Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-11-25

i0iitY. Take all the congregations Jnat
nave assembled for wOrehip throughout
/ Christsndom. Pat them together, and
| they would make but a small audience
compsred with the thousands and tens Of
/ thousands, and ten thousand times ten
/ Thousand, ami the huudred and forty aud
I fcur thousand that shall stand around tire
throue. Thcse flashed up in artyr fire
those tosstd for macy years upon the in
valid couch; those fought ia ths armies OF
liberty, and rose ~ sbey fell; those tum
bled from high scsffoldings, cr clipped from
the mast, or were washed off into the sea.
They came up from Corintb, from Laodi-
Geo, from the Red sen hank and Genne-
earei's wave, from Egyptian brickyards
and Gideon's threshiug floor. Those thou
sands of years ago slept the last sleep, and
thsee are this moment having their eyes
closed, lad their limbs stretched out for
the sepulchsr. A General expecting an
attack from the enemy stands on a hill
and loOks through field glsss and sees in
the great distance mulhtudes approaching,
bua has
no IDEA OF THEIR NUMBERS.
lie says: II cannot tell anything about
them. l merely know that they are
great number" Aad 80 John, without
attempting to count, says: "a great null
titude that no man Can number" We
ere told that heaven is place of happl-
ness; but what DO we know about happi
ness? Hsppioess il this world is only
half fedged thing; fi1Tery path, with
serpent Kissing scToss it; broken pitcher
from which the water has dropped before
We could dridk it; thrill Of exhilsration,
followed by disastrous reactions. To help
US understand the joy Of heaven, the Bible
takes us TO river. We stand On the
grassy bank We see the waters flow on
with cesseless wave. Bat the filth of the
cities is emptiad into it, and the banks are
torn, and unhealthy exhaustion spring up
from it, and we fail to get an idea of the
River of Life in heaven.
We get very imperfect ideas Of the re-
unions Of heaven. We think of some fes-
tel dag On earth, when father and mother
were yet living, and the children
came home. a good time that!
But il had thia draWblck-All
were not there. That brother went off 10
ssa and never WAS heard from. That sis
ter-did we rot lay Ter away in tho fresh
nees of her young life, never more in this
world to look upon heI? Alb there was o
skeleton az the feast; and tears mingled
with our laughter on that Christmas day.
Not 20 with heavens r uniocs. IL will be
an uninterrupted gladness. Many
Christian parent will look around and find
ell his children there. "Abw he says,
'can i. be possible that we are all here
lies psrils over, the Jordan passed and
not one wanting? Why, even the proiigal
is here. ] almost gave him mp. How long
he despised my counsels! but grace bah
jriumphed. All here all heIe! Tell the
mighty joy through the city. Let the
bells riug, and the angels mention it 10
their song. Wave it flom the top of the
walls. All heftw
no MORE BREAKING OF HEARIsTRINGs,
bat face TO fsca. The orphans that were
left poor, aud in m,rciles5 world, kicked
and c0if d Of mary hArdships, shall join
their parent over whose graves they 60
long wept and ~ into their gloritied
countsnauces forever, face TO face. We
may CONS up from different parts of the
world, one from the land aud another
from the depths Of the sea; from lives
sfliuent ard prosperous, or from scenes
Il ragged distress; but we shall meet in
rapture and i0bilee, face TO face.
Many Of our fciends have entered upon
hat Joy A few days ago they sat with
rs studying thsge Gospel themes; but
dizzy oaly saw dimly-now revelation
hath come. Your time will also
come. God will not leave you
flounderiDg in the darkness. You
stand wondersiruck and amazed. You
'eel ne If all the loveliness of lie
were dashed out. You stand gazing into
the open c5asm Of the grave. Wait lit
tie. In the presence Of your departed and
of Him wO carries them in His bosom, you
shall soon stand face to face. Oh! that
our last hour may kindle up with this
promised ioJ May we be able to say, like
the Christian rot long ago, departing
Though q pilgrim walking through the
valley, the mountain tops ara cleaning
from pax to peakW or, like my dear
friend and brother, Alfred Goodman, who
took his ght to the throne of God, say
Ing in his last moment that which has al
ready gone Into Christian classics: Il am
sweeping through the Ielrly gate, washed
in the blood OF the lamb ~