Omaha daily bee., 1889-02-17
BEYOND The PEARLY GATES.
Omaha Divines on the Rewards of
the Blessed.
HEAVEN is WHAT WE MAKE 1T.
A Congregational Pastor Depicts the
Incfable Enioyments Prepared for
Minds Enlarged and Purified
Bliss Which Never Ends.
The Fruits Of righteousness.

The Fruits OF righteousness.
"What is your conception Of hcavenri was
the question asked by BEE reporters Of a
number OF Omaha divincs. While all agreed
that IL is to be a place of unalloyed happiness
and that entrance thereto can only be gained
by right living, there was an interesting diff
ference of opinion as TO details.
Rev. David X. Kerr, of the Leavenworth
Presbyterian church, said: There will be
neither poor nor aristocracy there; none too
lazy to work, none too mean, none too rich
no soullcss corporations, no protective
unions, no strikes. There will be no saloons,
no prisons, no almshouses. There will be
prohibition throughout the realm, prohibition
will prohibit, and no Sioux City correspond
ent or Observation-Disclosures who
will try to prove to the contrary. There
will be no election to relocate a city hall.
That will be settled before we get there.
No fault will be found with the streets, side.
walks, and parks. Even the reporters will
have no improvements TO suggest. The re-
portors will be angels. There will be no
Sunday newspapers. Everybody will like to
go TO church. Choirs will be reliable. Pews
will all be free, and none will be empty.
Preachers, in order TO draw, will not need to
advertise ITO Dry Goods Clerks "To
Young Men Away From Home" "To
Daughters, ~ "How TO Select Husbands ~ etc.
Preachers will not take Robert Elsmere''
for a text. Preachers who can't get a crowd
will not feel jealous toward those who can,
but will quit preaching. No charity balls
will be there. There will be there neither
politician, lawyer, doctor, BANKER, broker,
real estate nor loan dealer; though some
who have been such will be there, with occu
patton gone. All will be Christians there
with bodies like unto Chrlst's body after He
was resurrected, and their character like
Him as He is; with occupation to know as
God knows, to love as he loves, to honor as
He deserves with conditiOn-satisfied. That
will be heaven for me. Would you be lonely
therei There's another place.
Key. Dr.. Duryea, OF the First Cougrega-
condition W. know nothing. We only
know in general that if christianity is pre-
pairing men for another world it must fit
them for it, and so we can infer from their
adaptations
the mode Of life will be. We know
that it will be social, and that So
ciety will be perfect because its members
will be perfectly unselfsh that is, perfectly
benevolent and just, so that there will be CO.
operation for each others welfare and happi-
ness. TO this there can be no limit, for
there is no limit to personal Development
Rev. W.. J. Harsha, of the First Presby-
heaven as presented in the bible is that we
are with Christ, and that his presence in
cludes all that we need in the way of hnppi-
ness. And it is Il place of reunion with our
friends who have died in the hope of the
gospel. 1t Is also IA place of enlarged
knowledge. There we will know even as
also We are known There are
some who suppose that heaven
is located in the Pleiades. 1t is certain that
that constellation answers one requisite of
heaven for there is no night there"
Rev. "A. W.. Lamar, pastor of the First
Baptist church, said that during the spring
he expected to give his ideas upon the sub
jeCt eX-cathedraa and that for the present he
MUST
content himself with the assertion
that if man had not a little of heaven in
him on earth it was not likely that he would
have much of it IN the hereafter.
Rev. DIR. Iahner, rector of All Saints
church, said 1.-THE life everlasting is clearly
revealed in Holy Scripture, but the condi-
tons OF that life are only incidentally con
vcyed to us on the page of inspiration. To
theorize on a subject connected with which
we have no direct information is simply in
dulging our own fancy. No unlnspircd NOR
tai could even understand the conditions of
life in heaven, much less describe them. The
distance of the finite mind from the infinite
is too great for that. We might as well ex-
poet the unborn child to conceive correct
ideas respecting the green earth, the glorious
sun and the ever-burning stars. Any theory
or hypothesis formed ON a subject of this
kind, how plausible soever 1t may seem, is
and can be no more than a rational %conjec-
ture. Christianity cannot be compromised
in the remotest manner by the at
tempted establishment or refutation
of any such speculation. All that
our Lord thought it necessary to teach on
this subject, was the existence of a future
state, the resurrection of the body. the life
everlasting, and the conditions which will
determine the final and everlasting state of
man.
Is also revealed to us that that state
will be one Of endless felicity to which the
glorifed nature of man will be perfectly
adapted. Forever free from sin, mans best
capacities will be enlarged and perfected.
The satisfaction of these capabilities of our
nature will be a never-ending source of
pleasure and happiness. The employments
of heaven will be directed to this end.
Hence its bliss. The desire for enjoyment
originally implanted in the human mind. 1t
constitutes a law of our nature. We per-
petuully live under its influence, 1t is tho
handspring of much of our conduct, and this
appointment of II benefcent Creator,
and it is intended to produce UNI
mixed good. 1t does not do so in
this life for the reason that the desire for en-.
joynlent has become debaseu by sin. In the
next world 1t will
enlarged and purified and gratifed
to the fullest extent. We are now
in the infancy of our being; but we are
growing in one of we directions-in the di-
rcction of the purified, the perfected, the
ideal, the happy life, or in the direction of
the life that is deoased, polluted and un.
happy-the life that will become finally and
forever rcprobate. The earthly stage of our
existence is characterized by a severe strug-
gle toward an ideal, which, never attained
on this side the grave, is fully realized in
heaven. the realm of spiritual perfection.
There, the created spirit, whether human or
angelic, becomes actually, what from the
first it bears potentiaily-the image of God.
There the limit of development is reached,
and the gloriiied man eitcrs upon the last
and highest form of his existence.
Rev. John Williams, rector st, Barnabas
Episcopal church, said that the last two
80 chapters of Revelations expressed his
ideas on the subject and gave this extract
"God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes. And
Rev. Charles W. Savidge, late pastor OF
the First Baptist church in this city, and now
located at Grand Island, said: j believe
heaven is u real place. 1t is a city of magif-
cent proportions and of exquisite beauty.
The book of Revelations tells us that, IN is
the busiest city within Gods dominion, FOR
our Father says; 'They rest not day nor
night
have no sympathy with that old sister
who became tired of washing dishes and
sweeping, and sand when she got
heaven she was going 10 do nothing forever
and over.
Rev. Father Mccarthy. of St, philomcna
Catholic church said; Heaven means
the beatiiic vision and love OF Gcd,
The heatitic vision Is the clear
knowledge of God as He is in Himself. A