Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-07-18

nocooner do you make up your mind that II is
certainly he, than you leap up, and the ques-
ton Is who shall give him the first 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
long after others have given you the formal
"Misterf" You were mover anything but
James, or John, or George, or Thomas or
your child's yoice2 She OF the bright eye and
the ruddy cheek, and the quick step, who
came in from play and flung herself into
your lap, very shower OF mirth and beautyY
Why, the picture Is craven TO your soul. IL
cannot wear out. IL 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 IL? You could not help but know IT,.
Nov bring you this glorious on consolation
theory into your heart it would lift great
many shadows that are stretching across IL.
When was a lad used TO go out 20 the rail-
road-track and put my ear down on the
track and / could hear the express train
rumbling miles away, and coming on: and
to-day, my friends, IL we only had faith en-
ough we put our ear down To the grave OF
our dead, and listen and hear In the distance
the rumbling OF the chariots OF resurrection
victory. Oh, heaven! Sweet heavenl You
DO not spell heaven as you used to spell It,.
You used TO spell IL h-e-a-v-e-n, heaven.
But now when you want TO spell that word
you place side by side the faces OF the loved
ones who are gone. and In that irradiatiOn OF
light and love. and beauty and joy, you spell
IL out us never before, in songs and halle
Oh, ye whose hearts are down under the
500 or the cemetery, cheer up at the Thought
OF this reunion! OH how much you Will
have TO tell them when once you meet them!
How much you have been through since you
saw them last! On the shining shore you.
loneliness. The sleepless nights. The weep
Ing until you had no more power to weep, be-
cause the heart was withered and dried up.
Story OF vacant chair. and empty cradle. aud
little shoe only half worn out never TO be-
worn again, just the shape OF the foot that
once pressed 1t. And dreams when you
thought the departed ones had come back
again and the room seemed bright with their
faces aud you started up to greet them, and
yourself standing amid-room In the mid
night-alone. Talking IL all over, and then,
hand I'm hand, walking down in the light.
No sorrow, no tears, no death. Oh, heavenl
beautiful heaven! Heaven where our
friends are. Heaven where we expect TO be.
In the east they take cage OF birds and
they open the door OF the cage and the birds,
flying out, sing. And would to-day bring a
cage OF Christian consultations 10 the grave
OF your loved ones, and | would open the
door and let them fill all the air with the
music OF their voices. Oh, how they bound
Ia these spirits before the throne! Some
uncomfortable weeping for JOY. Some stand
speechless In their shock OF delight. They
sing. They culver with excessive gladness.
They gaze on the temples, on the palaces,
on the waters, on each other. They weave
their joy into garlands, they spring IL into
trumphal arches. they strike IL on tlmbrels,
and then all the loved ones gather In great
circle around the throne OF God-fathers,
mothers. brothers, sisters, SONS and daugh-
tiers, lovers and friends, hand TO ha"d
around about the throne of God-the circle
ever wioening-hand TO hand, JOY to joy,
jubilee TO jubilee, victory TO victory, until
the day break and the shadows flee away"
Turn thou, my beloved, and .'e like a roe or
young hart upon the mountains OF Bother"
Oh, how different it is on earth from tho
way 1t is in heaven when Christian dies!
We say close his eyes" In heaven they
say, Give him "A palm" On earth we say,
Let him down in the ground" In heaven
they say, "ltaise him on a throne" On
earth II Is. Farewell, farewell" In heaven
II Is "Welcome, welcome. And so l see a
soul coming down TO the river OF
death, and he steps into the river, and the
water comes to the ankle. lie says, Lord
Jesus, is this deathI" No" says Christ.
''this is not death" And he wades still
deeper down into the waters until the food
comes to the knee and he says Lord Jesus,
tell me. tell me, is this DEATH" And Christ
says, mo, no, this is not DEATH" And he
wades still further down until the wave
comes to the girGle and the soul says, Lord
Jesus. is this DEATH "No" says Christ, "this
Is not" And deeper in wades the soul till
the billow strikes the lip, and the departing
one cries, Lord Jesus, Is this DEATH" mo"
saws Christ, this Is not" But when Christ
has lifted that soul on a throne of glory, and
the pomp and JOY of heaven came surging To
its feet, then Christ said, this OH TRANS
PORTED SOUL! THIS Is DEATH"