The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-25

hundred and forty and four thousand that
shall stand around the throne These
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 sc9ffoldings, OF 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. TbOse 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 tie
enemy stacds on a hill and looks through a
field glass and sees in the great distance
multitudes approaching, but has no idea Of
their numbers. He says: IL cannot tell
anything about them. l merely know that
there are a great number And SO John,
without attempting to count, says: "a
great multitude that no man can number"
We are told that heaven is a place of hap
pinesSs But what do we know about happi
ness! Happiness in this world IS only a
half hedged thing: a howery path with a
serpent Kissing across it; a broken pitche
from which the water has dropped before
we could drink il thrill of eXhilaratiOn,
followed by disastrous reactions. To help
lis understand the Joy of heaven, the Bible
takes us to the 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 exhalations 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 reun-
ions 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, that But it had this draw
back-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
freshness of her young life, never more in
this world to look upon her! Ali 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
christian parent will look around and find
all his children there. "Ah!' he says, "can
perils over? The Jordan passed and not one
wanting? Why, even the prodigal is here.
almost gave him up. How long he de-
spised my counselsl but grace has
triumphed. All here! all here! Tell the
mighty joy through the city. Let the bells
ring and the angels mention it i'll their
song. Wave it from the top of the walls.
All heren
No more breaking of heartstrings, but
face to face. The orphans that were left
poor, and in a merciless world, kicked and
cutfed of many hardships, shall join their
parents over whose graves they so long
wept, and gaze into their glorified counte-
nances forever, sface 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 afIluent and prosper
GUS, or from scenes of ragged distress; but
we shall all meet in rapture and jubilee,
face to face
Many of our friends have entered upon
that joy. A few days ago they sat with
us studying these gospel themes; but they
only saw dimly-now revelation hath come.
Your time will also come. God
will not leave you floundering in the
darkness. You stand wonderstruck and
amazed. You feel as if all the loveliness of
life were dashed out. You stand gazing
into the open chasm of the grave
Wait a little. In the presence of
your departed and of him who carries
them in his bosom, you shall soon stand
may kindle up with this promised joy!
May we be able to say, like the christian
not long ago, departing: Though pilgrim
walking through the valley, the mountain
tops are cleaning from peak to peakr' or,
like my dear friend and brother, Alfred
Goodman, who took his flight to the throne
of God, saying in his last moment that
which has already gone into christian
classics: 81 am sweeping through the pearly
gate, washed in the blood of the lamb"