Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-07-19
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches at
Waseca, MINI.
Subject of Discoursci "sIecting On
Friends In Heaven"

Subject of Discourse, "Mecting Our
Friends In Heaven"
TEXT: ~ shall 90 to him.n-II Samuel
xii, %.
There is very sick child in the abode of
David the King Disease, which stalks up
the dark lane of tho poor and puts its
smotheriug hand on lip and nostril OF the
wan and wasted, also mounts the palace
stairs, and bending over the pillow blows
into the face. of C. young Prince the frosts
OF pain and death. Tears are wine to the
King of Terrors. Alas! 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 cutlery OF woe.
What are courtly attendants or victorious
armies or conquered provinces under such
circumstances? What, to any parent. is all
splendid surrounding when his child Is sick?
Seven days have passed on. There in that
great house two eyelids are gently closed,
two little hands folded, two little feet quiet,
one heart still The servants coma to bear
the tdings to the King, but they cannot
make up their minds to tell him. and they
stand at the door whispering about the mat
ter, aud David hears them and he looks up
and says to them: us the child dead% Yes;
he is dead David rouses himself
pnrei, and sits down to food. What
power hushel that tempest? What
strength was it that lifted up that King whom
grief had dethroned? Oh, it was the thought
that ne would come again into the possession
OF that darling child. No gravediggers 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 weld the broken links. In a
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 from his
throat and exclaims: II shall go to him"
Was David right or wrong? IT we part
on earth will we meet again in the next
world? well, says some one, that seems
to he an impossibility. Heaven is 50 large
place We never could find our kindred
there Going into some city, without hav-
ing appointed time and place for meet
iny, you might wander around for weeks and
for months, end 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 said:
Thousands of thousands Then he came
upon greater altitude of inspiration aud he
looked off upon it 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 a still greater
height of inspiration, and be looked off again
and exclaimed: IA great multitude that no
man can number"
Now | ask, how are you going to find your
friends in such a throng as that? Is not this
idea we have been entertaining after all a
falslty? Is this doctrine of future recogni-
ton of friends in heaven a guess, myth, a
within, or is it a granite foundation upon
which the soul pierced of all ages may build
a glorious hope? Intense question. Every
heart in this audience throbs right into it,
There is i'll every soul here the tomb of at
least one dead. Tremendous question. 1t
makes the lip culver, and the cheek flush,
and the entire nature thrill. Shall we know
each other there? get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject. L
get a letter in a bold, scholarly hand on
gilt-edgel paper, asking me to discuss this
question, and l say: "Ah, that is curious
man, and he wants curious question solved"
But | get another letter. 1t is written with a
trembling hand, and on what seems TO be a
torn out leaf Of book, and here and there
is the mark of tear, and say: oh that
is broken heart and it wants 10 be CON-
forted."
The object of this sermon is TO take this
theory out of the region OF surmise and
speculation into the region of positive Ger
lhlliN- INppAt say II Wpuil Ne very
pleasant if that doctrine We're true. 1 hope
It may be true. Perhaps it is true. l wish
it were true.n But believe that can bring
an accumulation OF argument to bear upon
this matter which will prove the doctrine of
future recognition as plainly as that there is
any heaven at all, and that the kiss of re-
union at the celestial gate will be rs certain
as the dying kiss at the door of the sepul-
cher
Now, when you are going to build a ship
you must get the right kind of timber. You
lay the keel and make the framework of the
very best materials, the keelson, stauchions
plank shear, counter timber-knee, tre.sonS.
ai Of solid oak You may 5uild a ship of
lighte" material but when the cyclone comes
on II will go down. Now we may have a
great many beautiful theories about the fu-
ture world, built out of our own fancy, and
they may do very well as long as we have
Imooth sailing in the world, but when the
| 'torms of sorrow come upon us, and the hur
ricane of death, we viii be swamped-we will
he foun9ered. We want theory built out OF
the solid oak of Gods eternal Word. The doc
trine of future recognition is not 50 often pos
itiyely stated in the Word OF God as implied
sud you know my friends, that that is, after
L J. the strongest mode of affirmation. Your
friend travels in foreign lands. He comes
nome. He does not begin by arguing with
! you TO prove that there are such places as
] LOluOD ana OtOchuODn anu laElS anu DfeS-
! den and Berlin, but his conversation implies
t. And so this Bible does not so positively
tate this theory as, all up and down. its
chapters take it for granted.
What does my text imply? II shall go to
| him." What consolation would it be TO David
10 go to his caild if he would not know hinl2
Would David have been allowed to recorl
ibis anticipation for the inspection of all
ages if it were a groundless anticipation
We read In the first book OF the Bible, Abra-
am died and was gathered to his people.
Jacob died and was gathered to his people.
Moses diei and was gathered to his people.
What people? Why, their friends, their COM
rades 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 a 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 1t into the glories of
| celestial. Cnfist's garments 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
| + las. Now, if thO-e disciples standing on
| the earth coal recognize these two spirits
who had been for years in heaven do YOU
win 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, aud then
| the Bible says that we are to ce higher than
the angels; and it 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 r.Se a ,ain" 1t was as much as
to say, Don't cry. Don't wear yourself out
with this trouble You Will see Him again
| Thy brother shail rise again"
| The Bible describes heaven as O great
home circle. Well, now, that would be a
very queer home circle where the members
did not know each other The Bible de-
\ scrbes death as sleep. IL we know each
other before we go TO steep shall we not
! know each other after we wake upf Oh.
yes. We will know each other great dea
| better then than now: ''for now" says tn
apostle, I'VE see through glass darby, but
then face to face" 1t will be my purified,
enthroned aud glorliel body gazing on your
| purified, enthroned and glorified body.
Now demand, it you believe the Bible
that you take this theory of future recogni-
| ton out OF the realm of speculation and sur
mise into the region of positive certainty.
! ana no more keep saying: II hope it is so,
have an idea it is so, | guess it is so.n Be able
! TO say, with all the concentrated energy of
body, mind and soul, II know it is so.
| There are in addition to these Bible ary,1-
ments other reasons why | accept this
theory. In the first place because the reiec-
| ton of it implies the entire obiteration of
! our memory. Can il be DOsSihla that tva