Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-07-18
SUNDAYS
ONE OF REV. DIR. TALMAGE'S
STERLING DIsCoURSES.
Subject: "Our House on the Hills
preached at the Hamptons, l.. H.

IOUUtls
Here is a bottle of medicine that is a cure
all The disciples were sad and Christ Of
fered heaven as an alternative, a stimulant
and a tonic. He shows them that their sor-
rows are only a dark background Of a bright
nirtnre Of eoAing felicity. He lets
Them know that though now they live
on the lowlands they shall yet nave a
house on the uplands. Nearly all the Bible
descriptions of heaven may be figurative.
lam not positive that in all heaven there is
a literal crown or harp or pearly gate or
throne or chariot. They may be only used
10 illustrate the glories of the place, but how
we'll they do i'll tt fayorite symbol by
which the Bible presents celestial happiness
is a house. Paul. who never owned a house,
although he hired n for two years in Italy,
snaaks of heaven as a house not made with
ton of which is a little changed so as to give
the more accurate meaning, says: ''In my
Fathers house are many rooms"
This divinely authorized comparison of
heaven to a great homestead of large accom-
modations | propose to carry out. In some
healthy neighborhood a man builds a
very commodious habitation. He must
have room for all his children. The
rooms come to be called after the
different members of the family. That is
mothers room. That is Georges room.
That is Henry's room. That is Flora's
room. Thatis Mary's room. And the house
4 all occupied. But time goes by and the
sons go out into the world and build
their own homes and daughters are married
or have talents enough singly to go out and
do a good work in the world. After a while
the father and mother are almost alone in
the big house and, seated by the evening
stand. they say: "Well, our family is no
larger now than when we started together
forty years ago. But time goes still further
- - - Al. .Itllu,- -.
and return to the old homestead to live,
and the grandchildren come with them, and
perhaps great-grandchildren, and again
the house is full. Many millennia ago
God built on the hills of heav-
en- a great homestead for a family innumer-
able. yet to be. At first He lived alone in
that great house, but after a while it was
occupied by a very large family, cherubic,
seraphie, angelic. h eternities passed on
and many Of the inhabitants became way
ward and left never to return. And many
Of the apartments were vacated. refer to
the fallen angels. Now these apartments
are filling up again. There are arrivals at
the old homestead Of Gods children every
day, and the day will come when there viii
be no unoccupied room in all the house.
As you and | expect TO enter IL and make
there eternal residence, | thought you would
like to get some more particulars about that
many-roomed homestead. SIN my Fathers
house are many rooms.' You see the place
is to be apportioned off 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 would
like to meet with them on the golden
streets and worship with them in
the temple and walk with them on the river
banks but ! am glad to say that we shall
live in different apartments. I'm my Fathers
house are many rooms" You see heaven will
be so large that if one want ar entire room to
himself or herself, it can be afforded. An in
%genious statistician taking the statement
made in Revelation, t~wenty-first chapter, that
the heavenly Jerusalem was measured and
found to be twelve thousand furlongs and
that the length and height and breadth
Of it are equal, says that would make
heaven in size 94S sextillion 99S
quintillion cubic feet, and then reserving a
certain portion for the court of heaven and
the streets, and estimating that the world
may last a hundred thousand years, he ciphers
out that there are over five trillion rooms,
each room seventeen feet long, sixteen feet
wide, fifteen feet high. But l have no faith
In 1.-THE accuracy of that calculation. He makes
the rooms two small. From all | canIead, the
rooms will be palatial, and those who have
not had enough room in this world will
have plenty of room at the last. The fact is
that most people in this world are crowded,
and though out on a vast prairie OF In a
mountain district people may have more room
than they want, in most cases It'll house built
close to house. and the streets are crowded
and the cradle is crowded by other cradles,
and the graves crowded in the cemetery by
other graves, and one of the richest
Injuries Of many people in getting
out of this world will be the
gaining of unhindered and uncramped room.
And | should not wonder if instead of the
room that the statistician ciphered out as
only seventeen feet by sixteen, it should be
larger than any of the imperial rooms at Ber~
In, st. James or Winter Palace. I'm my
Fathers house are many rooms. Carrying
out still further the symbolism of the text let
US join hands and go up to this majestic
homestead and see for ourselves.
As We ascend the golden steps, an invisible
g~uardsman swings open the front door and
We are ushered to the right into the recep-
ton room of the old homestead. That is the
place where we first meet the welcome OF
heaven. There must be a place where the
departed spirit enters and a place in which 1t
e~onfronts the inhabitants celestial. The re
cept,on room of the newly arrived from TINS
world-what scenes it must have witnessed
since the first guest arrived, the v1cum OF
me first fratricide, pious Abel. In thai room
Christ lovingly greeted all new COM
- t1tChAtl thCA
right to the first embrace on their ARRIVAL.
What a minute when the assembled spirit nrst
sees the Lord. Better than all we ever read
about Him or talked about Him or sang
about Him in all the churches and through
all our earthly lifetime, will it be, just Tor
one second to see Him. The most rapturous
idea we ever had of Him on
days or at the height of some great revival
or under the uplifted baton OF an oratorlo
area bankruptcy of thought compared with
the first fash Of His appearance IN mai
reception room. At hat moment when you
confront each other, Christ looking upon you
and you looking upon Christ, there VIII oe an
escStatic thrill and surging of emotion ina.
oeggars all description. Looki They need
no Introduction. Long ago Christ chose tnat
repentant sinner and that repentant sinner
Chose Christ. Mightiest moment OF an I'm,
mortal history-the first kiss of heaven
Jesus and the soul. The soul and Jesus.
But now into that reception room pour
tne gloriied kinsfolk. Enough OF
earthly retention to let you know them
out without their wounds or their SICK
neSsss or their troubles. See what heaven
has done for them. So radiant SO
gleetnl, so transportingly lovely. They eau
YOU by name. They greet you with an
HTH oh