The Russellville Democrat., 1890-07-24
MEETING IN HEAVEN.
Discourse by Rev. T. Dewitt Tal-
 mage at Waseca, Minn.
The Array of Argument in Support of the Worlds Expectancy of the Meetings and Mutual Recognitions Be-
 yond the Grave.


 Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered the following sermon to an immense outdoor audience at Waseca, Minn., taking for his text:
 I shall go to hlm.--II. sam, xiii. B.
 There is very sick child in the abode of David the King. Disease, which stalks up the dark lane of the poor and puts it's smothering hand on the nostril of the wan and wasted, also mounts the palaee-stairs, and bending over the pillow blows into the face of young Prince the frosts of pain and death. Tears are wine to the King of Terrors. Alasl for David the King. He can neither sleep no eat, and lies pros trate on his face, weeping and wailing until the palace rings with the outcry of woe.
 What are courtly attendants, or vic torious armies, or conquered provinces, under such circumstances? What to any parent arc splendid surroundings when his child is sick? Seven days nave passed on. Then in that great house, two eyelids are gently closed, two little hands folded, two lit- tie feet quiet, one heart still. The servants come to bear the tidings to the King, bat they can not make up their minds to tell him, and they stand at the door whispering about the matter, and David heard them and he looks up and says to them: ''Is the child dead?" ''Yes, he is dead '' David rouses himself up, washes him. self, puts on new apparel, and sits down to food. What power hushed that tempest? What one strength was it that lifted up that King whom grief had dethroned? Oh, it was the thought that he would come again into the possession of that dar- ling child. No graye-digger's spade could hide him. The wintry blasts of death could not put out the bright light. There would be forge some where 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 away the tears from his eyes, and he clears the chok- ing grief from his throat and exclaims: 'I shall go to him"
 Was David right or wrong? If we parton 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 kindred there" Going into some city, without having app pointed time and place for meeting, you might wander around for weeks and for months, and perhaps for years, and never see each other; and Heaven is yaster than all earthly cities together, and how are you going to find your departed friend in that country? It is so vast realm. John went up on one mountain of inspiration. and he looked of upon the multitude, sand she said: Thousands of thousands" Then he came upon greater altitude of in- spiration and looked of upon it again, and he said: "Ten thousand times ten thousand. And then he came on 8 higher mount of inspiration, and looked of again, and he said; "A hundred and forty and four thousand and thousands of thousands" '" And he came on still greater height of inspiration, and he looked of again and exclaimed: "A great multitude that no man can number" Now ask, how are you going to find your friends in such a throng as that? Is not this idea we have been entertaining after foIa Ta to lAa4r;vn ,&f-f f,,f recognition of friends in Heaven guess, a myth, whim, or is it a granite fountain upon which the soul pierced of all ages may build glorious hope? Intense question! Every heart in this audience throbs right into it. There is in every soul here the tomb of at least one dead.
 Tremendous question: It makes the lip culver, and the cheek flush, and the entire nature thrill: Shall we know each other there? l get letters almost every month asking me to discuss this subject. get letter in bold schol- arly hand, oa gilt-edged paper. asking me to discuss this question, and I say: "Ah! that is curious man, and he wants a curious question solved" But l get another letter. It is written with a trembling hand, and on what seems to be torn-out leaf of book, and here and there is the mark of tear; and say: "Oh, that is broken heart and it wants to be comfort ed.
 The object of this sermon is to take this theory out of the region of surmise and speculation into the region of posi- tive certainty. People say: ''It would be very pleasant if that doctrine were true. l hope it may be true. Perhaps it is true. l wish 1t were true" But I believe that can bring an accumula- tion of argument to bear upon this mat ter which will prove the doctrine of fut- ure recognition as plainly as that there is any in Heaven at all, and that the kiss of reunion at the celestial gate will be as certain as the dying kiss at the door of the sepulcher.
 Now, when you are going to build a ship you must get the right kind of tim Der. You lay the keel and make the framework of the very best materials, the keel on, stanehions, plank-shear, counter tim ber-knee, transoms, all of solid oak. You may build ship Of lighter material, but when the cyclone comes on, it will go down. Now we may have 8 great many beautiful theories about the future world, built out of our own fancy, and they may do very well as long as we have smooth sailing in the world; but when the storms of sorrow come upon us, and the hurricane of death, we will be swamped we will be foundered. We want a theory built out of the solid oak of Gods eternal world.
 The doctrine of future recognition is not so often positively stated in the word of God as implied, and you know, my friends, that that is, after all, the strongest mode of affirmation Your friend travels in foreign lands He comes home. He does not begin by arguing with you that there are such places as London, and Stockholm, and Paris, and Dresden, and Berlin, but his conversation implies it And so this Bible does not so positively state this theory as, all up and down it's chapters,