Iuka reporter., 1891-12-17

| watcher of the sky bends over the weary
heartslcki slumberipg earth. Whose is this
black framed, black tasseed picture of the
night 1t is the heirloom of our family.
| Ours, the grandeur Of the spring. the crys-
tails OF the snow, the coral of the beach, the
odors OF the garden, the harmonies of the
air.
You cannot see a large estate in one
morning. You must take several walks
around it. The fantily property of this royal
house of Jesus is SO great thatwe must take
several walks to get any idea OF its extent.
Let the hrst walk be around this earth. All
these valleys the harvests that wave In them
and the cattle that pasture them-al these
mountains and the precious things hidden
| beneath them, and the crown Of glacier they
cast at the feet of the Alpine Hrrrieape -Nali
these lakes these islands, these continents,
are ours. In the second walk go among the
| street lamps of heaven. and see stretching
| oil on every side wilderness of worlds For
us they shine. For us they s5ng ct q Saw
iours nativity. For us they will wheel idt0
| iine and with their flaming torches add to
| the spiendor of our triumph on the day for
which all other days were made.
| :. in the third walk go around the Eternal
City. As we come near it. hark 60 the rpsl,
OF It's chariots and the wedding peal of its
great towers. The bell of heaven has struck
twelve. 1t is high noon. We look off upon
the chapiets which never fade, the ewes that
never weep, the temples that never close, the
loved ones that never part. the procession
theU rever halts; the trees that NEVER wither.
the walls that never can be captured. the
sun that never sets, until we can no longer
gaze and we hide our eyes and exclaim;
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
nave entered into ths heart OF man, the
things which God hath prepared for them
that love Himp As these tides of glory
rise we have to retreat.and hold fast lest we
~ cpr Hf<,ff 4 Il, .!
gladness and thanksgiving and triumph,
hat think you OF the family property?
1t Is considered an honor to marry into a
family where there is great wealth. The
Lord, the bridegroom of earth and heaven.
offers you His heart and His hand, saying
In the words of the Csnticles, ''Rise up, NY
love, Ny fair one, and come away" and
once having put on thy hand the signet ring
OF His love, you will be endowed with all the
wealth of earth and all the honors of heaven.
Almost every family looks back to a home
stead|some country place where you grew
up. You sat on the doorsill You heard the
footstep OF the rain on the garrett roof. You
swung on the gate. You ransacked the
barn. You wa6ed into the brook, You
thrashed the orchard for apples, and the
neighboring woods for nuts; and
everything around the old homestead
is of interest TO you. | tell you Of the old
mouse are many mansions When we talk
OF mansions we think of Chatsworth and its
park, nine miles in circumference and its
conservatory that astonishes the world: its
galleries OF art, that contains the triumphs
or Chantrey, Canova and Thorwaldsen; of
the Kings and the queens who have walked
Its stately halls, or, flying over the heather,
nave hunted the grouse. But all the dwell
ing places of dukes and princes and queens
are as nothing to the family mansion that is
already awaiting on our arrival. The hand
OF the Lord Jesus lifted the pillars and swung
the doors and planted the parks. Angels
walk there, and the gods OF all ages The
poorest man in that house is millionaire,
and the lowliest king, and the tamest
word he speaks in an anthem and the short
est life am eternity.
1t took Paxton to build for Chatsworth
covering for the wonderful flower, Vic
torla Regia, five feet in diameter. But our
Lily OF the Valley shall need no shelter from
the oiast, and In the open gardens Of God
shall put forth its full bloom, and all heaven
snail come to look at it, and its aroma shall
pe as though the cherubim had swung before
the thronea thousand censers. have not
seen 1t Vet. am in a foreign land But my
rather is waiting for me to come home.
have brothers and sisters there. In the
Bible have letters from there, telling me
what fine place it is. 1t matters not much
70 me whether am rich or poor, or whether
gne world mates me or loves me- or whether
go by land or by sea, if only may lift my
eyes at last on the family mansion
1t Is not a fraii 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
century plants of eternity. The Queen of
Sheba hath walked its halls, and Esther and
N Marie Antolnette and Lady Huntingdon and
Cecil and Jeremy Taylor and Samuel Ruth
erford and John Milton, and the widow who
gave two mites. and the poor men from the
hospital-these last two perhaps outshining
au the kings and queens of eternity.
ssk-ee{nlly mansion means reunion Some
Lonis nissosSSsSsSslies a. III are very much scattered.
haps once a Year yTFssa, and ssa went off to St
old place. How you wasa wsasgses.on, but per
that has been silent for years s!aaaer 1ees az tne
mother do not play in it, How yottS
out the old relics, and rummage the gar
ret, and open old scrapbooss, 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 1t is goodbye at the car window, and
goodbye at the steamboat wharf. But how
VIII We act at the reunion in the old family
mansion OF heaven? 1t 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 Of
your household-not pale and sick and gasp
ing for breath, as when you saw them last.
but the eye bright with the luster Of heaven,
ana the cheek roseate with the flush of celes.
tial summer
What clasping of hands! What EN-
bracingsi What coming together of lip to
lipl What tears of joyi You say, 81
thought there were no tears in heaven
There must be, for the Bible says that God
shall wipe them away" and if there were no
tears there how could He wipe them away?
They cannot be tears of grief or tears of dis
appointment. They must be tears of glad
ness. Christ will come and say: What!
child of heaven, is it too much for theep
Dost thou break down under the gladness of
this reunion? Then will help thee" And.
with His one arm around us and the other
arm around our loved one, He shall hold us
up in the eternal jubilee
While speak, some of you, with broken
hearts can hardly hold your peace. You
feel as if you would speak out and say: 'sOh,
blessed day speed on. Toward thee press
with blistered feet over the desert way. My
eyes fail for their weeping. l faint from
listening for feet that will not come and the
sound OF voices that will not speak. Speed
on, oh, day of reunionl And then, Lord
Jesus, be not angry with me if after have
just once kissed Thy blessed feet | turn
around to gather up the long lost treasures
of my heart. Oh, be not angry with mel
One look at Thee were heaven. But all these
ran arn