Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-11-26

scuiptured, hanging gardens, suddenly going
crash crashl ana the plpers cease to pipe
ana the truInpets cease to trumpet, and IL
dust, and the smoke, and the horror gil tn.
canvas, while from above and beneath are
voices announcing, Babylon is fallen is
fallenW And we halt again to rest from fine
spectacle.
Again the panorama passes before the
cavern of Patmos, and John the exile sees a
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. ali the
earth conquered and all heaven in Doxology.
And we halt again to rest from the specta-
Gle. Again the panorama passes before the
cavern or PatfnoS, and John the exile sees
great thrones lifted, thrones of martyrs
thrones of apostles, thrones of prophets.
thrones of patrarchs, and throne higher
than all on which Jesus sits, and ponderous
books are opened, their leaves turned over
revealing the names of all that have ever
lived, the good and the bad, the renowned
and che humble, the mighty and the weak.
and at the turn of every leaf the universe is
III rapture OF fright, and the sea empties its
sarcophagus of all the dead of the sunken
shipping, and the earth gives way, and the
heavens vanish. Again we rest a moment
from the spectacle.
The panoramamoves on before the cavern
OF Patmos and John the exile beholds city
OF gold, and a river more beautiful than the
Rhine or the Hudson rolls through it, aud
fruit trees bend their burdens on either
bank, and all is surrounded by walls in
which the upholstery of autumnal forests
and the sunrises and sunsets of all the ages
and the glory of burning worlds seem to be
commlngled. And the inhabitants never
breathe sigh, or utter a groan, or discuss
a difference, or frown dislike or weep a
tear. The fashion they wear is pure white,
and their foreheads are encircled by gar
lands, 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
Inquire of that panorama rolled out of sight
l think that John must have fallen back into
bis cavern nerveless and exhausted Too
much was it for the naked eve to look at.
loo much was it for human strength to ex-
perience
My friends, l would not wonder if you
should have very similar vision after
awhile. You will be through with this world.
It's cares and fatigues and struggles, and if
you have served the Lord and have done the
best you could, / should not wonder if your
dying bed were Patmos 1t often has been
SO was reading of dying boy who, while
the family stood around sorrowfully. ex-
pecting each breath would be the last. cried;
open the gates! Open the gatesl Happyl
Happy Happy John Owen, in his
last hour, said to his attendant.
.'Oh, brother Paynel the long wished
for day has come at lastr' Ruther-
ford, in the closing moment of his
his life, cried out Il 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 to embrace me. Now feell Now
| enjoy Now rejoice! 1 feed on mama.
Ihave angels food. My eyes will see my
Redeemer. Glory, glory dwelleth in Inman-
uePs land" Yes, ten thousand times in the
history of the world has the dying bed been
made fatmos
You see the time will come when you will.
oh, child of God, be exiled to your last sick
ness as much as John was exiled to Patmos.
on will go into your room not to come out
again, for God is going to do something
better and grander and happier for YOU
than He has ever donei There will be such
visions let down to your pillow as God gives
no man IT he is ever to return to this tame
world. The apparent feeling of uneasiness
and restiessness at the time of the Christians
departure, the physicians say, is caused by
no real distress. 1t is an unconscious and
involuntary movement and think in many
cases 1T is the vision of heavenly gladness too
great for mortal endurance 1t is only
heaven breaking in on the departing spirit.
GU see your work will be done and the
time for your departure will be at hand, and
there will be wings over you and wings uu-
der you, aad songs let loose on the air, and
your old .ather 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
zee gardens in full bloom and the swinging
open. OF shining gates, and will hear voices
ong ago hushed.
In many Christian departure that YOU
I a Il l.. Il.
he phraseology of the departing ones some
hing that Indicated the temperance of
hose long deceased. 1t is no delirium, no
ielusion, but supernal fact Your glor-
fled loved ones will hear that you are about
o come, and they will say in heaven: MAY
go down to show that soul the way up?
Nay be the celestial escort? May l wait for
hat soul at the edge of the pillowr' And the
Lord will say: Eyes. You may fly down
n that mission And l think all your
,iorified brethren will come down, and they
viii be in the room, and although those in
health standing around you may hear no
,oaea aSS bond IF ffam fb the heavenly
Freak, the cry will be: "Follow mel Up this
way! By this gilded cloud, past these stars,
straight for home, straight for glory, straight
or Godr'
AS on that dag in the Grecian archipelago,
Patmos began to fade out of sight, walked
% the stern of the ship that might Keep my
sye on the enchantment as long as l could,
md the voice that soundedou of heaven to
John the exile in the cavern on Patmos
seemed sounding in the waters that dashed
against the side of our ship, Behold the tab
,rnacle of God is with men, and He Will
iwelI with them, and they shall be His peo-
Die and God Himself shall be with them and
be their God; ana God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes, and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain, for the
former things are passed away"