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

!
Louis XIV, while walking In the
garden at Versailles. met Manaard.
the great architect. and the architect
took of his hat before the king.
Put on your hat, said the King.
for the evening is damp and cold.
And Mansard. the architect. the rest
of the evening kept on his hat. The
dukes and marquises standing with
bare heads before the king expressed
their surprise at Mansard. but the
king said. II can make a duke or
marquis. but God only can make
IIansard" And ! say to YOU. my
hearers, Cod only by his convicting
and converting grace can make a
Christian, but he is ready this very
half hour to accomplish it.
A STUDY OF HEAVEN.
Again, my text suggests a way of
studying heaven so that we can bet
ter understand it. The word "eterni-
ty" that we handle so much Is an
imneasuIable 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 and everT am glad that
my text puts under our eye heaven
for thirty minutes. As when you
would see a great picture. you put a
sheet of paper into scroll and look
through it. or join your forehnger to
your thumb and look through the
circle between, and the picture be
comes more intense, 80 this master
piece of heaven by st. John is more
impressive when we take only thirty
minutes of it at a time.
Now we have something that we
can come nearer to g1asping and it is
quiet heaven. When we discuss
about the multitudes of heaven, it
must be almost a nervous shock to
those who have all their lives been
crowded by many people and who
want quiet heaven. For tie last
thirty five years. have been much of
the time in crowds and under public
scrutiny and amid excitements. and
| have sometimes thought for a few
weeks after reach heaven / would
like to go down in some quiet part of
the realm, with a few friends, and
for little while try comparative
solitude.
Then there are those whose hear
ing is so delicate that they get no
satisfaction when you describe the
crash of the eternal orchestra and
they feel like saying, as the good
woman in Hudson, N. Y, said, after
hearing me speak of the mighty
chorus of heaven. THAT must be a
great heaven, but what will become
of my poor head2"
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
a glimpse, for we have only thirty
minutes for all heaven. SIS that
Jesus2" YES" Just under tho hair
along his forehead is the mark of
wound made by bunch 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 scar on the palm of the right
hand and scar on the palm of the
left hand. But, what a counte-
nancel What smile What q gran
deurl What loveliness! What an
overwhelming look of kindness and
grace Why, he looks as if he had
redeemed world But come on, for
our time is short. Do you see that
row of palacesl That is the Apos-
tolic row. Do you see that long
reach of architectural glories3 That
is Martyr row. Do you see that inn
mense structure2 That is the biggest
house in heaven; that is ''the House
Of Many Mansions. Do you see that
walll Shade your eyes against its
burning splendor, for that is the wall
Of heaven, jasper at the bottom and
amethyst at the top.
See this river rolling through the
heart of ths great metropolisl That
is the verstoncerning which those
who once lived on the banks of the
Hudson, or the Alabama, or the
Rhine, or the Shannon, say, I'VE
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
asylums for the old2" ! answer,
THE inhabitants are all young"
Where are the hospitals for the
lamel" 'rhey are all agile, Where
are the infrmaries for the blindeand
deaf3" They all see and hear"
Where are the almshouses for the
poor2" ''T'hey are all multimillion
aires" where are the inebIiate
asylumsT "Why, there are no
saloons" Where are the grave
yardsq" why, they never die"
Pass down those boulevards of gold
and amber and sapphire and see those
interminable streets built by the
Architect of the universe into homes,
over the threshold of which sorrow
never steps, and out of whose win
dows faces, once pale with earthly
sickness, now look rubicund with i'm
mortal health. "Oh, let me go in
and see themr you say. No, you
cannot go in. There are those there
who would never consent to let you
come up. You say Let me stay
here in this place where they never
sin, where they never suffer, where
they never part" No, mol Our time
is short, our thirty minutes are al
most gone. Come onl We must get
back 10 earth before this half hour