The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-07-16

v
night? l was in the room where one of
my neighbors was dying. He was
good man, and he said he heard the
angels OF God singing before the throne.
4 hayentmuch poetry about me, but
listened and heard them too" Said I,
Il have no doubt Of it,, Why, we are
to Dc taken up to Heaven at last by
ministering spirits. Who are they to
beP souls that went up from Madras, or
Antioch, or Jerusalem? o, no., our glori-
he'd kindred are going to troop around us.
Heaven is not stately, formal place,
as l sometimes hear it described, a very
frigidity OF splendor, where people stand
on cold formalities and 60 arou nd about
with heavy crowns OF gold on their
heads. No, that is not my idea of
Heaven. My idea of Heaven is more
like this: You are seated in the evening"
tide by the Fireplace, your whole family
there, or nearly all OF them there.
While you are seated talking and enjoy
Ing the evening hour, there is knock
at the door and the door opsns, and
there comes In brother that has been
long absent. He has been absent for
years, you have not seen him, and
no sooner do you make up your mind
that 1t Is certainly he than you leap
up, and the question is who shall
give him the first embrace. This is
ny idea Of Heaven-a great home circle
where they are waiting for US. o, will
You not know your mothers voice there?
She who always called you by your first
name long after others had given you
the formal Mister" You we're never
any thing but James. or John, or
George, or Thomas, or Mary, or Florence
to her. VIII you not know your child's
voice9 She Of the bright eye, and the
rudy check, and the quiet step, who
came In from play and flung herself into
your lap, a very shower Of mirth and
beauty? Why, the picture is craven in
your soul. 1t can not wear out II that
little one should stand on the other side
OF some heavenly hill and call to you,
you would hear her voice above the
burst OF heavens great orchestra. Know
1t? You could not help but know 1t.
Now I bring you this glorious consola-
tion OF future recognition. II you could
get THIS theory into your heart 1t would
lift q great many shadows that are
stretching across it. When was lad
used to 20 out to the railroad track
and put my ear down on the track, and
Icould b car the express train rumbling
miles away and coming on; and to-day,
my friends, II we only had faith enough
we could put our ear down to the grave
OF our dead and listen to hear in the dis
tance the rumbling Of the chariots Of
resurrection victory. o, Heaven! Sweet
Heavenl You do not spell Heaven as
you used to spell It, You used to spell
It heaven, heaven. But now when
you want to spell that word you place
side by side the faces OF the loved ones
who are gone, and in that irradiation OF
light and love, and beauty and Joy you
spell II out as never b efore, in songs
and hallelujahsL
o, ye whose hearts are down under
the sod Of the cemetery, cheer up at the
thought OF this reunionl OH how much
you will have to tell them when once
yod meet theml How much you have
been through since you saw them lastl
On the shining shore you will talk It all
over. The heartaches. The loneliness.
The sloepless nights. The weeping
until you had no more power 70
weep because the heart was withered
and dried up. Story Of vacant
chair, and empty cradle, and little
shoe only half worn out, and to be
worn again, Just the shape Of the foo,
that once pressed It. And dreams, when
you thought that the departed had como
back again, and the room seemed bright
with their faces, and you start up TO
greet them, and in the effort the dream
broke and you found yourself standing
amid-room in the midnight - alone.
Talking II all over, and then, hand In
hand, walking up and down in the light
No sorrow, no tears, no death. o, Heaveni
beautiful Heavenl Heaven where our
friends are. Heaven where we expect
10 be.
In the East they take cage OF birds
and bring 1t 10 the tomb Of the dead,
and then they open the door OF the cage,
and the birds hying out sing. And I
would to-day bring a cage Of Christian
consultations TO the grave Of your loved
ones, and would open the door and
let them I'LL all the niriwith the music
OF their voices. o, how they bound
in these spirits before the thronsl
Some shout with gladness. Some break
forth into uncSntrollable weeping for
Joy. Some stand speechlessc in their
shock OF delight. They sing They
quiver with excessive gladness They
gaze on the temples, on the palaces, on
the waters, on each other. They weave
their Joy into garlands, they spring II
into triumphal arches, they strike II on
trimbels, and then all the loved ones
gather in great circle around the
throne OF God - fathers, mothers,
brothers, sisters, sons and daughters,
lovers and friends, hand 70 hand around
about the throne Of God-the circle ever
widening-haud to hand, Joy 10 Joy,
jubilee ITO jubilee, victory TO victory,
until the day break and the shadows
fee away" niT Turn thou, my beloved,
and be like roe or young hart upon the
mountains OF Bether." ....r ...'..
o, how different It is on earth from
the way It is in Heaven when Christian
diesl We say, "Close his eyes" In
Haavau tha,, a. uOl,a Id. . .s.t,.. %