The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-07-31
Abraham said to Dives: "Son, remember"


enthroned remember?
+. You know very we'll that our joy in any
circumstance is augmented by the compan-
ionship Of our friends. .Wecapnot see pic
ture with less than four .eyesor hear q song
with less than fourearsSs Ne:want some one
beside us with whom to exchange glances
and sympathies,, ami suppose the Joy OF
heaven is to be augmented by tho fact that
we are to have our friends with us when
there rise before us the thrones OF the
blessed. and when there Surges up in our ears
the iubilate of the saved. Heaven is not q
contraction: it is an expansion. If | know
YOU here will know you better there. Here
Ise. you with only two eyes, but there the
soul shall have million eyes. 1t will be i'm
mortality gazing on immortality, :ransomed
spirit in colloquy with ransomed spirit, victor
beside victor When hnlEvans, tho Scotch
minister, was seated in his study his wife
came in and said to him: MY dear, do you
think we will know each other in heaven?'
He turned to her and said MY dear, do you
think. we will be bigger fools in heaven than
we are here!'' '-s. a -. 49,
Again accept this doctrine of future re-
coynitioa because the worlds expectancy az
firms it. In al lands and ages this theory is
received. What form of religion plarted its
No form of religion, for it is received under
ali forms of religion. Then argue. senti-
ment, feeling, an anticipat tion, universally
planted must have been God implanted, and
If God implanted it is rightfully implanted.
Socrates writes: "Who would not part with
a great deal to purchase meeting with Or
pheus and Homer? If it be true that this Is
to be the consequence of death I could even
be able to die often" \
Cicero, living before Christ's coming, said:
"Oh, glorious day when shall retire from this
low and sordid scene to associate with the
divine asSemblage OF departed spirits and
not only with the one l have just now men
toned, but with my dear Cato, the best or
sons and the most faithful of men. II l
seemed to bear his death with fortitude it
was by no means that did not most sen>ioly
feel the loss had sustained. 1t was because
l was supported by the consoling retlection
that we could not long be separated"
The Norwegian believes it. The Indian
believes it. The Greenlander believes 1t.
The Swiss believes it. The Turk believes it.
Under every sky, by every river, in every
zone, the theory is adopted, AMI so l say a
principle universally implanted must be Goi
implanted, and hence 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 Tor;
ever How do we know each other IN this
world? Is it merely by the color OF tho 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 oaa
sense and If in, the dust our body should
perish, anil 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 disting,lishable. | eau un-
derstand how in sickness man Will become
so delirious that he will not know his own
friends: but will we be blasted with such in
suferable idiocy that, standing beside our
best friends for all eternity, we will never
guess who they are?
S-Again, I think that one reason why we
ought to accept this doctrine is because we
newer in this world have an opportunity to
give thanks to those to whom we are splr-
itually indebted. The joy of heaven, we are
told, is to be inaugurated by Q. reylewtof
life's work, These Christian men and women
who have been toiling for Christ have they
seen the full result of their work? Oh, no.
In the church of Somerville, n. j., John
VredexMrSh preached for n great many
years eHe felt that his ministry was fail
ure, although he was faithful minister,
preaching the Gospel all the time. He died,
and died amid discouragements, and went
home to God; for no one ever douotea tnat
John Vredenburgh was a good Christian
minister. A little while after his death
there came q great awakening In Somer-
Vile, and one Sabbath two hundred souls
stood up at the Christian altar eSpouSing tho
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 Vreien-
burgh. VIII that good Christian man be-
fore the throne Of God never meet those
souls brought to Christ through his instrl-
mentality Oh, of course h, will know them.
I remember ono Sabbath afternoon, borne
down with the sense of my sins, and know
ing not God, 1 took up Doidridge's r"Rlse
and Progress" Oh, what dark afternoon
it was, aud read the chapters, anl read
the PRAYERS, anil tried to make the prayers
nv own. Oh, l must seq Philip Doddridge.
A glorious old book he wrote. 1t Is out OF
fashion now.
There is q mother before the throne OF
God. You say her joy is fill. Is it! You
say there can be no augment rtion OF 1t. Can
not there be? Her son was wanderer and
vagabond on the earth when that good
mothoNdiei. He broke her old heart. She
died %l2Eiug 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, aud 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
me. The dead is alive again, and the lost is
found. Hallelujah! never expected to sea
this lost one come back" The Bible says ma
tions are to be born in day. When China
comes to God will it not know DR.. Abeel?
When India comes will it not know DR.. John
Scudder? When the Indians como to God
will they not know David Brainari?
see q soul entering heaven at last, with
covered face at the idea that it has done Sd
little for Christ and feeling borne down with
unworthiness, and it says to itself, II have
no right to be here" A voice from the
throne says: "Oh, you forget that Sunday
Of them" And another voice says: You
forget that poor man to whom you gave
loaf of bread and told Of the heavenly bread.
l was that man." And another says: You
forget that sick one to whom you gave medi-
cine for the body and the soul. I was that
one" And then Christ from throne oyer
topping all the rest, will say: "Iuasmucha 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 an
cry: What song shall it be?' Aud Christ,
bending over the harpers, shall say: ut
shall be the Harvest Home"
One more reason why am dispose to ac-
cept this doctrine of future recognition Is
that so many in their last hour on earth
have confirmed this theory. I speak not OF
persons who have been delirious in their last
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. How often it is
In the dying moments parents see their de-
narted children and children see their de.