Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-25

high places and gave sumptuous entertain
ments; but pauper children will sing 1T,
beggars will sing it, redeemed hod carriers
will sing it, those who were once the off.
securing of earth will sing it. The hallelu-
jah will be all the grander for earth's weep
ing eyes, and aching heads, and exhausted
hands, and scourged backs, and martyred
agonieS.
Again: The thought of my texts is true
when applied to the enjoyment of the right
eous in heaven. think we have but little
idea of the number of the righteous in
heaven. Infdels say: "Your heaven will
world of the lost; for, according to your
teaching, the majority of men will be de-
stroyed.' deny the charge. I suppose that
the multitude of the finally lost, as COM
pared with the multitude Of the finally
saved, will be handful. suppose that the
few sick people in the hospitals of our great
cities, as compared with the hundreds Of
thousands of we'll people, would not be
smaller than the number of those who shall
be cast out in suffering, compared with those
who shall have upon them the health of
heaven.
THE MIGHTIEST MULTITUDE.
For we are to remember that we are living
in only the beginning of the Christian dis
pensation, and that this whole world is to
be populated and redeemed, and that ages
of light and love are to flow on. If this be
so, the multitudes of the saved will be in the
vast majority.
Take all the congregations that have as
sembled for worship throughout Christen-
dom. Put them together and they would
make but a small audience compared with
the thousands and tens of thousands, and
top fbOucapd fiunae ton thnuSand and tho
hundred and forty and four thousand that
shall stand around the throne. Those flashed
up to heaven in martyr fires; those tossed
for many years upon the invalid couch;
those fought in the armies of liberty and
rose as they fell; those tumbled from high
scafoldings, or slipped from the mast, or
were washed off into the sea. They came up
from Corinth, from Laodicea, from the Red
Sea bank and Gennesaret's wave, from
Egyptian brickyards and Gideon's thresh-
ing floor. Those thousands of years ago
slept the last sleep, and these are this mo-
ment having their eyes closed and their
limbs stretched out for the sepulcher. A
general expecting an attack from the enemy
stands on a hill and looks through field
glass and sees in the great distance multi
tudes approaching, but has no idea of their
numbers. He says: 'I cannot tell any
thing about them. / merely know that
there are great number"
And so John, without attempting to count,
says: ga great multitude that no man can
number" We are told that heaven is
place of hapdiness; but what do we know
about happiness? Happiness in this world
is only half hedged thing; fowery path,
with serpent kissing across it; broken
pitcher, from which the water has dropped
before we could drink it; a thrill of exhila-
ration, followed by disastrous reactions.
MERELY PREPARATORY.
To help us understand the Joy of heaven,
the Bible takes us to a river. We stand on
the grassy bank. We see the waters flow on
with ceaseless wave. But the filth of the
cities is emptied into it, and the banks are
torn, and unhealthy exhaiations 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 festal
day on earth, when father and mother were
yet living, and the children came home. A
good time, thati But it had this drawback
all were not there. That brother went off
to sea, and never was heard from. That
sister-did we not lay her away in the fresh
ness of her young life, nevermore in this
world to look upon her? All! there was a
skeleton at the feast; and tears mingled
with our laughter on that Christmas day.
Not so with heavens reunions. 1t will be
an uninterrupted gladness. Many Chris
tian parent will look around and find all
his children there. "AhP' he says, "can it
be possible that we are all here-life's peril's
over? the Jordan passed and not one want
ing? Why, even the prodigal is here.
almost gave him up. How long he despised
my eouncilsl but grace hath triumphed.
All herel all herel Tell the mighty joy
through the city. Let the bells ring, anc
the angels mention it in their Song. Wave
it from the tops of the walls. All hereP'
WHAT A DIFFERENCE.
No more breaking OF heartstrings, but
face to face. The orphans that we're LETT
poor, and in merciless world, kicked and
cuffed of many hardships, shall join their
over whose graves they so long |
wept, ana gaze into their glorifed counte-
nances forever, face TO face. We may come |
up from different parts of the world, one |
from the land and another from the depths |
of the sea; from lives affluent and prosper |
BUS, or from scenes of ragged distress; but |
we shall all meet in rapture and jubilee,
lace TO face.
Many of our friends have entered upon
hat Joy. A few days ago they sat with us
studying these gospel themes; but they only
Jaw dimly-now revelation hath come.
God will not leave you foundering in the
darkness. You stand wonderstruck and
You feel as if all the Ioveliness of
ife were dashed out. You stand gazing
nto the open chasm of the grave. Wait a
title. In the presence of your departed
md of Him who carries them in His bosom,
you shall soon stand face to face.
Oil that our last hour may kindle up
With this promised joyl May we be able to
ay, like the Christian not long ago, depart
ng: Though a pilgrim walking through
he valley, the mountain tops are cleaning
rom peak to peakp' or, like my dear friend
md brother, Alfred Goodman, who took his
light to the throne of God, saying in his
asst moment that which has already gone
nto Ch. istian classics: 81 am sweeping
hrough the pearlY gate washed in the blood