Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-07-19

sons ana the most ldltntut Oh IheE. II
seemed to bear his death with fortitude it
was by no means that did not most sensibly
feel the loss had sustained. 1t was because
| was supported by the copsoling reflection
that we could not long be separated"
The Norwegian believes it. The Indian
believes it. The Greenlander believes 1t.
The Swiss believes it. The Turk believes it.
Under every sky, by every river, in every
zone the theory is adopted and SO say
principle universally implanted must be God
implanted, and hence right belief The ar
guinent is irresistible.
Again | adopt this theory because there
are features of moral temperament aud feat
ures of the soul that will distinguish us for
aver. How do we know each other in this
world Is 1t merely by the color of the eye,
or the length Of the hair, or the facial pro-
portionss On, no. 1t is by the disposition
as well by natural affinity, using the word
in the very best sense and not IN the bad
sense, aud if in the dust our body should
perish, an lie there forever and there should
be no resurrection. still the soul has enough
features and the disposition has enough feat
ures to make us distinguishable. l can I'M
| ierstani how in sickness a man will become
| 20 delirious that he will not know his own
| friends: but will we be blasted with such in
siderable idiocy that, standing beside our
oast friends for all eternity, we will never
guess who they are?
II. L
Oh sht TO accept this doctrine is because we
never in this world have an opportunity to
give thanks to those to whom we are Splr-
tually indebted The joy of heaven, we are
,old, is to be inaugurated by review OF
| ifes work. These 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
yredenburgh preached for a great many
| years He felt that his ministry was fall
! lre although he was a faithful minister,
preaching the Gospel all the time. He died.
| and died amid discouragements, aud went
nome to God; for no one ever doubted that
| John Vredenburgh was a good Christian
1 minister. A little while after his death
! ;here came a 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 re-
/ gard to nearly all of those two hundred
! souls was that they dated their religious i'm
/ Or ssions from the ministry of John Vre1en-
/ ourgh VIII that good Christian man be-
| 'ore the throne of God never meet those
/ souls brought to Christ through his instru-
mentality? Oh, of course he will know them.
| [ remember one Sabbath afternoon. borne
| iown with the sense of my sins, and know
/ ing not God, | took up Do bridges Rise
and Progress" Ga, what a dark afternoon
| it was, and | read the chapters, and read
| the prayers, AMI tried to make the prayers
my own Oh, must see Philip Doddridge.
A glorious old book he wrote. 1t is out Of
! fashion now.
! There Is mother before the throne of
( Col You say her joy is full. Is it2 You
say there can be no augmentation OF 1t. Can
not there be- Her son was wanderer and
gagabond on the earth when that good
mother die1. 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 becomes a useful
| Christian. and dies and enters the gates of
heaven. You tell me that that mothers joy
cannot be augmented? Let them confront
each other The son and the mother "0h,'
I she says to the angles of God, ''rejoice with
me. This dead is alive again, and the lost is
found Hallelujah! never expected to see
this lost one come back" The Bible says ma
tons are to be born in day. When China
I comes to God will 1t not know DIR. Abeels
When India comes will it not know DIR. John
Scudder? When the Indians come to God
will they not know David Brainard?
see a soul entering heaven at last, with
covered face at the idea that it has done 50
little for Christ and feeling borne down with
unworthiness, AMI it says to itself, Il have
: no right to be here A voice from the
Z throne SAYS: "Oh, you forget that Sunday
school class you invited TO Christ. was ono
OF them" And another vo!cs says: You
/ forget that poor man to whom you gave a
Loaf of brea AMI told OF the heavenly bread.
was that man" Aud another says: You
forget that sick one 20 whom you gave medi-
| cine Tor the body and the soul. | was that
one And then Christ, from a throne over
topping ali the rest, viii say; "lnasmuch as
We I'D it 10 one of the least of thess, you did
I it t. Ne" AMI then the seraphs will take
their narps from the side Of the throne an |
cry: ~ hat song shall Il Der And Christ
bending over The harpers, shall say: "lt
shall be the Harvest Home"
Uis more reason why am disposed to &c
cept this doctrine of future recognition is
that so maay in their last hour on earth
| have confirmed this theory | speak not 0
persons who have been delirious in their last
moment aud knew not what they were about,
but of persons who died in calmness anu
placidity and who were not naturally super
stitious. Often the glories of heaven have
struck the dying pillow, and the departing
] man has said he saw and heard those who
had gone away from him. How often it is
in the dying moments parents see their de-
parted children and children see their de
parted parents. ] came down to the banks
of the Mohawk River. 1t was evening and
wanted to go over the river, and so l waved
my hat and shouted, aud after while l saw
some one waving on the opposite bank and
heard him shout, and the boat came across
and got in and was transported. And so
suppose it will be in the evening of our life.
We will come down to the river of death and
give signal to our friends on the other shore
aud they will give a signal back to us, and
the boat comes AMI our departed kindred
are the oarsmen, the fires of the setting day
tingeiug the tops of the paddles
Oh, have you never sat by such de1th-
bed? In that hour you hear the departing
soul cry, 'Harkl Lookp You hear&enei
ami you looked. A little child pining away
because of the death of its 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 away and after
awhile died. In the last moment that wan
and wasted little ons lifted her hands, while
her face lighted up with the glory of the next
world, and cried out "Motherr You tell
me she did not see her mother? She did. So
in my first settlement at Belleville a plain
man said to me: "What dc you think |
heard last night? l was in the room where
one of my neighbors was dying. He was a
good man, and he said he heard the angels
of God singing before the throne. | haven't
much poetry about me, but listened and |
heard thsm, too" Said |, Il have no doubt
of it" Why, we ara to be taken up to
heaven at last by ministering spirits. Who
are they to-be2 Souls that went up from
Madras, or Antioch, or Jerusalem? Oh, no;
our glorifed kindred are going to troop
around them.
Heaven isnot a stately, formal place as
sometimes hear it described, q very frigidity
of spleudor, where people stand on cold for
malities and go around about with heavy
crowns of gold on their hea Is No, that is
not my idea of heaven. Ny idea of heaven
is more like this: You are seated in the
eveningtide by the fireplace, your whole
family there or nearly all of them there.
While you are seated talking and ENJOYING
the evening hour there is a knock at the door
and the door opens, and there comes in
brother that has been long absent. He has
been absent, for years you have not seen
him, and no sooner do you make up your
mind that it is certainly he than you leap up,
and the question is who shall give him the
irst embrace. That is my idea of 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 your
irst name long after others had given you
she formal "Mister?' You were never any
thing but James, or John, or George, or
Thomas, or Mary, or Florence to her. Will
you not know your chids voice? She of the
bright eye and the rudy cheek and the quiet
step, who came in from play ami flung her
sell into your lap, a very shower of inirth
and beauty? Why, the picture is craven in
your soul. 1t cannot wear out. If that little
| one should stand on the other side of some
heavenly hill and call to you you would hear
her voice above the burst of heavens great
orchestra. Know it? You could not help
but know it.
Now bring YOU this glorious consolation
OF future reco ynition. II You could get this
theory into your heart it would lift great