The Globe-republican., 1891-11-26

sea empties its ssrcophagus of al the
dead Of the sunken shipping. and the
earth gives way, and the Heavens
vanish. Again we rest . moment from
the spectacle.
The panorama moves on before the
| cavern OF Patmos and John the exile be-
holds city of gold, and river more
beautiful than the Rhine or the Hudson
rolls through it, and fruit trees bend
| their burdens on either bank, and all Is
surrounded by walls in which the up
holstery of autumnal forests, and the
sunrises and sunsets Of all the ages, and
the glory of burning worlds seem to be
commingled. And the inhabitants never
breath sigh, or utter groan. or dis
cuss difference, or frOwn a dislike, or
weep a tear. The fashion they wear is
pure white, and their fOreheads are en-
circled by garlands, ana 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.
My friends, 1 would not wonder if you
should have very similar vision after
awhile. You will be through with this
world, its cares and fatigues and strug-
giles, 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 a dying boy who, while
the family stood around sorrowfullv, ex-
pecting each breath would be the last,
cried: ''Open the gates! Open the gates!
Happy! Happy! Happy John Owen.
in his last hour, said to his attendant,
ooh, brother Payne! the long-wished for
day has come at last" Rutherford, in
the closing moment of his life, cried out:
II shall shine. l shall see him as he is.
and all the fair company with him, and
shall have my large share. l have got
| ten the victory. Christ is holding forth
His arms to embrace me. Now l feel!
Now enjoy! Now / rejoice! feed on
mamma. l have angels food. My eyes
will see my Redeemer. Glory, glory
dwelleth in Immanuel's land" Yes,
10000 times in the history of the world
has the dying bed been made a Patmos.
You see the time will come when you
will, oh, child Of God, tie exiled to your
last sickness as much as John was ex-
lied to Patmos. You will go into your
room not to come out again, for God is
going to do something better and grand
er and happier for you than He has ever
yet done! There will be such visions let
down to your pillow as God gives no man
| if he is ever to return to this tame world.
The apparent feeling of uneasiness and
| lestlessness 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 it is the vision OF heavenly
gladness too great tor mortal endurance.
1t is only Heaven breaking in on the de-
parting spirit.
You 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 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, and the swinging
open Of shining gates, 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 something that indicated the re-
appearance Of those long deceased.
1t is no delirium, no delusiOn,
but a supernal fact Your glorified
loved ones will hear that you are
about to come, and they will say in
Heaven: MAY l go down to show that
soul the wav up? May be the celestial
escort? May l wait for that soul at the
edge Of the pillow?" And the Lord will
say: Eyes. You may fly down on that
mission" And think all your gloriied
kindred will come down, and they will
be in the room. and although those in
health standing around you may hear
no voice aud see no arrival from the
Heavenly world, you will see and hear.
And the moment the fieshy bond OF the
soul shall break, the cry will be: "Fol-
low me! Up this way! by this gilded cloud,
past these stars, straight for home,
straight for glory, straight for God!'
As on that day in the Grecian archi-
pelago, PatmOs began to fade out OF
sight, walked to the stern of the ship
that l might keep my eye on the en-
chantment as long as 1 could, and the
voice that sounded out of Heaven to
John the exile in the cavern on Patmos
seemed sounding in the waters that
dashed against the side of our ship, BE
hold the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people and God himself shall
be with them and be their God; and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall
their be any more pain, for the former
things are passed away"