The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-03-25

Oh, what a mercy it is that in the
text and all up and down the Bible
God induces us to look out toward
other words Bible astronomy i'll
Genesis, in Joshua, in Job, in the
Psalms, in the prophets, major and
minor; in st. Johns Apocalypse,
practically saying Worlds worlds
worlds Get ready for them| We
have nice little world here that we
stick to, as though losing that we
lose all. We are afraid of falling off
this little raft of a world, We are
afraid that some meteoric iconoclast
will some night smash it, and we want
everything to revolve around it, and
are disappointed when we find that
it revolves around the sun instead Of
the sun revolving around it. What
a fuss we make about this little bit
of a world, it's existence only a short
time between two spasms, the par
oxysm by which it was hurled from
chaos into order, and the paroxysm
of its demolition
And | am glad that so many texts
call us to look off to other worlds,
many Of them larger and grander
and more Respondent Look there, "
says Job, at Nazareth and ArctuIus
and his sonsr Look there, says
St. John, at the moon under Christs
feetr Look there" says Joshua.
AT the sun standing still above
Gibeon" Look there, says Moses,
lat the sparkling frmamentl" Look
there" says Amos, the herdsman,
at the Seven Stars and Orion Y Don't
let us be sad about those who shove
off from this world under Christly
pilotage Don't let us be so agitated
about our own going off this little
barge or sloop or canal boat of "a
world to get on some Great Eastern
of ethe heavens. Don't let us per
sist in wanting to stay in this barn,
this shed, this clubhouse Of a world
when all the kings palaces, already
occupied by many of our best friends,
are swinging wide open their gates
to let us IN
THE HEAVENLY MANSIONS.
When | read, In my Fathers
house are many mansions, l do NOT
know but that each world is a room,
and as many rooms as there are
stellar stairs, stellar CALLER
les, stellar Railways, stellar windows,
stellar domes How our departed
friends must pity us shut up in these
apartments, tired if we
walk fifteen miles, when they some
by one stroke of wing, can
make circuit of the whole stellar sys-
tenn and be back in time for mathis
Perhaps yonder twinkling constella
lion is the residence of the martyrs
hat group Of twelve luninaries is
5he celestial home of the Apostles.
Perhaps that steep of light is the
dwelling place of angels cherubic,
,eraphic, archangelic. A mansion
With as many rooms as worlds, and |
III their windows illuminated for fes-
ivity.
Oh, how this widens and lifts and |
our expectation How little |
t makes the present, and how stu
lendous it makes the future! How |
t consoles us about our pious dead,
Who, instead of being boxed up and |
mder the ground, have the range of |
Is many rooms as there are worlds,
md welcome everywhere, for it is
he Fathers house, in which there
re many mansions! o Lord Goa
# the Seven Stars and Orion, how
an | endure the transport, the &c
tacy, of such vision! must obey
nv text and seek him | will seek
lin. l seek him now, for call to
mind that it is not the material uni
-erse that is most valuable, but the
piritual, and that each of us has a
oul worth more than all the worlds
which the inspired herdsman saw
rom his booth on the hills of Tekoa,
| had studied it before, but the ca
hedral of Cologne, Germany, never
me as it did the last time
aw it, 1t is admittedly the grandest
tothic structure in the world; its
laid in 124S, only eight or
inc years ago completed. More than
* hundred years in building. All
Europe taxed for its construction. Its
hapel of the Magi with precious
tones enough to purchase a king
ON. It's chapel of st. Agnes with
Masterpieces of painting. Its spire
bringing five hundred and eleven
eet into the heavens. Its stained
lass the chorus of all rich colors. ,,
tatues encircling the pillars and en-
rcling all. Statues above statues
ntil sculpture can do no more, but
lints and falls back against carved
alls and down on pavements over
hich the kings and queens of the :
nth have walked to confession
ave and aisles and transept and
1rtals combining the splendors of ,,
lnrise. Interlaced, interfoliated,
tercolumned grandeur AS stood
Inside, looking at the double range
flying buttresses and the forest of
nnacles, higher and higher and :,
CHER, until l almost reeled from I
zzineSs | exclaimed. Great dOx-