Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-02-22

ssyss % Lsras fAsa $40 sisdsk haze
Izsssy ca Mary Azsaalsn. take my
bli-serrsa te-s 81 tAs rsa hs< pave
fsent II belt cod zays. MY aaas liter.
tay s;Gs are tsxsissa thee. - In pssec
Nss, AL tae foar ts.sfs % heaven STRIFE
. atvsry cestss. and they who pa~s tASoasA
ths celestial streets ssy. Whats ttsss
wa. - wesst anass aesl have hoen
ssvs1 Hear all the foar towers rsas assd
RAG Asd riasfs' "Aad thsre Is JOY in
Aaassa sme.ls the saxsls VI uo<a over aas
s4aaer that repenboths
HxAvkas uApftSazs NAY N AuoAssfEp
Ny subject nnpre@sos ysu. thiak. with
the though. that II Is Feasible Tor "a 10
saxsa~ns ths hapPiarss oS hesvsa feos
pie think that @ouls h<forc the thFon1 are
- happy - they can he. sseny 10, Look
~ thai usesksF eoloTs the throae u Cod
When shs asod she lsft her soa ia this
worhi vssahond That son repeated Of
his iniqaitse~ and cane O. uod. The re-
port OF that salvation has reached heaven.
Do you tell ms thai mother before tho
throne ~ God has NOT har Joy rieaiy aug
msnteds Thcre II many = man ia this
house today who could 40 out with torch
and kinc.e new bonfire Of victory on tia
hills Of heaven. II yea would this day re-
pent and come TO God. tho news Of your
salvation woaid reach heaven. and then.
hArki % the aAont OF the ray,soiael. Yoar
little child wsas away from you into thu
good land While she was hero yoa
brought her all kinds % beautiful pres
ents.
Sometimes yoa came home a. nightfall
with your pockets full OF gifts for her, and
no sooner did you put your night key into
the latch thaa she began at you. saying,
Father, what have You brought mes'
She is now before tho throne of God Can
you bring her = gift today, You may.
Coming to Christ and r-penting Of sin. tia
tidings will 90 up 20 throne OF God and
your child viii hear OF IL. Oh, what a gift
for her soul today She will skip with new
giadness on the everlasting hills when she
hears Of IL.
was at Sharpsburg during the war; and
one day saw sergeant dash past on u
lathsred horse. the blood dripping from
the spurs. said. That sergeant must bs
going on very important message. he
must be carrying . very important dis
patch. or be wouldn't riaA like that"
Here are two AM ols Of God ftittiny through
the hous-, fitting toward tho throne on
quick dispatch What is the news. Carry
ing up the story OF souls repentsnt and for
given. carrying the news to the throne of
God carrying the news 20 your kindred
who are forever saved. Oh, there is joy
in heaven among the angels Of God over
one sinner that repenteth." And suppose
this whole audience should turn to the
Lord, Heaven would be filled with 6ox-
ologies. o heaven. beat with all thy
hammers that the rock may break. o
heaven, strike with all thy cleaning
swords that our souls may be free.
II was reading of king who, after gain
ing . grea: victory, said to his army, mo.
no shouting; let everything be in quiet; no
shouting" But IL this hour your soul
should como to God, nothing could stop
the shouting Of the armies of God before
the throne, for ''there is joy in hcaven
among the angels Of God over one sinner
that repenteth."
In some families they keep a vacant
chair and vacant plate for the departed,
but II In some of your households you kept
. vacant chair and a vacant plate for those
who have gene away from you into tho
next world. the vacant chairs and the va
cant plates would outnumber those which
are occupied. / once said to you there ara
no vacant chairs in heaven, but I recall
that. Right beside your loved one In that
good land there is a vacant chair, not made
vacant by oeath, for death never enters
there; it il . vacant chair for you. viii you
take itp
SYMPATHY IN HEAVEN FOR EARTH.
My subject also impresses me with the
idea that heaven and earth are in close
sympathy. People talk OF heaven az
though it were . great way OF. They say
IL is hundreds Of thousands Of miles before
you reach the first star, and then you go
hundreds Of thousands OF miles before you
get to the second star. and then 1t is mill
lions of miles before you reach heaven
They say heaven is the center of the uni
verse and we are on the rim of the universe
That Is not the idea of my text. think
the heart OF heaven beats very close to our
world. We measure distances by the time
taken to traverse those distances.
II used to be q long distance to San Fran
cisco Many weeks and months were
passed before you could reach thrt city
Now II is six or seven days. 1t used to be
six weeks before you could voyage from
here TO Liverpool. Now you can go that
distance In six OF seven days And 10 I
measure tho distance between earth and
heaven, aud end it Is only dash. It
Is one instant here and another instant
there It 10 very near today. Do you not
feel the breath Of heaven on your face?
Christ says In one place it is not twenty
four hours distance, when he says to the
penitcnt thief. This day. this day, shalt
thou be with me in paradise. II il not a
day. it il not an hour, 1t y not . minute, it
II not second.
Oh, how near heaven Is to earth. By
oceanic cable you send message As tits
expensive to send message, you compress
. great deal Of meaning in q few words.
Sometimes in two words you can put vast
meaning And IL seems to me that the
angels Of God who carry news from earth
to heaven need to taxa up this hour ID re-
gard to your soul, only two words in order
to kindle with giadnsss all the redeemed
beforp the throne, only two words, Father
saved" mother saved ''son saved"
daughter saved" And there Is JOY In
hearsa among the angels Of God over one
sinner that repcntc<h-"
aALvAyIos or TIE SOUL
Ny subject also impresses me with the
fact that the salvation Of tho soul il Of
vast importance. II you should make
so.ou this year, do ron suppose that news
would b carried to hesveni 1t would not
b Of enough Importance or significance 20
Be carried hcavesward. II at the next
Quaareunial election you are made presi-
dent Of the Uaiscd States. do you suppose
THAI news would be carried to hsavens
Do yoa sappose that the news OF . revolu-
tim In Franra or Spaia would be carried to
heaven, These things are not Of enough
Importance, but there is ons item that Is
n1rs 10 BE carried It Is the salvation Of
yoar soul b d year repentance before
Go3