Connecticut western news., 1891-12-10

conference, and it's conservatory, that astonishes the world; it's galleries of art, that contain the triumphs of Chantrey, Canova and Thorwaldsen of the kings and the queens who have walked it's stately halls or, flying over the heather, have hunted the grouse. But all the dwelling places of dukes and princes and queens are as nothing to the fam fly mansion that is already awaiting our arrival The hand of the Lord Jesus lifted the pillars, and swung the doors, and planted the parks. Angels walk there, and the good of all ages. The poorest man in that house is a millionaire and the lowliest king, and the tamest word he speaks is an an them and the shortest life an eternity
 THE OPEN GARDENS OF GOD.
 It took Paxton to build for Chats worth a covering for the wonderful flower Victoria Regia, five feet in diam eter. Bit our Lily of the Valley shall need no shelter from the blast, and in the open gardens of God shall put forth it's full bloom, and all heaven shall come to look at it, and it's aroma shall be as though the cherubim had swung before the throne thousand censers 1 have not seen it yet. 1 am in a for eign land. But my father is waiting for me to come home. have brothers and sisters there. In the Bible have letters from there telling me what a fine place it is. It matters not much to me whether I am rich or poor, or whether the world hates me or loves me, or whether go by land or by sea, if only may lift my eyes at last on the family mansion.
 It is not frail house, built in month, soon to crumble, but an old mansion which is as firm as the day it was built. Its walls are grown with the ivy of many ages, and the 'urns at the gateway are abloom with the cen tury plants of eternity. The Queen of Sheba hath walked it's halls, and Els Huntingdon and Cecil and Jeremy Taylor cod Samuel Rutherford and John Milton, and the widow who gave two mites, and the poor men from the hospital-these last two perhaps out shining all the kings and queens of eter- nity.
 A family mansion means reunion. Some of your families are very much scattered The children married and went off to St. Louis or Chicago or Charleston; but perhaps once year you come together at the old place. How you wake up the old piano that has been silent for years Father and mother do not play on it.) How you bring out the old relics, and rummage the garret, and open old scrapbooks, and shout and laugh and cry and talk over old times, and, though you may be forty-five years of age, act as though you were sixteen! Yet soon it is goodby at the car window and goodby at the steamboat wharf.
 But how will we act at the reunion in the old family mansion of heaven :? It is a good while since you parted at the door of the grave. There will be Grace and Mary and Martha and Charlie and Lizzie and all the darlings l of your household-not pale and sick and gasping for breath, as when you saw them last, but their eye bright with the luster of heaven and their l cheek roseate with the flush of celestial summer.
 What clasping of hands! What en- bracings! What coming together of lip to lip! What tears of joy! You say, 'I thought there were no tears in heaven" There must be, for the Bible says thar "God shall wipe them away" and if there were no tears there how could he wipe them aYaya They can l not be tears of grief or tears of disap- l pointrnent They must be tears of 1 gladness. Christ will come and say: ''What, child of heaven, is it too much for thee2 Dost thou break down under the gladness of this reunion2 Then I will help thee." And with his one arm our loved one he shall hold us up in the eternal jubilee.
 l OH, DAY OF REUNION.
 While I speak, some of you with broken hearts can hardly hold your peace You feel as if you would speak out and say: ''Oh, blessed day, speed on! Toward thee press with blstered feet over the desert way. My eyes fail for their weeping. I faint from listen ing for feet that will not come, and the sound of voices that will not speak. Speed on, oh, day of reunion! And then, Lord Jesus, be not angry with me if after have just once kissed thy ! l. I f1,r fo up the long lost treasures of my heart.
 Oh. be not angry with me! One look
 at thee were heaven. But all these reunions are heaven encircling heaven, heaven overlapping heaven. heaven commingling with heaven!"
 I was at Mount Vernon, and went into the dining room in which our first president entertained the prominent men of this and other lands. It was a very interesting spot. But, oh, the banqueting hall of the family mansion of which 1 speak! Spread the table, spead it wide, for great multitude are to sit at it. From the Tree by the
 River gather the twelve manner ot
 fruits for that table.
 Take the clusters from the heavenly
 vineyards and press them into the gold
 en tankards for that table. On baskets
 carry in the bread of which, If man
 eat he shall never hunger. Take all
 the shott-orn flags of earthly con
 quest and entwine them among the
 arches. Let David come with his harp,
 and Gabriel with his trumpet, and
 Miriam with the timbrel; for the prodi
 gals are at home and the captives are
 free, and the Father hath invited the
 mighty of heaven and the redeemed o1
 earth to come and dine!