Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-11
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Ny subject advances. ard tells you u
the symbols they carr. Ii my text had
represented the good in heaven as Car
rying cypress branches. that would have
meant sorrow. II ny text had repre-
scented the good II heaven a. carrying
nigltsha6e, that woaid have meant sln.
Bat II Is palra branch they carry. and
that is victory. When the peopls came
home from war IL ol9ea times the con
queFor rode az the head OF his troops.
and there were triamphai arches, and
the people would coue out with branch
es of the palm tree and wave them all
along the host. What a significant type
this Of the greeting and OF the JOY Of the
redeemed il heaven. On earth they
were condemned, and We're put out Of
polite circles. They had Infamous hands
strike them On both cheeks. Internal
spite spat IN their faces. Their back
sched with sorrow.
Their brow reeked with unalleviated
toll. How weary they Were. Sometimes
they broke the heart of TIE midnight In
the midst OF ali their anguish, crying
out, 20 Godi' But bark now 10 the
shout Of the delivered csptives, as they
lift their arms from the shackles and
they cry out, Free. free" They look
back upon all the trials through which
they have passed, the battles they have
fought, the burdens they carried, the
misrepresentation they suffered, and
because they are delivered from all these
they stand before God waving their
palms. They come 10 the feet of Christ,
and they look up into his face, and they
remember his sorrows. and they remem-
Der his pain. and they remember his
groans. and they say: why, was
saved by that Christ. He pardoned my
sins, he soothed my sorrows," and stand
ing there they shall be exultant, waving
their palms.
NO MORE TOLL OR SORROW.
That hand once held the implement Of
toll or welded the sword of war, but
row it plucks down branches from the
tree of life as they stand before the
throne waving their palms. Once he
was 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 be-
fore the greet array of the saved and re-
counts his victories it will be Ike the
rocking and tossing of forest in tenn
pest, as all the redeemed rise up, host
beyond host, rank beyond rank, waving
their palms.
My subject makes another advance
ment, and speaks of the song they sing.
DR.. Dick, in very learned work
says that among other things in heaven
he thinks they will give a great deal Of
time TO the study Of arithmetic and the
higher branches of mathematics. do
not believe it. 1t would upset my idea
of heaven if I thought so; never liked
mathematics; and would rather take
the representation Of my text, which de-
scribes the occupation of heaven as be-
ing joyful psalmody. They cried with
loud voice, saying, Salvation unto our
God" In this world we have secular
songs, nursery songs, boatmens songs,
harvest songs, sentimental songs; but in
heaven we win have taste for only one
song, and that will be the song of saliva
ton from an eternal death to an eternal
heaven through the blood of the Lamb
that was slain.
l see 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 singw and the newly arrived soul
says, "Sing salvation" and after awhile
An earthly despotism falls and scepter
of iniquity is snapped, and churches are
built where once there were supersti-
tious mosques, and angel cries to angel,
LET us sing" and the answer is. "What
shall we sing" and another voice says,
LET US sing salvation" And after
awhile all the church on earth will rush
into the outspread arms Of the church of
heaven, and while the righteous are as
cending and the world is burning and
all things are being wound up, the ques-
ton will be asked, what shall we
singy and there will be a voice like
the voice of many waters, like the voice
Of mighty thunderings," that will re-
spond, ''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 hal
leluiah--the dnllest 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
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 ell voices viii be accordant. and
the man who on earth could not tell a
plantation melody from the dead
March in Saul" will lift an anthem that
the Memberships and Beethoyens and
the Schumanns of earth never imagined,
and you may stand through all eternity
and listen and there will not be one dis
cord in that great anthem that forever
rolls up against the great heart of God.
L viii not t,e solo. IL will not be duet.
II viii not be a quintet. bnt an in
Vulnerable host before the throne, cry
ing. Salvation unto ouf God and unto
the Lamb" They crowd all the tenn
pies, they bend over the bsttleInents,
they al AL the heights and depths and
lengths and breadths Of heaven with
their hosaanas.