The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-04
for Infants and Children.

sweet and overwhelming part Of the
hallelujah of heaven VII not be carried
by those who rode in high places and gave
sumptuous entertainments. but paupef
children viii sing it, beggars will sing it,
redeemed hOd-carriers will sing il, those
who were once the offscouring OF earth
will sing it. The hallelujah will be all the
grander for earth's weeping eyes, and ach.
ing heads, and exhausted hands, and
scourged backs, and martyred agonies.
Again: The thought OF my text is true
when applied 10 the enjoyment of the
righteous in heaven. L think we have
but little idea Of the number of the right
eous in heaven. In6dels say: "Your
heaven will be very small place COM
pared with the world of the lost; for, ar
cording 10 your teaching, the majority of
men will be destroyed" ! deny the
charge. ] suppose that the multitude of
the finally lost, as compared with the mul.
titude of the finally saved, viii be a hand
full. / suppose that the few sick people in
the hospitals OF our great cities, as CON-
pared 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 ofheaven.
For we are to remember that we are living
Ia only the beginning of the Christian
dispensation, 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 vast majority. Take all the congre-
cations that have assembled for worship
throughout Christendom. Put them to-
gether, and they would make but small
audience compared with the thousands
Il =
times ten 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 who
fought in the armies of liberty, and rose
as they fell; those tumbled from high
scaffoldings, or slipped from the mast, or
were washed off into the sea. They came
up from Corinth, LaOdicea, from the Red
sea bank and Gennesarets wave, from
Egyptian bric6-yards and Gid
deems thrashing-foor. Those thou
sands of years ago slept the
last sleep, and these are this moment
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 a field
glass and sees in the great distance multi
tudes approaching, but has no idea of
their numbers. He says: 81 can not tell
anything about them. / merely know
that there are great number" And so
! John, without attempting to count, saws;
"a great multitude that no man can mum.
ber." We are told that heaven Is place
of happiness; hut what do we know about
happiness? Happiness in this world is
only a half-hedged thing; a fiowery path
with serpent kissing across it & broken
pitcher from which the water has dropped
before we could drink it; thrill of ex-
hilaration, followed by disastrous resc.
tons. 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 empted into Il,
and the banks are torn, aud unhealthy ex-
| halations spring up from il, 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 we've
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, nevermore in
| this world TO look upon herr All, there
n
| gled with our laughter on that Christmas
day. Not so with heavens reunions. II
will be an uninterrupted gladness. Many
/ a Christian parent will look around and
| find all his children there. "Ah," he says,
] team it be possible that we are all here
! life's perils over? The Jordan passed and
/ not one wanting! Why, even the prodi-
| gal is here. l almost gave him up. How
| long he despised my counsels! but grace
| has triumphed All here. all here Tell
the mighty JOY through the city. Let the
| bells ring and the angels mention il In
| their song. Wave it from the top of the
walls. All herew
| 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 foundering in the dark
ness. You stand wonderstruck and
| amazed. You feel as If all the loveliness
of life were dashed out You stand gaz-
ing into the open chasm of the grave.
| Wait little. In the presence of your de-
parted and of him who carries them in
his bosom YOU shall soon stand face To
face. Oh that our last hour may kindle
up with this promised JOY! May we be
able to say, like the Christian not long
age departing: Though pilgrim walk
ing through the valley. the mountain tops
are cleaning from peak to peakw or, like
my dear friend and brother, Alfred Cook.
man, who took his fight to the throne Of
| God. saving 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