The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-07-27
in Heavenl On earth they were con

cles. They had infamous hands strike |
them on both cheeks Internal spite
spat In their faces Their back ached |
with sorrow.
Their brow reeled with unalleviated |
toll. How weary they were! Some
times they broke the heart of the mid
night in the midst of their anguish,
crying out, 20 Godw Bsrs bark now to
the shout of the delivered captives as
they lift their arms from the shackles
and they cry out: Free! freew They
look back upon all the trials through
which they have passed, the battles
they have fought, the burdens they
carried, the mis- representations they
suffered, and because they are delivered
from all these they stand before God
waving their palms. They come to the
feet of Christ and they look up into
His face, and they remember His
sorrows, and they remember His
pain, and they remember His groans,
and they say: "Why, l was saved by
that Christ He pardoned my sins, He
soothed my sorrows" and standing
there they shall be exultant, waving
their palms.
That hand once held the implement
of toll or welded the sword of war; but
now it plucks down branches from the
tree of life as they stand before the
throne waving their palms. Once he
was a pilgrim on earth; he crunched
the hard crusts-he walked the weary
way; but it is all gone now, the sin
gone, the WEAKNESS gone, the sickness
gone, the sorrow gone. AS Christ
stands up)before the great army of the
saved and recounts his victories, it will
be like the rocking and tossing Of
forest in tempest, as all the redeemed
rise up, host beyond host, rank beyond
rank, waving, waving their palms.
Ny subject makes another advance
ment and speaks of the song they sing.
DIR. Dick, in very learned work, says
that, among other things in Heaven, he
thinks they will give great deal of
time to the study of arithmetic and the
higher branches of mathematics do
not believe it. 1t would upset my idea
mathematics, and would rather take
the representation of my text which
describes the occupation of Heaven as
being joyful salmony. "They cried with
loud voice, saying, salvation unto our
God" In this world we have secular
songs, nursery songs, boatmen's songs,
harvest songs, sentimental songs; but
in Heaven we will have caste for only
one song, and that will be the song Of
salvation from an eternal death TO an
eternal Heaven, through the blood OF
| the Lamb that was slain.
Isee soul coming up to join the re-
deemed in Heaven. AS it goes through
the gates the old friends of that spirit
come around it and say: "What shall
we sing?" And the newly-arrived soul
says: "Sing salvation" And after
awhile an earthly despotism falls, and
a sceptor of iniquity is snapped, and
churches are built where once there
were superstitious mosques, and angel
cry to angel: LET us sing" And the
answer is: What shall we sing?" And
another voice says: LET us sing saliva
ton" And after a while all the
churches on earth rush into the out
spread arms of the church of Heaven,
and while the righteous are ascending
and the world is burning, and all things
are being wound up, the question will
be asked: what shall we sing?" And
there will be voice 'like the voice of
many waters, like the voice of mighty
thunderings," that will respond: Sing
salvation"
In this world we have plaintive songs
songs tremulous with sorrow, songs
dirgeful for the dead; but in Heaven
there will be no signing of winds, no
wailing of anguish, no weeping SYM
phony. The tamest song will be halle
lujah--the dullest tune a triumphal
march. Joy among the cherubim! Joy
among the seraphim! Joy among the
ransomed! Joy forever!
On earth the music in churches is
often poor because there is no interest
in it, or because there is no harmony.
Some would not sing; some could not
sing; some sang too high, some sang too
low; some sang by fits and starts; but
in the great audience of the redeemed
on high all voices will be accordant,
and the man who on earth could not
tell plantation melody from the dead
March in SAUL" will lift an anthem that
the Memberships and Beethovens anG
the Schumanns of earth never imag'
ined; and you may stand through ali
eternity and listen, and there will not
: be one discord in that great anthem
that forever rolls up against the great
heart of God.
1t will not be q solo; it will not be 8
duet; it will not be a quintet; but an
innumerable host before the throne
crying, salvation unto our God ant
unto the Lamb" They crowd all thu
) temples; they bend over the battle
ments; they fill all the heights ant
depths and lengths and breadths o
: Heaven with their hosannas.
; When people were taken into thu
Temple of Diana it was such brillian
room that they were always put OIL
their guard. Some people had lost thei
sight by just looking on the brillianc,
of that room, and so the janitor wher
he brought stranger to the door ant
let him in would always charge him
Take heed of your eyes,
Oh! When l think of the song tina
goes up around the throne of God, s.
jubilant. many-voiced, multitudinous
l feel like saying: Take heed of you
ears" 1t is so loud a song. 1t is S
blessed an anthem. They sing rocl