Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-14
FRIENDS In HEAVEN.
One Of the Great joys of the Future
Life to be Communion With
THOSE WHOM WE LOVED ON EARTH.
A Certainty That the Dear Ones Gone Be-
fore Will Welcome Us
WHEN WE HAVE CROSSED TIE RIVER
rrrc1AI TELEGRAM TO TIE prsrArcH.,

Heaven" The eminent clergyman took for
his text IL Sam. xii: %. 81 shall 60 to,him." "
His sermon was as follows:
There is a very sick child in the abode of
David the King. Disease, which stalks up
the dark lane of the poor and puts its
smothering hand on the lip and nostril OF
the wan and wasted, also mounts the palace
stairs, and bending over the pillow blows
into the face of young prince the trosts Of
pain and death. Tears are wine to the King
of Terrors. Alasl for David the King. He
can neither sleep nor eat, and lies PROSTATE
on his face, weeping and wailing until the
palace rings with the outcry of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or victorious
armies, or conquered provinces, under such
circumstances What to any parent is
all splendid surrounding when his child is
sick? Seven days have passed on. Then in
that great house two eyelids are gently
closed, two little hands folded, two little
feet quiet, one heart still. The servants
come to bear the tidings to the King, but
they cannot make up their minds 10 tell
him, and they stand at the door whispering
about the matter, and David hears them and
he looks up and says to them, SIS the child
dead?" eyes, he is dead" David rouses
himself up, washes himself, puts on new ap-
parel, and sits down to food.
FUTURE RECOGNITION.
What power hushed that tempest? What
strength was it that ted up that king
whom grief had dethroned? Oh, it was the
thought that he would come again into the
possession of that darling child. No grave
dipger's spade could hide him. The wintry
blasts OF death could not put out the bright
light. There would be a forge somewhere
that with silver hammer would weld the
broken links. In city where the hoofs of
the pale horse never strike the pavement he
would clasp his lost treasure. He wipes
awav the tears from his eyes, and he clears
the choking grief from his throat, and ex-
claims, 81 shall 60 to him."
Was David right or wrong? If we part
on earth will we meet again in the next
world? "Well," says some one, that
seems to be an imposSibility. Heaven is so
large a place we never could find our kim
dred there" Tremendous question: 1t
makes the lip quiver and the cheek flush
and the entire nature thrill: Shall we
know each other there? 1 get letters almost
every month asking me to discuss this SUBJ
ject. get letter in a bold, scholarly
hand, on gilt-edged paper, asking me to dis
cuss this question, and l saw: "Ah, that is
a curious man, and he wants a curious
question solved" But | get another letter.
1t is written with trembling hand, and on
what seems to be a torn-out leaf of a book
and here and there is the mark of q tear;
and ] say: "Oh. that is n broken heart and
Il wants to be comiorted.'
The object Of this sermon is 10 take this
theory out of the region of surmise and
speculation into the region Of positive eer-
l. "a
pleasant If that doctrine were true. / hope
IL may be true. Perhaps IL IL true. ] wish
IL were true" But believe that / can
bring an accumulation OF argument 10 bear
upon this matter which will prove the doe.
triHe Of future recognition ~ plainly ~
that there IL any heaven at all, and that the
kiss of
REUNION AT THE cELEsTIAL GATE
will be as certain rs the dying kiss ut the
kepulehre. Now, when you are going TO
build Il shin you must get the right kind OF
timber. You lay the keel and make the
frame work Of the very best materials,
the keelson, stnunohlons, plank-shear, coun-
ter-timber-knee, trRnsoms, all of solid oak.
You may build q ship OF lighter material,
but when the cyclone comes on, IL will 20
down. Now we may have q great many
beautiful theories about the future world,
built out OF our own fancy, aud they may
do very well ~ long ~ we have smooth sail
ing In the world; but when the storms Of
sorrow come upon us, and the hurricane Of
death, we will be swamped-we will be
ioundered. We want n theory built out OF
the solid oak OF Gods eternal Word.
The doctrine OF future recognition IL not
30 often positively stated In the Word Of
God as implied, aud you know, my friends,
that that il, after all, the strongest mode Of
affirmation. Your friend travels In foreign
lands. He comes home. He does not begin
by arguing with you TO prove that there are
such places as London and Stockh holm and
Paris and Dresden and Berlin, but his con-
versation implies II, And no this Bible
does not so positively state this theory as, all
up and down Its chapters, take 10 Tor
granted. What does my text imply? ~
rhall 20 TO him." What consolation would
IL be to David 10 60 TO his child Il he would
not know him? Would David have been
allowed TO record this anticipation for the
inspection Of all ages. II it were a ground.
lesb anticipation?
We read in the first book OF the Bible:
Abraham died aud was gathered 10 his peo-
pie. Jacob died and was gathered TO his
people. Moses died and was gathered TO his
people. What people? Why, their friends,
their comrades, their old companions. OF
course, IL means that. 1t cannot mean any
thing else. So in the very beginning OF the |
Bible four times that Is taken for granted. |
The whole New Testament is an arbor over ,
which this doctrine creeps like luxuriant |
vine full Of the purple clusters of consola- |
tion. James, John and Peter followed |
Christ into the mountain.
ANGELS KNOW EACH OTHER.
A light falls from heaven on that noun
tain and lifts 1t into the glories of the celes-
tial. Christs garments glow and His face
shines like the sun. The door of heaven
swings open. Two spirits come down and
alight on that mountain. The disciples look
at them and recognize them as Moses and
Elias. Now, if those disciples standing on
the earth could recognize these two spirits
who had been for years In heaven, do YOU
tell me that we, with our heavenly eyesight,
will not be able to recognize those who have
gone out from among US only 8, 10, 20, 80
years ago?
The Bible indicates, over and over again,
that the angels know each other; and then
the Bible says that we are to be higher than
the angels, and if the angels have the power
of recognition, shall not we, who are to be
higher than they in the next realm, have as
good eyesight and as good capacity? What
dld Christ meal, in His conversation with
Mary and Martha, when he said, "Thy
brother shall rise again?" 1t was as much
as to say, Don't cry. Don't wear your
selves out with this trouble. You will see
nlm again. Thy brother shall rise again.
The Bible describes heaven as a great home
circle. Well, now, that would be q very
queer home circle where the members did
not know each other. The Bible describes
death as sleep. If we know each other be.
fore we go to sleep, shall we not know each
other after we wake up? Oh. yes. We will
know each other a great deal better then
than now, lor now, SAYS the apostle. 1--WE
erHt Nrfrh n ola I
faoe." 1t will be my purified snthransd
and glorihed body gazing on vour purified |
enthroned and gloriiied body,
Now, demand, If you believe the Bible.
that you take this theory of futurs tseoeni'
tieh out of the realm of speeuiaties and
suftnise into the region Of positive certainty.
anu : no more keep saving II hope it IL sol / |