Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-24

out of your bereavement, your persecution,
| your poverties, your misfortunes may vet
| come an eternal heaven
| Oh, what mercy it is that in the text
and all up and down the Bible God induces
US to look out toward other worlds Bible
astronomy In Genesis, in Joshua, in Job, in
| the Psalms, in the prophets, major and
minor, in St. Johns Apocalypse, practically
! saying, "Worlds worlds worldsl Get
| ready for them!" We have nice little
world here that we stick to, as though los
ing that we lose all. We are afraid of fall
ing OF this little raft of a world. We are
afraid that some meteoric iconoclast will
some night smash it, and we want every
thing to revolve around it, aud are disap-
pointed when we find that it revolves
around the sun instead of the sun revolving
around it What a fuss we make about
this little bit Of world, its existence only
short time between two spasms, the
paroxysm by which it was hurled from
chaos into order, and the paroxysm of its
demolition.
And am glad that so many texts call US
to look of to other worlds, many of them
larger and grander and more resplendent
Look there" says job, lat Nazareth and
Arcturus and his sons!'' ''Look there
says st. John, Eat the moon under Christ's
feet?' Look there" says Joshua, ''at the
sun standing still above Gibeonr' "Look
there, says Moses, sat the sparkling trma-
ment!'' Look there" SAYS Amos. the
herdsman, sat the Seven Stars and Orion!'
Don't let us be so sad about those who
shove of from this world under Christly
pilotage. Don't let US be so agtated about
our own going OF this little barge or sloop
or canal-boat of a world to get on some
Great Eastern" of the heavens. Don't let
US persist in wanting to stay in this barn
this shed, this out house of a world. when
all the Kings palaces, already occupied by
many OF our best friends, are swinging wide
open their gates to let US in.
When l read, In my Fathers house are
many Mansions do not know but that
each world is a room, auc as many rooms as
there are worlds, stellar stairs, stellar gal
leries, stellar Railways, stellar windows,
stellar domes. How our departed friends
must pity US shut up in these cramped
apartments, tired if we walk fifteen miles,
when they some morning, by one stroke of
wing, can make circuit of the whole stellar
system and be back in time for mathis
Perhaps yonder twinl1ling constellation is
the residence Of the martyrs: that group
OF twelve luminaries is the celestial home |
of the Apostles. Perhaps that steep of
light IS the dwelliug-place of angels |
cherubic, seraphic, archangelic. a mansion |
with as many rooms as worlds and all their |
windows illuminated for fesJiVity
Oh, how this widens and lifts and stimu- |
lates our expectation How little It makes |
the present, and how stupendous it makes /
the future! How it consoles US about our
pious dead, who instead of being boxed up |
and under the ground have the range of as
many rooms as there are worlds, and vel
come everywhere, for 1t is the Fathers
house, in which there are many mansions! |
Oh. Lord God of the Seven Stars and
Orion, how can I endure the transport, the
ecstasy, of such visionl Unjust obey my
text and seek him. I will seek him. l seek
h m 7 na1l to mi, , : - : I
the material universe that is most valuable,
but the spiritual, and that each of Us has a
soul worth more than all the worlds which !
the inspired herdsman saw from his booth
On the hills of Tel1oa.
I had studied it before, but the cathedral
If Cologne, Germany, never impressed me
as 1t did the last time | saw it IL is ad-
thS grandest Gothic structure in
he world, it's foundation laid in 124S, only
Eight or nine years ago completed. More
han eco years IN building All Europe
axed for its construction. It's chapel of the
Magi with precious stones enough to pur-
'hase q kingdom. Its chapel Of St. Agnes
bringing 5ll feet into the heavens Its
tained glass the chorus of all rich colors.
statues encircling the pillars and encirc-
ing all. Statues above statue, until
culptor can do no more, but faints and
ais back against carved stalls and down
f the earth have walked to confession.
Iave and aisles and trausept and portals .
ombining the splendors OF sunrise. Inter-
heed, interfoliated. intercolumned gram
eur. as / stood outside looking at thea.
ouble range of flying buttresses and the
crest OF piunacles, higher aud higher and
igher, until I almost reeled from dizzi-
ess, I exclaimed: Greet 6oxology in
tone Frozen prayer OF many nations p
But while standing there I saw poor
IAN enter and put down his pack and kneel
eside his burden on the hard hoor OF that
sthedrsl And tears OF deep emotion came
Ito my eyes as ! said TO myself: There
a soul worth more than all the material
That man will live after the
lSt pinnacle has fallen. and not one stone
all that cathedral glory shall remain IN
rumblad. He is now a Lazarus in rags
I'D poverty and WEAKNESS, but immortal
nd son Of the Lord God Almighty: and
Re prayer he now offers. though amid many
lperstitions, believe God viii hear: and
nong the apostles whose scul ptured forms .
and IN the surrounding inches ne viii 1t
st be lifted. and into the presence of that
hI1st whose SuferiueS are reuraseut<.is nv |