The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-08-15
Joys of Heaven.


that city, on the question, what shall
we do in Heaven?r A synopsis of the
result is given below:
Bishop Howe, of the Episcopal Church,
says heaven begins here on earth, and is
continued after death endlessly, because
God is infinite. Eternal life, or heaven,
is infinite progression in the knowledge
of God and of His love in Jesus Christ,
always growing, but never grown. The
delight which comes from the study of
Natures laws-gives faint adumbra-
ton of the delight of knowing God in
the world to come.
Bishop Storms Stevens, of the Re
formed Episcopal Church, says: From
my study of the New Testament am led
to believe that at the second coming of
Christ the then dead in Christ will be
raised from the dead. e., soul and body
immortalised shall be reunited. The
living in Christ will be changed in the
twinkling of an eye. e., their mortal
bodies will be immortalised. These
shall reign with Christ one thousand
years The details of this reign are not
given, and, therefore, none may dogma
tise. But, | think, those redeemed of
Christ will be employed in teaching,
ruling and furnishing the nations of the
earth from among whom many will be
converted notably the Jews. At the
close of this reign the rest of the dead
shall live again; the final Judgment
shall take place, the saved being with
God and the unsaved banished from
Him, of course, into darkness and
despair. Revelation is again silent as to
the details and no man knoweth more"
Mgr. Quigley, of the Catholic Church,
says: ''In heaven the righteous enjoy
tile presence of Jesus Christ, of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, of the angels and
saints. The righteous possess immortal
ity and incorruptibility, an entire ex-
emption from all ills of body and mind,
of sickness, old age and DEATH of hunger,
thirst, heat and cold, of fear or sadness,
of ignorance and error. They will enjoy
every good of every description, spiritual
and corporal. They will be endowed
with the four properties of the glorious
body-namely impassability, subtility,
agility and charity
Bishop Northrop, of the Catholic
Church, says: THE apostles have placed
at the end of the creed heaven or eternal
life as the crown of our faith, as the
complement of the works of God and OF
the teachings of our Lord. What is this
everlasting life? We cannot define or
describe it fully, because this life will
consist, above all, in the possession OF
God, who is infinite, Incompatible. But
we may affirm with certainty that heaven
is place or state of happiness where
we will see God, where we will love God,
where we will possess God eternally.'
Rev. R. D. Smart, of the Southern
Methodist Church, says: II believe
heaven to be both place and a state.
AS place it has location, but as to its
whereabouts, in space it is located, we
have no information, and have no opin-
ion whatever AS to it's being state,
believe first of all that it is a state of ex
quisite joy and happiness. | also be-
lieve heaven to be state OF rest, but
not in a sense that implies stagnation or
inactivity. On the contrary, believe
there will be intense activity, both OF in
tellect and of soul; but in heaven activity
itself will be a rest and excitement
calm
Rev. r. w. Lide, of the Baptist Church,
says: ''All we know of heaven, its oc-
cupants and occupations, we learn from
the sacred Scriptures. As to the char
acter of it's occupants, the Bible teach
ing is plain and abundant, but we are
not told explicitly what their occupation
will be. The Scriptures state i'll general
terms that the state and service OF the
Redeemer shall be joyous and happy, and
this is all that is necessary or important
for us to know"
DR.. G. r. Bracket, of the Presbyterian
Church, says: I'VE are assured that
heaven will be state of rest from sin,
suffering and wearisome, drudging toll
"a state of ceaseless activity, where we
shall work without fatigue, and need no
other rest than that which results from
a cnanSo Ol ouplOyulou Liz SloIlllou
Man upon the throne is the type of
what we shall be in respect to holiness
of character and perfection of manhood.
We shall have fellowship with our in
carnate Lord, and with the saints and
angels
Rev. E. G. L. Browne, of the Unitarian
Church, says: 1.-THE state of the right
eous after death will depend on the de-
gree of their righteousness, and the mo-
tives of their disembodied (spirituaD life
will be the same as previous to their dis
embodiment. Some will be intensely
active will feel, as they ever have, that
life is opportunity Some will exercise
an extended benevolence and keep on
spinning multitude of threads of mercy
on purpose to catch somebody in them.
So there will still be philanthropists,
saviours; helpers of the joy of others.
This supposes that the conditions of bliss
is not complete and universal also there
will be no reason for unselfish service
and that highest Heaven, the heaven of