Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-07-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
weekly Discourse OF the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.

ss<>fui uhb DchahiS wv NuO pAtO" OaS''S
into the face of yoJbg Prince the frosts
OF pain and death. ID krs are wine TO the
King Of TerTors. Alas1 for David the King.
He can neither sleep nor 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 victorious
armies or conquered provinces under such
circnmstancesf What, 70 any parent, Is all
splendid surrounding when his child Is sickf
great house two eyefds 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 to tell him, and they
stand at the door whispering about the mat
ter, and David hears them and he looks up
and says to them: as the child deadY YES;
he Is dead" David rouses himself
up washes himself, puts on new APP
parel, and sits down to food. What
power hushed that tempestt What
strength was 1t that lifted up that King whom
grief had dethronedi Oh, 1t was the thought
that he would come again into the possession
of that darling child. Nogravediggers spade
could hide him. The wintry blasts OF death
could not put out the bright light. There
would be forge somewhere that with silver
hammer would weldthe 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 choking grief fI ON his
throat and exclaims; ~ shall go to him"
Was David right or wrongi IL we part
on earth will we meet again In the next
worldt "Well," says some one, that seems
TO be an impossibility. Heaven Is 80 large
q place We never could find our kindred
there" Going into some city, without hav-
ing appointed time and place for meet
ing, you might wander around for weeks and
for months, and perhaps for years and never
see each other; and heaven is vaster than all
earthly cities together. and how are you
going TO find your departed friend in that
country 1t is SO vast realm. John went
up on one mountain Of inspiration, and he
looked off upon the multitude, and he saidi
Thousands Of thousands" Then he came
upon greater altitude of inspiration and he
looked OH upon II again, and he said: Ten
thousand times ten thousand" And then he
came on a higher mount of inspiration, and
looked Off 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 throng as thati Is not this
idea we have been entertaining after all a
falsity, Is this doctrine Of future recogni-
ton OF friends in heaven a guess, a myth a
whim, or is IL a granite foundation upon
which the soul pierced Of all ages may build
glorious hopef Intense question. Every
heart In this audience throbs right into it.
least one dead Tremendous question. II
makes the lip quiver, and the cheek flush,
and the entire nature thrill. Shall we know
each other therey get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject.
get letter in a bold, scholarly hand, on
| gilt-edged paper, asking me to discuss this
question, and say: "Ah, that isa curious
man, and he wants u curious question solved. :
But l get another letter. 1t is written with q
trembling hand, and on what seems to be 9
torn out leaf of book, and here and there
is the mark of tear, and say: "Ob, that
Is a broken heart, and 1t wants TO be COM
forted."
The object Of this sermon is to take this
theory out of the region OF surnise and
speculation into the region OF positive Ger
tainty. People say: ut would be very
pleasant IL that doctrine were true. 1 hops
1t may be true. Perhaps it is true. wish
Il were true" But believe that can bring
an accumulation of argument to bear upon
this matter which will prove the doctrine o
future recognition as plainly as that there Il
union at the celestial gate will be as certain
as the dying kiss at the door Of the sepul
cher
Now, when you are going to build q shiI
YOU must get the right kind Of timber. Yot
Law the keel and make the framework OF thu
very best materials, the keelson, stanchions
plank shear, counter timber-kuee, tr ansoms
ell Of solid oak You may build a ship o
lighter material, but when the cyclone come
| IA hau 4
great many beautiful theories about the fu
ture world, built out Of our own fancy, anC
they may do very well as long as we hav
smooth sailing in the world, but when tn
storms OF sorrow come upon us, and the hur
ricane OF death, we will be swamped-we vii
be foundered We want a theory built out o
the solid oak Of Gods eternal Word. The doc
trine Of future recognition is not 30 often pos
itively stated in the Word Of God as implied
and you know my friends, that that is afte
all, the strongest mode of affirmation. You
friend travels in foreign lands. He come
home He does not begin by arguing wit
you to prove that there are such places a
London and Stockholm and Paris and Dres
den and Berlin, but his conversation implie
1t. And so this Bible does not 30 positivel
state this theory AZ, all up and down, II
chapters take 1t FOR granted.
What does my text IMPLY II shall go I
him. What consolation would IL be to Davi
TO go to his child IL he would not know him
Would David have been allowed to recor
this anticipation for the inspection Of a
ages IL 1t were a groundless anticipation
We read in the first book Of the Bible, Abrs
ham died and was gathered to his people
Jacob died and was gathered to his people
Moses died and was gathered TO his people
What peoplef Why, their friends, their CON
rades, their old companions or course
means that 1t cannot mean anythin
else. So In the very beginning OF the Bib
four times that Is taken for granted. III
whole New Testament Is an arbor, OF
which this doctrine creeps like a luxuriar
vine full Of the purple clusters OF consolation
James, John and Peter followed Christ I'M
the mountain. A light falls from heaven c
that mountain and lifts it into the glories
celestial. Ghrist's garments glow and
face shines like the sun. The door of heavt
swings open. Two spirits come down an
alight on that mountain. The disciples loc
at them and recognize them as Moses ar
Elias. Now IL those disciples standing
the earth couli recognize these two spiri
who had been for years in heaven, do yc
tell me that we, with our heavenly eyesigh
will not be able to recognize those who ha'
gone out from among US only five, ten, TIVE
ty, thirty years agof
The Bible indicates over and over aga
that the angels know each other, and th'
the Bible SAYS that we are 10 be- higher tht
the angels; and IL the angels have the DOW
of recognition shall not we, who are to
D higher than they in the next realm, have
p good eyesight and as good capacity VIII
did Christ mean in His conversation WI
] Mary and Martha when He said, ''Tl
brother shall rise again" 1t was as much
to say, Don't cry. Don't wear yourself o
[ with this trouble. You will zee Him ngai
Thy brother shall rise again"
D The Bible describes heaven as gre
b. home circle. Well, now, that would be
yerv oueer home circle where the membe
i did not know each other. The Bible
scribes death as sleep. II we. know ca
: other before we 60 to sleep shall We =
c know each other after We wake upf 9
> YES. We will know each other great dt
] better then than now; "for now" says 7
apostle. I'VE see through glass dsrkly, b