The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-29
REALITY OF HEAVEN.
REV. THOMAS DlxoNs LAST SERMON
AT NAG'S HEAD.

deaven Is 10th a Place and n State.
Many Have Been Mistaken in Their
Ideas About 1t, but Still 1t Is Real
Place.
NAo's HEAD, N. O., Aug. 2s.-Rev.
Thomas Dixon, Jr., preache2 today for
the last time this season at wag's Head.
The first Sunday in September he returns
30 his pulpit In New York The serv-
Ices at Nag's Head have been attended
with great interest. Excursions from
surrounding towns brought many WIS.,
itors for Sundays only. Collections
were taken each Sunday and turned
over to the hotel company for the pur-
pose of building Union chapel on the
Cape Hatteras strip at Nag's Head. The
hotel has been crowded with visitors
and tho season voted q great success.
The fishing has been as good this year as
II was last. The largest score made by
Mr.. Dixon's party was at Oregon inlet,
where in one day with five hooks over
800 weakfsh and spots were landed.
Mrs. Dixon accompanies her husband
on all his excursions and is as enthu-
siastic over fishing and as successful as
himself.
The subject today was "Heaven,"
from the texts:
When that which is perfect Is come, that
which Is In part shall be done away.
For now we SEQ in a mirror darkly, but tlen
taco to face; now know In part, but then
shall know even ns also have been known
lCor. Kill, TO- 10.
A distinguished infdel has been ac-
customed to say with great gusto that
the overthrow of the ancient system Of
astronomy has completely abolished
heaven; that the sole foundation Of
|, heaven was the notion that the earth
was fat, and that up in the clouds i'm
mediately over our heads was tho abid-
ing place Of tho gods; that with the
Introduction of exact knowledge as to
the laws of the heavenly bodies tho
superstition Of heaven has been de-
stroyed. Is this a fact? Is the destruc-
ton of q conception OF heaven the de-
struction of heavenp May not my ideas
about heaven be all wrong, and yet
heaven be an intense reality
The language used to describe heaven
sven in the Scriptures is the language Of
NATTER 1t is the most exact language
that could be used perhaps to convey tho
idea in the mind Of the writer. Heaven
described as glorious city, with
magnificent walls, gates of pearl, streets
Of gold, thrones, scepters, diadems, all
the magnifcence and power and glory
Of the eastern mind used in bald literal
ness to convey the idea of its glory.
UNITE CANNOT COMPASS THE INFINITE.
SO of the description of hell. That
which is dark and terrible is brought
into service to convey to our minds the
clearest possible conception of its awful
realities. But we must remember that
language ia itself but words thrown at
ideas, and often conceals as much of the
idea as it reveals. 1t is not necessary to
believe that these words that signify
material things convey tho complete
idea Of spiritual and eternal things. Tho
finite cannot compass the infinite. We
must recognize the limitations Of Ian,
guage, even TO the language of inspira.
a tion. .
sSs-I do not believe, for my part, that
heaven Is q square walled town, with
gates of precious stone, or Of gold brick
pavements. Neither do l believe that
In hell they burn coal and wood, and
:, yet believe in the reality of heaven
the reality of hell. My conception OF
heaven may bo all wrong, my concep
tion of hell all wrong; but my miscon
ception of q reality cannot affect the
facts.
LIVERPOOL AND LONDON.
have an idea Of the city of London
Ihave an idea of its streets, its public
buildings. have an idea of the situa
kon at Liverpool, where the great ships
land the passengers on their way tc
London. have an idea how the docks
are situated, how they appear. have
M idea Of the points of the compass:
with reference to the situations of the
streets of Liverpool and London. But
when / shall go over and SET for myself
shall doubtless find the ship to come
In at an opposite point of the compass.
End lie at anchor in an entirely diff erent
direction.
The streets will start at a different
point and run in different direction
and altogether expect the situation viii
be completely the reverse from my con
eeption. But Liverpool and London will
be just as real facts as though they had
met in full my own conceptions.
a~H lNIEuRAL CALCULUS.
Tho eastern mind described heaven a.
oiled with crowns and scepters ant
thrones and harps and royal robes. Thi;
was their idea-power and glory ant
Toy and magnificence. Other men il
later years, with different telnperements
have given their conceptions of heaven
lam bound to neither form of languag,
upon which to construct the real heaven
DR.. Dick, for instance, declares tha
In heaven the redeemed spend eternity
In exploring the realm of higher mathe
matics. DIR. Dick declares that HEAVIER
Is the home Of the mathematician, whert
Z the redeemed revel in the realms O.
higher Observation-Disclosures, gecm
~ etry, trigonometry, comic sections, DIFF
( ferential and integral calculus. For m,
! own part, at the end, If the Lord shal
~ say, "Well done, good and faithful serv
81 ant; sit down with me now and we will
j work out problem in integral cal
culus," shall be compelled to say: sex
cuse me, Lord; had enough calculus il
! this world, If you will permit me,
J would prefer to try the other place."
/ am not bound to the effort Of an.
author profane, prophetic or inspire'
for the language ont of which the real
tiles Of heaven are to be constructed
I What is heaven according to the revela
i, fion of God? We have it given to US il
7 its profoundest utterance in this text
which declares to us that heaven /
J fhe goal Of perfected good, the dirin
leUe,lt totrard srhich the whoie creation
moUes.
First-Hesven is therefore scientif
truth. 1t is in fact natural postulat
" scientific knowledge and scientiti
facts. The universe is being swept on
ward. The language of creation is on
yard. Tho wind whispers it. The rive