Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-09


thirst leads him to admire heaven as he
says, ''rhey shall thirst no more"
St John hears the waves Of the sea Wild
ly dashing against the rocks, and each
wave has IA voice, and all the waves to-
gether make chorus, and they remind
him of the multitudinous anthems of
heaven, and he says, "They are like the
voice of many waters" One day, as he
looked off upon the sea, the waters were
very smooth, as it is to-day while we sail
them in the Minerva, and they were like
glass, and the sunlight seemed TO set them
on fire, and there was mingling of white
light and intense flame, and as ST. John
looked out from his cavern home upon that
brilliant sea he thought of the splendors of
heaven and describes them GAS n sea Of
glass mingled with fire." Yes, seated in
the dark cavern of Patmos, though home
sick and hungry and loaded with Do
mitian's anathemas, St. John was the most
fortunate man on earth because of tie
panorama that passed before the mouth Of
that cavern.
Iurn down all the lights that we may
better see it. The panorama passes, and
10! the conquering Christ, robed, girdled,
armed, the flash of golden candlesticks and
seven stars in his right hand, candlesticks
and stars meaning light held up and light
scattered. And there passes throne and
Christ on it, and the seals broken, and the
woes sounded, and dragon slain, and
seven last plaques swoop, and seven Walls
are poured out, and the vision vanishes.
And we halt IA moment to rest from the ex-
citing spectacle. Again the panorama
moves on before the cavern of Patmos, and
John the exile sees great city represent
ing all denominations, Babylon lowered,
palaced, tempted, fountained, foliaged,
sculptured, hanging gardens, suddenly go
ing crash! crash and the ppers cease to
pipe, and the trumpets cease to trumpet,
and the dust, and the smoke and the hor-
ror fill the canvas, while from above and
beneath are voices announcing, Babylon
is fallen, is fallenr' And we halt again to
rest from the spectacle
Again the panorama passes before the
cavern of Patmos, and John the exile sees
mounted Christ on "a snow white charger
leading forth the cavalry of heaven, the
long line of white chargers galoping
through the scene, the gathering of hoofs,
the clinking of bride bits, and the flash of
spears, all the earth conquered and all
heaven in DoXology. And we halt again
to rest from the spectacle Again the
panorama passes before the cavern of
Patmos, and John the exile sees great
thrones lifted, thrones of martyrs, thrones
of apostles, thrones of prophets, thrones OF
patriarchs, and throne higher than all on
which Jesus sits, and ponderOus books are
opened, their leaves turned over, reveal
ing the names of all that have ever lived,
the good and the bad, the renowned and
the humble, the mighty and the weak, and
at the turn of every leaf the universe is in
rapture or fright, and the sea empties it's
sarcOphagus Of all the dead of the sunken
shipping, and the earth gives way, and The
heavens vanish Again we rest II moment
from the spectacle.
The panorama moves on before the cav
ern of Patmos and John the exile beholds
a city of gold, and a river more beautiful
than the Rhine or the Hudson rolls
through it, and fruit trees bend their bur.
dens on either bank, and all is surrounded
by walls in which the upholstery of au-
tumnal forests, and the sunrisas and sun
sets of all the ages, and the glory of burn
ing worlds seem to be commingled And
the inhabitants never breathe sigh, or
utter grOan, or discuss a difference, or
frOwn dislike, or weep u tear. The fash
ion they wear is pure white, and their fore
heads are encircled by garlands, and they
who were sick are well, and they who were
old are young, and they who were bereft |
are reunited. And as the last figure of
that panorama rolled out of sight | think |
that John must have fallen back into his |
cavern nerveless and exhausted. Too |
much was it for naked eye to look at |
Too much was it for human strength to
experience.
Ny friends l would not wonder if YOU |
should have very similar vision after
awhile You Will be through with this |
world, its cares and fatigues and struggles,
and if you have served the Lord and have |
done the best you could, should not won |
der il your dying bed were II Patmos II |
often has been so. | was reading of dy. |
ing boy who, while the family stood around |
sorrowfully, expecting each breath would |
be the last, cried: "Open the gatesl Open |
the gatesl Happy Happy Happyl' John
Owen, in his last hour, said to his attend
ant, ooh, brother Paynel the long wished |
for day has come at last!" Rutherford, in
the closing moment of his life, cried out.
81 shall shine, shall see him as he is, and !
all the fair company with him. and Shall !
have my large share. | have gotten the
victory. Christ is holding forth his arms
l
Now rejOCe | feed on mamma. | nave
angels food. My eyes will see my Re /
deemer. Glory, glory dwelleth in Tmman-
uePs land" Yes, ten thousand times in
the history of the world has the dying bed
been made Patmos.
You see the time will come when You
will, oh, child of God, be eXiled to your
last sickness as much us John was exiled
IN nj int |
not to come out again, for God is going to
do something better and grander and hap
pier for you than he has ever yet donel
There will be such visions let down to your
pillow us God gives no man if he is ever to
return to this tame world. The apparent
feeling of uneasiness and restlessness at
the time of the Christians departure, the
physicians say, Is caused by no real dis
Iress. 1t is an unconscious and involun-
tary movement, and | think in many
cases it is the vision of heavenly gladness
too great for mortal endurance 1t is ouly
heaven breaking in on the departing spirit.
You see your work will be done and the
time for your departure will be at hand,
and there will he wings over you and
wings under you, and songs let loose on
the air, and your old father and mother
gone for years will descend into the room,
and your little children whom you put
away for the last sleep years ago will be at
your side, and their kiss will be on your
foreheads, and you will see gardens in full
bloom, Ind the swinging open of shining
,-otA5, and will hear voices long ago hushed.
IN many Christian departure that you
have known and have known there was
in the phraseology of the departing ones
that indicated the reappearanee
of those long deceased. 1t is no deirium,
no delusion. but q sunernal fact. Your