The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-10-02


and II heard tho voice of tho harpers harp
ing with their harps," and 81 saw them that
had gotten tho victory from the beast stand
ing on tho sea of glass, having the harps Of
Cod"
Yos, the song is to be accompanied. You
say that all this is figurative. Then l say
prove it. do not know how much Oft Is
literal and how much OF it Is ngurative.
Who can say but that from some of tho
precious woods Of earth md heaven there
may not be made instruments of celestial ac-
harp, and Habakkuk the shigionoth; and
when tho great mutitudes shall, following
their own inclinations, take up instruments
sweeter than Mozart ever fingered, or Schu'
mann ever dreamed Of, or Beethoven over
wrote for, let all heaven make ready for the
burst of stupendous minstrolsy and tho roll
of the eternal orchestral
Further, it will he an anticpativo song.
Why, my friends, heaven has hardly begun
yet. If you had taken the opening pece OF
music to-day for the whole service You
would not have mado so great mistake MS
to suppose that heaven is fully innugurated:
FcStal choruses on Garth last only short
while. Tho famous musical conyocatlon NJ
Dusseldorf ended with tho forth day. oar
HOLIDAYS last only eight or ten days; but
heaven, although singing for so many years,
has only Just begun "tho new song" II tho
glorifled inhabitants recount past delivor-
ances they will also cnkindlo at glories to
como. Ii ut 0 o'clock, when tho church
opened, YOU had taken the few people
who wore scattered through it as tho
main audience, you would not have made
so great mistake as if you supposed that
the present population OF heaven are to he its
chief citizenship. Although millions are al
ready there, the inhabitants aro only hand
full compared with the future populations.
All China is yet TO be saved. All India Is yet
TO be saved. All Bornco is yet to be saved.
All Switzerland is yet 10 be savel. All Italy
is yet to be saved. All Spain is yet to bo
saved. All Russia is yet to be saved. All
Franco is yet to be saved. All England is
vet TO be saved. All America is yet to be
saved. All the world is yet to be saved.
After that there may he other worlds to con-
quer. I do not know but that every star that
glitters in our nights is an Inhabited world,
and that from all those spheres a mighty
host are to march into our heaven. There
will be norgate to keep them out. We do not
want to keep them out. We will not want
to keep them out. God will not want to
keep them out.
l have sometimes thought that al, the mil
lions of earth that go into glory are but q
very small colony compared with tho influx
from tho whole universe. God could build q
heaven large enough not only for the uni
verso but for 10 900 universes. do not know
just how it will be, but this know-that
heaven Is to be constantly augmented, and
that the song of glory is rising higher and
higher and the procession is being multi
piled. II heaven sang when Abel went up
the first soul that ever left for glory-how
must it sing now when souls go up i'll nocks
from all Christendom, hour by hour and mo-
ment by momentf
Our happy gatherings on earth are chilled
by the thought that soon we must separate.
Thanksgiving and Christmas days come, anl
the rail trains flying thither are crowded.
Glad reunions tako place. We havo time
of great enjoyment. But soon it is "Good-
by" in tho hall, "Good-by" at the door,
"Good-by" on the street, "Good-by" at the
rail train, 'Good by" at the steamboat
wharf. We meet in church. 1t Is good to
bo hero. But soon the do1ology will be
sung, the benediction pronounced, anl the
audience will be gone. But there arc no
separations, no good-bys in heaven. AT tho
door Of the house Of many mansions no
good-bys. At the pearly gate no good-bys.
The song will be more pleasant because we
arc always to sing it. Mightior song as our
other friends como N. Mighticr song as
Mightier song Ms Christ's glories unfold.
stayed week at Niagara Falls, hoping
thoroughly to understand 1t aud appreciate
it. But OH tho last day it scanned newer and
more incomprehensible than on the first day.
Gazing. OH the infinite rush of celestial splen-
dors, where tho oceans of delight meet and
pour themselves into the great heart of God,
how soon will we exhaust the song? Neyerl
Neverl
The old preachers, in describing the sor-
rows OF the lost used to lift up their hands
and shout "The wrath to comep "Fhe
wrath to comep To-day l. lift up my
hands, and looking toward the great future
cry, THE joy to comer "Tho bliss to come"
Oh, to wauder on tho banks Of the bright
river, and yet to feel that q little further
down we shall find still brighter floods ell
tering into it'll Oh, to stand thousand
years, listening to the enchanting music OF
heaven, and thon to find out that the harp
ers are only tuning their harps.
Finally, I remark that 1t will Ec a unan-
imous song. There will, 10 doubt, be some
to lead, but all will be expected to join. II
will be grand congregational singing. All
the sweet voices Of the redeemed! Grand
music it will be when that new song arises
Lowell Mason sings it. Our voices now may
he harsh and our ears uncultivated, but, our
throats cleared at last and our capacities on
larged, you md will not be ashamed tc
utter our voices as loudly rs any of them.
Those nations that havo always beer
distinguished for their capacity in song
will lift up their voices in that melody.
Those who have had much opportunity to
hear tho Germans sing will know what
idea I mean TO give when l say that the
great German nation will pour their deep,
full voices into tho new song. Everybody
knows the natural gift Of tho African for
singing. No singing ON this continent
like that OF tho colorcl churches IN tho
South. Everybody going to Richmond or
to Charleston wants 10 hear tho Africans
that continent Of darkness lifts u D its han IL,
and oil Africa pours hor great volume OF
voice into tho new song--that will bo music
for YOU. Added to this arc all tho sixteen
thousand millions Of children that arc esti.
mated to have gono into glory, and the host
of Young and old that hereafter shall people
the earth and inhabit the stars.
Oh! the new songl Gather it all up! Mu'-
tiply it with every sweetness! Pour into it
cvery harmony Crown it with every glad
nessl Belt il with every splendorl Fire it
with every glory Toss it to tho greatest
height Of majesty Roll it t. The grandcst
cycle of cternityl-ond then You have but
the faintest conception of what John e1::
perienced, when, amidst the magnilicenco of
apocalyptic vision, he heard it-then new song
God grant that at last We may all sing it.
But if we do not sing the praise Of Christ
upon earth we will never sing it i'll heaven.
BE suro that your hearts are now altunel
for the heavenly worship. There is q cathe-
dral in Europe with an organ at cach end.
Organ answers organ, and tho music waves
backward and forward with indcscribable
effect. Well, my friends, tho time will como
when earth and heaven will he but different
parts of one great accord. 1t will he JOY here
and Joy therel o.Jesus hero and Jesus there
Trumpet to trumpet! Organ to organ! Ha'.
lelujah to hallcluja jah! Until tho day break