Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-17

| BcrlDcs DEAN a8 Q sleep. III We know each
other before we 90 % sleep shall We no
yes. We win know each other great dea
better then than now. for now. says the
apostle. We see through glass darkly
but then face 70 face It viii be my puri-
ned enthroned and glorifed body gazing
on your purified. enthroned and glorined
Now demand. If you believe the Bible
that you take this theory Of future recogni-
ton out OF the realm OF speculation and
surmise into the region Of positive certainty
and no more keep saying. 4 hope 1t is so;
have an idea 1t is so; l guess it is So Be
able to say. with allth concentrated energy
OF body, mind and soul. i know It is so.-
There are In addition to these Bible argu-
ments other reasons why / accept this
theory. In the first place because the re-
lection OF Ii implies the entire obliteration
OF our memory. Can it be possible that we
shall forget forever those with whose walk,
look, manner we have been 80 long gfamiliari
viii death come. and with sharp. keen
blade hew away this faculty of memoryf
Abraham said to Dives. Son. remember
II the exiled and the lost remember, win
not the enthroned remember?
You know very well that our Joy in any
circumstance Is Augmented by the COM
panionship Of our friends. We cannot see
a picture with less than four eyes, or hear a
song with less than four ears. We want
some one beside us with whom to exchange
gianees and sympathies; and suppose the
Joy OF heaven is to be Augmented by the
fact that we are to have our friends with us
the thrones Of the blessed, and when there
surges up in our ears the jubilate Of the
saved. Heaven is not a contraction. it is an
| expansion. II know you here will know
you better there. Here see you with only
two eyes, but there the soul shall have a
4 0nillt0n auac kxryflI ha
mmortality-ransomed spirit in colloquy
with ransomed spirit-victor beside victor.
When John Evans, the Scotch minister, was
seated In his study his wife came in and
said to him, My dear, do you think we
shall know each other In heavenP" He
turned and said. MY dear, do you think we
will be bi iggerfoo in heaven than we are
| here?"
Again l accept this doctrine of future
| recognition because the worlds expectancy
afi1rms 1t. In all Hands and ages this theory
IS received. What form Of religion planted
it2 No form Of religion. for tits received
under all forms of religion. Then, argue.
sentiment. feeling. an anticipation, uni
versally planted, must have been God i'm
planted. and IL God implanted it is right
| fully implanted. Socrates writes, who
would not part with great deal to pur-
chase meeting with 0rpheus and Homer 2
| II it be true that this is to be the conse-
| HoOASO u NCobAt 1 OOulO ONcu Dd aDl6 TO Qlo
often
Among the Danes, when master dies his
servant sometimes Stays himself. that he
may serve the master in the future world.
Cicero. living before Christ's coming, said,
-Oh, glorious day when l shall retire from
this low and sordid scene. to associate with
the divine asSemblage of departed spirits
| and not only with the one have Just now
mentioned, but with my dear Cato, the best
OF sons and most faithful of men II I
seemed to bear his death with fortitude, it
was by no means that did not most sem
bibly feel the loss I had sustained 1t was
seeause was supported by the consoling
| reflection that we could not long be sep
arated."
The Norwegian believes it. The Indian
| believes it. The Greenlander believes it.
The Swiss believe it. The Turks believe it.
| Under every sky. by every river. in every
zone. the theory is adopted. and so say a
principle university implanted must be God
implanted, and hence right belief. The
argument is irresistible.
Again, adopt this theory because there
are features OF moral temperament and
features of-the soul that will distinguish us
| forever. How do we know each other in
this world? Is it merely by the color Of the
eye, or the length of the hair, or the facial
proportions? oh. no, It is by the dispo-
sition as well. by natural affinity, using the
word In the very best sense and not in the
bad sense; and if in the dust our BODY
should perish and lie there forever, and
| there should be no resurrection, still the
soul has enough features and the disposi-
ton has enough features TO make us dis
tlngu1shable. l can understand how in
sickness man will become so delirious
that he will not know his own friends; but
will we be blasted with such insufferabIe
idiocy that, standing beside our best friends
for all eternity. we will never guess who
they are?
Again, think that one reason why we
ought to accept this doctrine is because we
never in this world have an opportunity to
give thanks to those to whom we are spirit
ually indebted. The joy of Heaven. we are
told. is to be inaugurated by review of
hfe's work. These Christian men and
women who have been toiling for Christ,
have they seen the full result Of their workp
Oh. no.
In the church at Somerville. N. J., John
Vredenburgh preached for O great many
years. He felt that his ministry was fail
ure, although he was q faithful minister,
preaching the gospel all the time, He died,
ana died amid discouragements. and went
nome to God, FOR no one ever doubted that
John Vredenburgh was good Christian
minister. A little while after his death
there came great awakening in Somer-
Vile, and one Sabbath two hundred souls
stood up at the Christian altar espousing
the cause OF Christ. among them my own
father and mother. And what was peculiar
In regard to nearly all those two hundred
souls was that they dated their religious
impressions from the ministry of John
Vredenburgh. viii that good Christian
man before the throne of God never meet
those souls brought to Christ through his
1nstrumentahty? Oh, of course he will
know them. l remember one Sabbath af-
ternoon. borne down with the sense of nv
sins and knowing not God. I took up Dodd-
ridges Rise and Progress" Oh, what a
dark afternoon it was, and read the chap
ters, and read the prayers, and tried to
make the prayers my own. Oh, must see
Philip Doddridge. A glorious old book he
wrote. ltis out of fashion now.
There is mother before the throne of
God. You say her joy is full. Is it? You
say there can be no augmentation of it.
Cannot there be? Her son was wanderer
and vagabond on the earth when that
good mother died. He broke her old heart.
She died leaving him in the wilderness Of
sin. She is before the throne OF God now,
Years pass and that son repents of his
crimes and gives his heart to God, and be-
comes useful Christian, and dies and en-
terS the gates OF heaven You tell me that
that mothers Joy cannot be Augmented
Let them confront each other. The son and
the mother. "Oh," she says to the angels
of God, rejoice with me. The dead is alive
again and the lost is found. HaIleluiah! I
never expected to. see this lost one come
back. The Bible says nations are to be
born in day. When China comes to God
will it not know DR.. Abeel? When India
comes will it not know DR.. John Seudder?
When the Indians come to God will they not
know David Brainardl
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