Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-02-12

out to YOU another continent, yea another
world, that you NAV yourselves find rap
turous world. and that is the world a half
hour OF which we now study. Oh, set sail
for it, Here is the ship and here are the
compasses.
In other words, make this half hour, be-
ginning at twenty minutes to twelve by my
watch the grandest half hour OF your life
and become Christian. Pray for regen-
Grated spirit. Louis XIV, while walking In
the garden at Versailles. met Mansard. the
great architect, and the architect took on
his hat before the king. Fut on your nat
said the king, 'for the evening Is damp and
cold" And Mansard, the architect, the rest
OF the evening kept on his hat. Inc duSeS
and marquisas standing with bare heads be-
fore the king expressed their surprise at
Mansard, but the king sa1d, can make
duke or a marquis, but God only can make
Mansard. :" And say to you. my hearers, God
only by His convincing underwriting grace
can make Christian, but He is ready this
very half hour to accomplish 1t.
Again my text suggests way of studying
heaven so that we can better understand II.
The word eternity that we handle so
much is an immeasurable word. Knowing
that we could not understand that word the
Bible uses it only once. We say, Forever
and ever" but how long Is forever ana
ever?" am glad that my text puts under
our eyes heaven for thirty minutes. AS
when you would see great picture you put
a sheet of paper into scroll ana IooA
through 1t, or join your fo:ehnSer 10 your
thumb and look through the circle between,
and the picture becomes more intense, so
this masterpiece of heaven by st. John is
more impressive when we take only thirty
minutes of it at time. Now we have some
thing that we can come nearer to grasplng,
and it is a quiet heaven. When we discourse
about the multitudes of heaven it must be
almost a nervous shock to those who have
all their lives been crowded by many pee
pie and who want a quiet heaven.
For the last thirty-tive years have been
much of the time in crowds and under DuOIlc
scrutiny and amid excitementS, and have
sometimes thought for a few weeks after L
reach heaven would like to go down in
some quiet part of the realm with few
friends and for some little while try COM
parative solitude. Then there are those
whose hearing is so delicate that they get no
satisfaction when you describe the crash OF
the eternal orchestra, and they feel like say
ing, a good woman in Hudson, n. Y,
said, after hearing me speak of the mighty
chorus of heav9I That must be great
heaven. but what will become Of nv Door
head?' Yes, this half hour Of my text is a
still experience.
There was silence in heaven for half an
hour" You will find the inhabitants all
at home. Enter the Kings Palace and take
only glimpse, for we have only thirty MN.
utes for all heaven. is that Jesus?' Yes"
Just under the hair along His forehead is the
mark of a wound made by a buuch Of
twisted brambles, and His foot on the throne
has on the round OF His instep another mark
of a wound made by spike, and a scar on
the palm of the left hand. But what
oountenance! What a smile! What a
grandeur! What a lovelinessl What
an overwhelming look of kindness
and grace! Why, He looks as if
He had redeemed a world! But come on,
for our time is short. Do you see that row of
palaces? That is the Apostolic row. Do
you see that long reach Of architectural
glories? That is Martyr row. Do you see
that immense structure? That is the big.
gest house in heaven; that is 'the House of
Many Mansions" Do you see that wall?
dor, for that is the wall of heaven, jasper
at the bottom and amethyst at the top.
See this river rolling through the heart Of
the great metropolis? That is the river
concerning which those who once lived on
the banks OF the Hudson, or the Ala
bama, or the Ehine, or the Shannon
say, 1--WE never saw the like of this
for clarity and sheen" That is the
chief river of heaven-so bright, so wide, SO
deep. But you ask, .'Where are, the
inhabitants are all young" Where ara
the hospitals for the lame?' ''They are all
agile" "Where are the infrmaries for the
blind 6 nd deaf?' ''They all see and hear"
''Whe are the almhouses for the poor?"
'They are all multimillionaires." ''Where
are the inebriate asyIums% "Why, there
are no saloons" ''Where are the grave
yards?" "Why, they never die" Pass
down those boulevards of gold and
amber and sapphire and see those
interminable streets built by the Archi-
tect of the universe into homes,
over the threshold Of which sorrow
never steps, and out of whose windows faces,
once pale with earthly sickness, now look
rubicund with immortal health. ''Oh, let
me go il and see them" you say. No. you
- hos fhor vh0
would never consent to let you come up.
You say, ''Let me stay here in this place
where they never sin, where they never suf-
fer, where they never part" No. no! Our
time is short, our thirty minutes are almost
gone. Come on! We must get back to the
earth before this half hour of heavenly silence
breaks I'D. for in your mortal state you cam
not endure the pomp and splendor and reso-
nance when this half hour of silence is ended.
The day will come when you can see
heaven in full blast, but not now. am now
only showing you heaven at the dulles6 half
hour Of all the eternities. Come on! There is
something in the celestial appearance which
makes me think that the half hour of silence
will soon be over. Yonder are the white
horses being hitched to chariots, and yonder
are seraphs lingering harps as II about to
strike them into symphony, and yonder are
conqusrors taking down from the blue halls
of heaven the trumpets of victory.
Remember, we are mortal yet, and cannot
endure the full roll Of heavenly harnaonies
and cannot endure even the silent heaven
for more than half an hour. Hark4 the
clock In the tower of heaven begins to strike
and the half hour is ended. Descend! Come
back! Come down till your work is done!
Shoulder little longer your burdens! Fight
a little longer your battles! Weep a little
longer your griefs! And then take heaven,
not in its dullest half hour, but in its
mightiest pomp. and instead Of taking it
for thirty minutes take it world without