The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-07-24

Again accept this doctrine OF future re-
eognition because the worlds expectancy at.
hrms IT, In all lands aud ages this theory Is
received, What form OF religion planted IN
No form OF religion, for II is received under
all forms OF religion, Then, Iargue a senti-
ment a feeling, an anticipation, universally
planted, must have been God implanted, and
II God implanted IL is rightfully implanted.
Socrates writes: "Who would not part with
great deal to purchase meeting with Or
pheus and Homers II IL be true that this is
TO be the consequence of death could even
be able TO die often.n
Cicero, living before Christs coming, said;
"Oh, glorious day when shall retire from this
low and sordid scene TO associate with tina
divine assemblage OF departed spirits, and
not only with the one have just now men,
toned, but with my dear Cato, the best OF
sons and the most faithful OF men. IL
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 consoling reflection
that we could not long be separated"
The Norwegian believes it. The Indian
believes it. The Greenlander believes it.
The Swiss believes it. The Turk believes it.
Under every sky, by every river, in every
zone, the theory is adopted, and so say a
principle universally implanted must be God
implanted, and hence a right belief. The ar.
gument is irresistible.
Again adopt this theory because there
are features of moral temperament and feat
ures of the soul that will distinguish us for
ever. How do we know each other IN this
world? Is II merely by the color Of the eye,
or the length of the hair, or the facial pro,
portions' Oh, 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, and II in the dust our body should
perish, and 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. can UNI
derstand how in sickness a man will become
so delirious that he will not know his own
friends; but will we be blaste with such in
siderable idiocy that, standing beside our
best friends for all eternity, We will never
guess who they areg
Again, think that one reason why we
ought to accept this doctrine is because we
never in this world have an opportunity to
give thanks to those to whom we are spir.
ltually indebted. The joy OF heaven, we are
told, is to be inaugurated by a review Of
life's work. These Christian men and women
who have been toiling for Christ, have they
seen the full result Of their workg Oh, no.
In the church Of Somerville, N. j., John
Vredenburgh preached for great many
years. ne leu tndt MS MINISTRY was Iali-
ure although he was q faithful minister,
preaching the Gospel all the time. He died.
and died amid discouragements and went
home to God; for no one ever doubted that
John Vredenburgh was a good Christian
minister A little while after his death
there 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
pressions from the ministry of John Vreden-
burgh. Will that good Christian man be-
fore 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
down with the sense of my sins, and know
Ing not God, took up Doddridge's Rise
and Progress" Oh, what a dark afternoon
It was, and | read the chapters, and read
the prayers, and tried to make the prayers
my own. On, l must see Philip Doddridge.
A glorious old book he wrote. 1t is out OF
fashion now.
There is a mother before the throne OF
God. You say her joy is full. Is it9 You
say there can be no augmentation of it. Can
not there be? Her son was wanderer and a
vagabond on the earth when that good
mother died. He broke her old heart. Sha
lied 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 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. "Oh,'
she says to the angles of God, rejoice with
mo Tho daad is aliya aOain and the lost lie
found. Hallelujah Inever expected to see
this lost one come back" The Bible says ma
tons are to be born in day. When China
comes to God will it not know DIR. Abel!
When India comes will it not know DR.. John
Scudder? When the Indians come to God
will they not know David Brainard?
/ see soul entering heaven at last, with
covered face at the idea that it has done so
little for Christ and feeling borne down with
unworthiness, and it says to itself, Il have
no right to be here" A voice from the
throne says: "Oh, you forget 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
loaf of bread and told of the heavenly bread.
was that man." And another says: You
forget that sick one to whom you gave medi.
cine for the body aud the soul. was that
one" And then Christ, from throne over.
topping all the rest. will say: "lnasmuch as
We 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 beY' And Christ,
bending over the harpers, shall say: ut
shall be the Harvest Home"
One more reason why l am disposed to ac-
cept this doctrine of future recognition is
that SO many in their last hour on earth
have confirmed this theory. l speak not OF
Darso,S az hay va baan 6alirioue in their laS
moment and knew not what they were about,
but of persons who died in calmness and
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. Pow often it is
In the dying moments parents see their de,
parted children and children see their de.
parted parents. l came down to the banks
of the Mohawk River. TWAS evening and
wanted to go over the river and so l waved
my hat and shouted, and after while saw
some one waving on the opposite bank and
nearu MIN snour, ana 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 a signal to our friends on the other shore
and they will give signal back to us, and
the boat comes and our departed kindred
are the oarsmen, the fires of the setting day
tingeing the tops of the paddles.
Oh, have you never sat by such DEATH
bed? In that hour you hear the departing
soul cry, "Harkl Lookm You hearkened
and 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 one lifted her hands, while
her face lighted up with the glory of the next
world, and cried out "Motherm You tell
me she did not seeher mother? She did. So
in my first settlement at Bellevlle a plain
man said to me: what do you think
heard last night? l was in the room where
one or my neighpors was dying. He was
good man, and he said he heard the angels
of God singing before the throne. haven't
much poetry about me, but 1 listened and !
heard them, too" Said /, 81 have no doubt
of it." Why, we ara to be taken up to
heaven at last by minstering spirits. Who
are they to be? Souls that went up from
Madras, or Antioch, or jerusalem Oh, no;
our glorified kindred are going to troop
around them.
Heaven isnot a stately, formal place. as
sometimes hear it described, a very frigidity
of splendor, where people stand on cold for.
malities and go around about with heavy
crowns of gold on their heads. No. that is
not my idea of heaven. NV idea of heaven