The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-18

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,
take it for granted.
What does my text imply? 81 shall
go to Him." What consolation would
it be to David to go to his child If he
did not know him? Would David
have been allowed to record
this anticipation for the inspection
of all ages if it were groundless antici-
patton? We read in the first book in the
Bible, Abraham died and was gath
cred to his people. 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 COM
panions. OF course it means that 1t
can not mean any thing else. So in the
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-
ton. James, John and Peter followed
Christ to the mountain. A light falls
from Heaven on that mountain, and lifts
it into the glories of the celestial.
Christ's garments glow and His faco
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 recog-
nize 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 five, ten, twenty, thirty 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
did Christ mean, 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 yourselves out with this
trouble. You will see him again. Thy
brother shall rise again" The Bible
describes Heaven as a great home cir
Gle. Well, now, that would be
a very queer home circle where
the members did not know
each other. The Bible describes
death as sleep. If we know each 9TH
er before we go to sleep, shall we not
know each other after we get up? Oh,
yes. We will know each other a great
deal better than now. ''For now" says
the apostle, 1--WE see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face" 1t will
be my purified, enthroned and glorified
body gazing on your purified, enthroned
and glorified body.
Now, I demand, if you belive the BIZ
} Bile, that you take this theory of future
recognition out of the realm of specula-
ton and surmise into the region of posi-
tive certainty, and no more keep say
ing: 81 hope it is so; l have an idea
it is so; guess it is So" Be able tc
say, with all the concentrated energy
of body, mind and soul: 81 know it is
So"
There are, in addition to these Bible
arguments, other reasons why / accept
this theory, In the first place, because
the rejection of it implies the entire
! obliteration of our memory. Can it be
possible that we shall forget for.
ever those with whose walk, look,
manner we have been so long
familiar? VIII death come, and with a
, sharp, keen blade hew away this faculty
: of memory? Abraham said to Dives:
, ''Son, remember" If the exiled and
lost remember, will not the enthroned
, remember? You know very well that
our joy in any circumstance is aug
mented by the championship of our
) friends. We can not see picture with
3 less than four eyes, or hear song with
less than four ears. We want some one
beside us with whom to exchange
, glances and sympathies; and l suppose
} the joy of Heaven is to be augmented
' by the fact that we are to have oul
J friends with US when there rise before
J us the thrones of the blessed, and wher
there surges up in our ears the jubilatt
: of the saved. Heaven is not a contrac
ton, it is an expansion. If / know
, you here / will know you bet
t ter there. Here l see you will
4 only two eyes, but there tn,
s soul shall have million eyes, 1t viii
3 be immor tality gazing on Immortality
l ransomed spirit in colloquy with ran
4 somed spirit victor beside victor
When John Evans, the Scotch minister
Q was seated in his study, his wife came
9 in and said to him: my dear, do vol
: think we will know each other il
Heaven?'' He turned to her and said
g my dear, do you think we will be big
8 ger fools in Heaven than we are hereP
l Again, accept this doctrine of futur
= recognition because the worlds ex
: pectancy affirms it. In all lands an
: ages this theory is received. What forr
t of religion planted it? No form of re
t ligion, for it is received under all form
l-E -.