Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-02-01

fui IeNs ~ hcFcintton Ihat Geile O1
the only rntermission Ever Known In
Pnradise---rhe sermon in FniL
BROOKLYN, Jan. 81. DIR. Talmage
has of late been preaching ON texts
of Scripture that seem 10 have been
neglected. and here is a sermon on q
beautiful text which probably was
never before selected for discourse.
Revelation viii, 1, There was silence
in heaven about the space of half an
hour.
Tho busiest place IN the universe is
heaven. Il is the center from which
all good influences start; il is the goal
1t which all good results arrive. The
Bible represents it as active with
wheels and wings and orchestras and
professions mounted or charioted.
But my text describes O space when
the wheels ceased to roll. and the
trumpets to sound. and the voices to
chant The riders on the white
horses reined in their chargers. The
doxologies were hushed and the pro
cessions halted. The hand of arrest
was put upon all the splendors.
Stop heavenl' cried an omnipotent
voice. and It stopped. For thirty
minutes everything celestial stood
still. There was silence in heaven
for half an hour
HEAyEx's ONLY NTERMIssIoE.
From all we can learn It is the only
time heaven ever stopped. 1t does
not stop as other cities, for the night
for there is no night there. 1t does
not stop for a plague, for the inhah
itant never says, i am sick. ' 1t does
not stop for bankruptcies, for It's in
habitants never fail. It does not stop
for impassable streets. for there are
no fallen SHOWS nor sweoping fresh
cts. What. then, stopped it for thirty
ninutes9 Grotius and Professor Stu
art think that it was at the time of
the destruction of Jerusalem. Mr.
Lord thinks it was in the year 81.
between the close of the Diocletian
persecution and the beginning of the
wars by which Constantine gained
the throne. But that was all guess,
though learned and brilliant guess.
do not know when it was and do
not care when it was, but Of the fact
that such an interregnum of sound
took place am certain. There was
silence In heaven for half an hour.
And, first of all, we may learn that
God and all heaven honored silence.
The longest and widest dominion that
ever existed Ia that over which still
ness was queen. For an eternity there
had not been sound. World making
was later day occupation. For un
imaginable ages 1t was q mute uni
verge. God was the only being and
as there was no one to speak TO there
was no utterapce. But that silence
has been all broken up into worlds,
and II has become noisy universe.
Worlds IN upheavel, worlds in con-
gelation, worlds in conhagIltuon.
worlds in revolution.
If geologists are right land ] be.
liove they arel there has not been q
moment of silence since this world
began It's travels. and the crashings,
and the splittings. and the uproar,
and the hubbub are ever in progress
But when among the supernals a
voice cried, "Hushi" and for half an
hour heaven was still, silence was
honored. The fun power of silence
many of us have yet TO learn. We
are told that when Christ was ar
raigned "He answered not n word. '
That silence was louder than any
thunder that ever shook the world
Outlines, whom we are assliled
and misrepresented, the mightiest
thing to say Is 10 say nothing, and
the mighticst thing 70 do is TO do
nothing. Those people who are al
ways rushing into print 20 get them
selves set right accomplish nothing
bat their own chagrin. Silencel Do
right and leave the results with God.
Among the giandest lessons the
world has ever learned are the les.
sons Of patience taught by those who
endured uncomplainingly personal
or domestic or social or political IN
iuatice. Stronger than amy bitter or
sarcastic or revengeful answer was
the patient silence
The famous Df Morrison. of Chel'
sea. accomplished as much by his
silent patience as by his pen and
tongue. He had asthma that for
twenty-five years brought him out Of
hiscouch AZ two o'clock each morning,
His four sons and daughters dead.
The remaining child by sunstroke
made insane. The afflicted man
said. "At this moment there Is not
an inch OF my body that Is not lllled
with agony" Yet ne was cheerful.
triumphant, silent. Those who were
la hia presence said they felt as
though they wero IN the gates Of
heaven
Oh, the power OF patient silence
Eschylus, tho immortal post. was
condemned 10 death for writing
something that offended the people.
An tho pleas in his behalf We're of
NO avail until his brother uncovered
tho arm Of the prisoner and showed
that his hand had beeli)ahot on AZ
Halanlis. That silent plea liberated
Him The loudest thing Sn earth 4
nilonoo II Il he Of the right kind and
~ tho right time. There was quaint
old hymn, spelled Ia tho old style.
and once sung Ia the churches;
The raes . not forever So
~ bin who fastest Fnna
Nor tha halI1l hl those llropell
THAT shoot ulih lht loiaacsi Runa
Nv fsiends the tossing Sea at oaii.