The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-07-24

throne of God now. Years pass and
i that son repents of his crimes and
! gives his heart to God and becomes
a useful Christian, and dies and en-
ters the gates of heaven. You tell
me that that mothers Joy canrot be
augmented. Let them confront each
other, the son and the mother. "Oh,"
she says to the angels of God, "re-
joice with me! The dead is alive
again, and the lost is found. Halle
luJah! L never expected to see this
| lost one come back
The Bible says nations -" TO be
born in u day. When China v.,nos
to God will it not know DR.. Abc,I!
| When India comes will it not know
DR.. John Scudder? When the In
dians come to God will they not
know David Brainerd?
L see soul entering heaven at last
with covered face at the idea that it
has done SO little for Christ, and feel
ing borne down with unwOrthiness,
and it says TO itself, Il have no right
to be here" A voice from n throne
says, ooh, you forgot that Sunday
school class you invited to Christ! [
was one Of Them And another
voice says, You forget that poor
man to whom you gave a loaf Of
bread, and told of the heavenly
bread. L was that man And an
other says, "You forget that sick one
to whom you gave medicine for the
body and tho soul. was that one
And then Christ, from throne over
topping all the rest, will say, ''Inas-
much as ye did it to one of the least
of these, you did it to me- And
then the seraphs will take their harps
from the side of the throne and cry,
"What song shall it be-" And Christ
bending over the harpers, shall say,
''It Shall be the Harvest Home!"
One more reason why I am dispos
ed to accept this doctrine of the fu-
ture recognition is that so many in
their last hour on earth have confirm
ed this theory. L speak not Of per
sons who have been delirious in their
last moments and knew not what
they were about, but of persons who
died i'll calmness and placidity, and
who were not naturally supcrstitious.
often the glories of heaven have
struck the dying pillow, and the dc
parting man has said he saw and
heard those who had gone away from
him. How often it is in the dying
moments parents sec their departed
children and children see their de
parted parents! l came down to the
banks Of the Mohawk river. 1t was
evening and [ wanted to go over the
river, and SO waved my hat and
shouted, and after awhile I saw some
one waving on the opposite bank
and L heard him shout, and the boat
came across. and got in and was
transported. And so 1 suppose it
will be in the evening of o III life
We will come down to the river OF
death and give a signal to our friends
on the other shore, and they will
give q signal back to us, and the boat
comes, and our departed kindred are
the oarsmen, the fires Of the setting
day tinging the tops of the paddles.
On, have you never sat by such a
deathbed? In that hour you hear
the departing soul cry, "Harl! look
You hearkened and you looked. A
little child pining away because of the
| death of it's mother, getting weaker
and weaker every day, was taken into
the room where hung the picture OF
her mother. She seemed to enjoy
looking at it, and then she was taken
av ny, and after awhile died. In the
last moment that wan and wasted lit
tic one lifted her hands, while hcl
face lighted up with the glory of the
next world, and cried out, "NIother!'
You tell me she did not see hcl
mother? She did. So in my first
settlement at Bclleville plain mar
said to me, "What do you think
heard last night? [ was in the room
where one Of my myncighbors was dying
lie was q good man, and he said ht
heard the angels Of God singing be
| fore the throne L haven't mucl
poetry about me, but I listened anC
l heard them too Said L, Il have nc
doubt of it, Why, we are to be talc1
up to heaven at last by ministcrins
spirits. Who arc they to be? souls
that went up from Madras, or Antioch
or Jerusalem? Oh, no; our glorificd
kindred are going to troop around us
Heaven is not stately, formal
place, us L sometimes hear it described
q very frigidity of splendor, where
people stand Oh cold formalities anC
go round about with heavy crowns O.
gold on their heads. No, that is moi
my idea of heaven. My idea of HEAVIER
III more like this: You arc seated il
the evening-tido by the fireplace, youl
whole family there, or nearly all ol
them thore. While you arc seated
talking and enjoying the evening houl
there is a knock at tho door and the
door opens, and there comes in q
brother that has been long absent
He has been absent for years, you
have not seen him, and no sooner dc
you make up your mind that it is
certainly he, than you leap up, and
the question is who shall give him tho
first embrace. That is my idea oil
heaven-a great home circle where
they are waiting for us. Oh, will you
not know your mothers voice there
She who always called you by youl
first namo long after others had given
you the formal "mister?" You wore
never anything but James. or John