The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-07-06
'ul. 1.-THE time of my departure h at

Columbus risl1ed his life to find this
continent, and shall we shudder to go
out on voyage of discovery Which
shall reveal a vaster and more brilliant
country? John Franklin risl1ed his life
to find a passage between icebergs, and
shall we dread to find passage to eter-
nal slumber? Men in Switzerland trav-
ell up the heights of the Matterhorn
with alpenstock, and guides, and rock
cts, and ropes, and, getting halfway
up, stumble and fall down in a horrible
massacre. They just wanted to say
they had been on the tops of those high
peaks. And shall we fear to 60 out
for the ascent of the eternal hills
which start thousand miles be-
yond where stop the highest
peaks of the Alps, when in that as
cent there is no peril? A man doomed
to die stepped on the scaffold, and said
in joy, snow in ten minutes, l will
know the great secret" One minute
after the vital functions ceased, the
little child that died last night knew
more than Jonathan Edwards, or st.
Paul himself, before he died. Friends,
the exit from this world, or death, if
you please to call it, to the Christian is
glorious explanation. 1t is demonstra-
ton. 1t is illumination. 1t is sun-burst.
1t is the opening of all the windows.
1t is shutting up the catechism of
doubt, and the unrolling of all
the scrolls of positive accurate
| information. Instead of standing
at the foot of the ladder and look
ing up, it is standing at the
top of the ladder and looking down. i:
is the last mystery taken out of botany
and geology, and astronomy, and
theology Oh, will it not be grand to
have all questions answered? The
perpetually recurring interrogation
point changed for the mark of exclama-
| ton. All riddles solved. Who will
| fear to go out on that discovery, when
all the questions are TO be decided
which we have been discussing all our
lives? Who shall not clap his hands in
the anticipation of that blessed coun-
try. If it be no better than through
holy curiosity crying, ''The time of my
departure is at hand?"
remark again, we ought to have the
| joy of the text, because, leaving this
world, we move into the best society OF
the universe You see great crowd OF
people in some street, and you say,
"Who is passing there? What general,
what prince is going up there?" Well,
/ see a great throne in Heaven. say,
"Who is the focus of all that admira-
ton? Who is the center of that glitter.
ing company" 1t is Jesus, the cham
pion of all worlds, che favorite of al
ages. Do you know what is the first
question the soul will ask when it comes
through the gate of Heaven? think
the first question will be, where il
Jesus, the Saviour that pardoned my
sin; that carried my sorrows; thai
fought my battles; that won my vic
tories?" o radiant one! how / would
like to see Thee! Thou of the manger
but without it's humiliations; Thou O.
the cross, but without its pangs; Thou
of the grave, but without its dark
ness.
The Bible intimates that we will tall
with Jesus in Heaven just as a brother
talks with brother. Now, what viii
you ask him first? do not know.
can think what l would ask Paul first i
/ saw him in Heaven. l think woult
like to hear him describe the storm tina
came upon the ship when there were
275 souls on the vessel. Paul being thu
only man cool enough to describe thu
storm. There is fascination about {
ship and the sea that never shall ge
over, and l think l would like to hea
him talk about that first. But when
meet my Lord Jesus Christ, of wha
shall l first delight to hear Hin
speak? NowI think what it is. / shall
first want to hear the tragedy of Hi
last hours; and then Luke's accoun
of the crucifiXion, and Mark
account of the crucifiXion, and John
account of the crucifxion will be moth
ing, while from the living lips of Chris
the story shall be told of the gloom tina
fell, and the devils that arose, and TIL
fact that upon his endurance depended
the rescue of race; and there wa
darkness in the sky, and there wa
darkness in the soul, and the pain be
came more sharp, and the burdens be
came more heavy, until the mob begar
to swim away from the dying vision o
Christ, and the cursing of the mol
came to his ear more family, and hi
hands were fastened to the horizontal
piece of the cross, and his feet wer
fastened to the perpendicular piece o
the cross, and his head fell forward in
swoon as he uttered the last moan an
cried. at is is finished!" All Heave
will stop to listen until the story
done, and every harp will be put dowr
and every lip closed, and all eyes tixe
upon the narrator, until the story
, done, and then, at the tap of the bator
the eternal orchestra will rouse up; fir
ger on string of harp, and lips to tn
mouth of trumpet, there shall roll fort
the oratorio of the Messiah. "Worth
, is the Lamb that was slain to receiv
blessing and riches, and honor, az
, glory, and power, world without end!
What He endured, oh, who can TELL
, To save our souls from death and hell
When there was between Paul an
that magnificent parsonage only tn
thinness of the sharp edge of the swor
of the executioner, do you wonder tha
! he wanted to go? o, my Lord Jesu
, let one wave of that glory roll over III
Hank! l hear the wedding bells {
, Heaven ringing now. The marriage {
the Lamb has come, and the bride hat
made herself ready. And now for
| 7 l.,