They were sung by brothers
| and sisters gone now-by voices that were
| aged and broken in the music voices none
| the less sweet because they did tremble ana
break When | hear these old songs sung it
seems as if all the old country meeting homes
| joined in the chorus, and city church and
| sailors bethel and western cabin, unit! the
| whole continent lifts the doxology and the
scepters of eternity beat time to the music.
| Away, then, with your starveiinS tunes thag
| chill the devotons of the sanctuary and
| make the people sit silent when Jesus
| is marching on to victory. When generals
| come back from victorious wars, don't we
| cheer them and shout "Huzza! buzza" and
| when Jesus passes along in the conquest OF
| the earth, shall we not have for him one Loud
| ringing cheer2
All hail the power of Jesus name!
Let angels PROSTATE fall,
Bring forth the royal dialeul.
And crown him Lord of ALL"
| But my friends, il music on earth Is 50
sweet, what will it be in heaven! They all
| know the tune there. All the best singers OF
ali the ages will join it-choirs of white
robed children, choirs of patriarchs, choirs OF
| apostles. Morning stars capping their GYM
balls Harpers with their harps. Great
| anthems of God, roll on! roll onl--other en-
pires joining the harmony till the thrones
| are ali full and the nations all saved. An
| and all the sweet sounds of earth and heaven
| be poured into the ear of Christ. David OF
| the harp will be there. Gabriel OF the trum.
pet will be there Germany, redeemed, will
pour its deep bass voice into the song, and
Africa will add to the music with her match
| less voices.
| wish we could anticipate that song. l
wish in our closing hymn to-day we might
| catch an echo that slips from the gates. Who
| knows that but when the heavenly door opens
today to let some soul through there may
come forth the strain of the jubilant voices
| until we catch it, Oh, that as the song drops
down from heaven, it might meet half way
song coming up from earth.
They rise for the doxology, all the multi
tude of the blest! Let us rise with them;
and so at this hour the Joys of the church on
earth and the joys of the church in heaven
will mingle their chalices, and the dark APP
parel of our morning will seem to whiten
| into the spotless raiment of the skies. God
grant through the rich mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ we may all get there.