Thomas County cat., 1890-07-31
an and down its chapters, take Il for

up and down its chapters, take It for
granted. What does my text imply?
81 shall 20 to him." What consolation
would it be to David to go to his child
il he did not know him? Would David
have been allowed to record this antici-
patton for the inspection of all ages it
it were a groundless anticipation? We
read in the first book Of the Bible, Abra-
ham died and was gathered to 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 it
means that. 1t cannot mean anything
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 consolation. James,
John and Peter followed Christ into the
mountain. A light falls from heaven
on that mountain and lifts it into the
glories of the celestial. Christ's gar
ments 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 disci-
Piles standing on the earth could recOg-
nize 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, twen-
ty, 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 ii the
angels have the pOwes 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 meals III His conversation
with Mary and Martha when He said:
"Thy brother shall rise again?" 1t was
as much as to sa;, Don't cry. Don't
wear yourselves on, with this trouble.
You will see him again" "Thy brother
shall rise again" The Bible describes
heaven as great Ioand circle. Well,
now, that would be o queer home circle
where they would not know each other.
The Bible describes death as a sleep.
If we know each other before we go to
sleep, shall we not know each other
after we wake? Oh, yes. We shall
know each other a great deal better then
than now. "FOr now." says the apostle,
I'VE see through glass darkly but then
face to face" 1t will be my purified
enthroned and gloritied body gazing on
your purified, enthroned and glorified
body.
Now 1 demand, if you believe the
Bible, that you take this theory of future
recognition out of the realm of specula-
ton and surmise into the region of
positive certainty and no more keep say
ing, 81 hope It is so; l have no idea it is
so; guess il is so" Be able to say,
with all the concentrated energy of
body, mind al i soul, Il know it is so.
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 will know each other in
heaven?" lie turned to her and replied
"My dear, do you think We will be big,
ger fools in heaven than we are here 2,
l think one reason why we ought to
accept this doctrine is because we never
in this world have an opportunity to
give thanks to these to whom we are
spiritually indebted. The joy of heaven,
We are told, is to be inaugurated by a
review of life's work. The Christian
men and women who have been toiling
for Christ, have they seen the full result
of their work? Oh, no. In the church
of Somerville. n. j., John Vredenburgll
preached for good many years. He
felt that his ministry was failure, and
Others felt So although he was a faith
full minister preaching the gospel all
the time. He died, and died amid dis
couragements. and went home to God:
for no one ever doubted that John Vre-
denburgh was good Christian minister.
A little while after his death there came
great awakening in SOmerville, and
one Sabbath 200 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 of those 200 souls
was that they dated their religious i'm
pressions from the ministry of John
Vredenburgh. Will that good Christian
man before the throne of God never
meet those souls brought to Christ
through his instrumentality? Oh
Of course he will know them. Iremem