The American citizen. [volume] (Topeka, Kan.) 1888-1909, 1889-07-19
THE HEAVENLY HOME.
The Joy Of the Redeemed Picturet-
By DR.. Talmage.
The a.ternaI Mansion in Which There ID
Room For All-The Splendors OF the
Great Homestead Where the Re-
deemed Will Meet.

mage took for his subject, "Our House on
the Hills" His text was from John XIV
Q; Gin my Fathers house are many
rooms" He said:
Here is a bottle Of medicine that IS a
cure-all. The disciples were sad ana
Christ offered Heaven as an alternative,
stirnulant and tonic. He shows them
that their sorrows are only dark bacK"
ground Of a bright picture of coming fell"
city. He lets them know that though now
they live On the lowlands they shall yet
have house on the uplands. Nearly all
Of the Bible descriptions OF Heaven may
be figurative. I am not positive that In
all Heaven there is a literal crown or harP
or pearly gate or throne or chariot. Ihey
may be only used to illustrate the glorles
of the place, but how we'll they do 1t! Inc
faVorite symbol by which the Bible pre-
sents celestial happiness is a "ouse. Pau+
who never owned a house, e, hOugh he
hired one for two years in Italy, speaks OF
Heaven as "a house not made Win
hands" and Christ in our text, the trans"
lation of which is little changed so as TO
give the more accurate meaning, saysi |
"In my Fathers b use are many rooms"
This divinely authorized comparison or
Heaven to a great homestead of large ac-
commodations propose to carry out. In
some healthy neighbOrhOOd a man builds
very commodious habit alton. he must
have room for all his children. The rooms
must come to be called after different
members OF the family. That is mothers
room. That i Georges room. That Is
Henry's room That is Flora's room.
That is Mary's room. And the house Is
all occupied. But time goes by and the
. sons 60 out into the world and tulld their
own homes and the daughters are married
md n
good work in the world Alter awhile the
father and mother are almost alone in the
big house, and seated by the evening
stand they say: swell, our family is no
larger now than when started together
forty wears ago" BIT time goes still
further by and som Of the children are
unfortunate and return to the old home
stead to live, and the grandchildren, and
perhaps he great-g and hlldren, ana
again the house Is full.
MANY millenia ago God built on the hills
Of Heaven a great homestead for family
innumerable yet TO be. At first de lived
alone in that great house, but after a
while it was occupied by very large
family, cherubic, seraphic, angelic The
eternities passed on and many of the in
habitants became hayward and left never
to return. And many Of the apartments
Now these apartments filling up
again. There are arrivals at the old
homestead of Gods children every day,
and the dav will come when there will be
no unoccupied room in all the house. As
YOU and ! expect to enter 1t and make
there eternal residence, | thought you
would like to get some more particulars
about that many rOomed homestead. I'm
my Fathers house are many rooms" GU
see the place is to be apportloned OFT into
apartments. We shall love all who are IN
Heaven, but there are some very good
people whom we would not want to live
with in the same room They may
be better than we are, but they are
Of a divergent temperament. We woulc
like to meet them on the golden streets
and worship with them in the temple anC
vzaIk with them on the river banks, but
am glad to say that we shall live in differ
snt apartments. Sin my Fathers hous
are many rooms"
You see Heaven will be so larg
that If one wants an entire room
to himself or herself it can be af
forded. An ingenious statistician, takin
the statementmade in Revelat on, twenty
first chapter, that the heavenly JeruSaleT
was measured and found to be 1900 fur
longs ana that the length and height an
breadth Of it are equal, says that woul
make Heaven in size 94S seXtilllon 5SS quln
tillion cubic feet, and then, reserving
certain portion for the Court of Heave
and the streets, and estimating that til
world may last 100 900 years, he cipher
ont that there are over five trillion room
each room IL feet long, is feet wide,
feet high But | have no faith in the a.
curacy Of that calculation. He makes Il
rooms too small. From all can read, Il
rooms will be palatial, and those who hay
not had enough room in this world w
have plenty Of room at the last.
The fact is that people in this world a
crowded and, though out on vast prs
RE or in a mountain district, people ma
have more room than they want, IN me
cases il Is house built close to house, al
the streets are crowded ana the cradle
crowded by other cradles, and the gray
crowded in the cemetery by other grav'
and one OF the richest luxuries of ma
roonle in Getting out of this world will
TIE gaining of unhindered and uncramp
Aroom And I should not wonder If
stead of the room that the statlstici
cinhered out as only seventeen feet
sixteen. it should be larger than any
~. imnerial rooms at Berlin, St. James
Winter nalace, "In my Fathers hoV
are many rooms"
Carrying out still further the symbol
Of the text let us join hands and so up
this majestic homestead and see for Q
selves. AZ we ascend the golden steps
invisible guardsman swings open
front door aud we are ushered TO the ri
linto the reception room Of the old hol
s+aad. That il the place where we
meet the welcome Of Heaven. There N
r. Mace where the departed spirit ent
and place in which il confronts the
hahitants celestial. The reception rc
of The newly arrived from this wor
what scenes ii must have witnessed 81
the first guest arrived, the victim Of
frst fratricide, pious Abel In
room Christ lovingly greeted all
corners. He redeemed them and de
the right to the first embrace on their
~gval. What minute when the ascen
sn,rit FIRST sees the Lord. Better than
~ ever read about Him or talked az
Him or sang about Him in all the chur'
h " AT