The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-07-31
DR.. TAI,MAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches at
.,-aWaseea, MINI.
Subject of Discourse, "aIeeting ou
Friends III Heaven"

TEXT: "TshaN 90 to him."-II Samuel
xii, %.
There is very sick child in the abode OF
David the King. Disease which stalks up
the dark lane of the poor and puts It's
smotheriug hand OH lip and noStril OF the
wan and wasted, also mounts the palace
stairs, and bending over the pillow blows
into theface of Il young Prince the froSts
of pain and death. Tears are wine to the
King of Terrors. Alas! for David the k'ns.
He can neither sleep nor eat, and lies pros,
the palace rings with the outcry or woe.
What are courty attendants or victorious
armies or conquered provinces under sucn
circumstances? What, to any parent, is all
splendid surrounding when his child is sick?
Seven davs 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 como 10 bear
the tidipgs to the King but they cannot
make up their minds to tell him. ana tney
stand at the.door whispering about the mat
ter, and David hears them and he looks up
and SAYS to them: is the child dead?, Yes;
he is dead" David rouses himself
up. washes himself, puts on new ap-
parel, and sits down to food. What
power hushed that tempest? What
strength was it that lifted up that King whom
grief had dethroned? Oh, it was the thought
that he would come again into the possession
of that darling child. No gravediggers space
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 thebroken links. In
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 lie clears the choking grief from ms
throat and exclaims: II shall 60 to him"
Was David right or wrong? IL we part
on earth viii we meet again in the next
world? ''W e!l,n says some one, that seems
to be an impossibility. Heaven is so large
a place We never could find our kindred
there" Going into some city, without hav-
ing appointed time and place for meet
ing, YOU might wander around for weeks and
for months, and 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 a realm. John went
I'D on one mountain of inspiration. aud he
looked eff upon the multitude. and he said:
Thousands of thousands" Then he came
upon q greater altitude of inspiration aud be
looked off upon it again, and he said: "Ien
thousand times ten Thousand" And then he
came on higher mount of inspiration, and
looked OF again and he said: "a hundred and
forty aud four Thousand and thousands OF
thousands" And he came on still greater
height of inspiration, and he looked oil again
and exclaimed: "a great multitude that no
man can number" ...
Now ask, how are you going to find your
friends in such throng as that? Is not this
idea we have been entertaining after all
falslty? Is this doctrine Of future recoGnl.
ton OF friends in heaven guess, myth,
whm, or is it. a granite foundation upon
which the soul pierced Of all ages may build
@ glorious hope? Intense question. Every
heart in this audience throbs right into 1t.
There is in every soul here the tomb of at
least one dead. Tremendous question. It
makes the lip quiver, and the cheek flush,
and the entire nature thrill. Shall we know
each other there? l get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject.
get letter in bold, scholarly hand, on
gilt-edged paper, asking me to discuss this
question, and say: "Ah, that isa curious
man, and he wants curious question solved"
But get another letter. 1t is written with
trembling hand, and on what seems to be q
torn out leaf of book, and here and there
is the mark Of tear, and say: "Oh, that
is a broken heart, and it wants to be COM
fortedn
The object of this sermon is to take this
theory 1t of the region Of surmise and
specr lon into the region OF positive GER
tair 4 People say: 1T would be very
p ant if that doctrine were true. l hope
+ Iay be true. Perhaps it is true. wish
f.. we're true" But believe that can bring
n 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, un1 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 ship
you must get the right kind OF timber. You
Law the keel and make the framework OF the
very best materials, the keelson, stanchionS,
plank shear, counter tinber-kuee, transoms,
ali of solid oak. You may build a ship OF
lighter material, butwhen the cyclone comes
on it will 20 down. Now we may have
great many beautiful theories about the fu-
ture world, built out Of our own fancy, anil
they may do very well as long as we have
smooth sailing in the world but when thu
storms of sorrow come upon us and the hur.
ricane of DEATH we will be eSwanped-we will
be foundered We want q theory built outos
the solid oak of Gods eternal Word The doc
trine of future recognition is not so often pos
itirelv stated in the Word Of God as implied,
and YOU know, my friends, that that is, after
all. the strongest mode of affirmation. Your
friend travels in foreign lands. He comes
home. He does not begin by arguing with
YOU to prove that there are such places as
London and Stockholm and Paris and Dres-
den and Berlin, but his conversation implies
it. And so this Bible does not so positively
state this theory as, all up and down, its
chapters take it for granted.
What does my text imply? 81 shall go to
him." What consolation would it be to David
to 90 to his child if he would not know him?
Would David have been allowed to record
this anticipation for the inspection OF all
ages if it were groundless anticipation?
We read in the first book OF the Bible, Abra-
ham died and was gathered to his people.
Jacob died and was gathered to his people.
Moses died and was gathered to his people.
What people? Why, their friends, their conf
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 luxuriant
vine full of the purple clusters of consolation.
James, John and Peter followed Christ into
the mountain. A light falls from heaven cn
that mountain aud lifts 1t into the glories Of
celestial. Christ's garments glow and His
face shines like the sun. The door OF heaven
swings Open Two spirits come down anil
alight on that mountain. The disciples look
at them and recognize them as Moses and
Elias. Now, if those disciples standing on
the earth coul recognize these two spirits
who had been for years in heaven do you
tell me that we, with our heavenly eyeSight,
will not b. able to reco 5nize 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, and then
the Bible says that we are to be higher than
the angels; and il tho angels havo the power
of recognition shall not we, who are to bo
higher than they in the next realm, have Us
good eyeSight and as good capacity? What
did Christ mean in His conversation with
Mary and Martha when He said, "rhy
brother shall rise again:' 1t was as much as
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