The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-23

u
Bethel, with IA pillow OF mountain rock,
had blissfHl dream of the ladder angel
poisoning. Bunyan, with his head on a
hard plank Of BEDFORD Jail. saw the gates Of
the celestial city. st. John, on the barren
ist island of the -Egean sea, in his dream,
heard trumpets aud saw cavslrymen on
white horses and a new heaven and a new
earth. No amount of rough pillow can dis
turb the night vision Of a saint, and no
amount OF amethysJine charm eau delectate
the dream Of a n screant.
But. some one will say, why have you
brought US to this amethyst, the top rOw OF
the foundation Of the heavenly wall, il you
are not able to accept the theory Of the an
ciens Greeks, who said that the amethyst
was q charm against intoxication, or IL you
are not willing to accept the theory of the
ancient Hebrews thai toe amethyst was a
producer OF pleasant dreams! My answer
Is, have brought you 70 the top row, the
twelfth layer OF the foundation of the
heavenly wall Of fifteen hundred miles Of
circling amethyst, TO put you in a position
where you can get q new idea Of heaven; ;
70 let You see that after you have climbed
up twelve strata OF glory, YOU are only at
the base Of the eternal grandeurs; TO let you,
with encban,ment of soul, look far down
and look far up; and 70 force upon you the
conclusion that If all our climbing has
only shown us the foundation of the wall,
what must the wall itself be; and IL this Is
the outside OF heaven, what must the inside
be. and if all this is Rgurative. what must
the reality bes o, this piled-up mag
niicence of the heavenly wall! o, this
eternity of decoratIon o, this opalescent,
horescent, prismstic miracle Of architect
ure! " bat enforcement of all colorsi
A mingiing of the blue of the skies, and the
surf OF seas, and the green of meadows, and
the upholstery Of autumnal fores s, and the
fire of August sunsets. All the splendors of
earth and heaven dashed into those twelve
rows of foundation wall. All that, mark
you, only typical of the spiritual glories
That roll over .neaven like.the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans swung in one billow.
Do you not see that 1t was impossible
that you understand q hundredth part of
the suggestiveuess of that twenty-first
chapter Of revelation without going into
some OF the particulars of the wall Of
heaven and dipping up some Of its dripping
colors and running your eye along some OF
its wondrous crystallizations and examin-
ing some of the frozen light in it's turquoise
and feeling with your own finger the hard
ness of Its sapphire aud shielding your eyes
against the shimmering brilliance in Its
beryl and studying the fifteen hundred
miles Of emerald without flawl Yet all
this only the outside OF heaven ana the poor
est cart of the outside; not the wall itself,
but only the foot of the wall, for my text
says: "fhe foundations OF the wall of the
city were Rarnished with all manner Of
precious stones" o, get down your harp.
II you can play one. Get down pain
branch, If you can reach one. Why it makes
US all feel like crying out with James Mont
gomery:
When shall tn se eyes thy heaven built walls
And peary gates behold?
y, my soull II my text shows us only
"a m tziH haf . as "a hoq ~
riding last summer through the emperor's
park near st. Petersburg. Russia, l was
capnvated with the groves transplanted
from all zones, and the flower beds, miles
this way and miles that way. incarnadined
with beauty. and the fountains bounding In
such revel with the sunlight as now here else
is seen. / said: This Is beautiful never
saw anything like this before" But when
l entered the palace and saw the pictured
walls and the long line Of statuary, and
aquariums adoat with all bright scales. and
aviaries achant with bird voices, and the
inner doors OF the palace were swung
back by the chamberlain, and
l saw the emperor and empress
and princes and priucesses. and they greeted
me With a cordiality OF old acquaintance
ship, forgot all the groves and floral be-
wiJchment. | had seen outside before en-
trance. And now | ask, IL the outside OF
heaven attracts our souls to-day, how much
more will be the uplifting when we get in
side and see the king in bis beauty and all
the princes and princesses of the palaces of
amethysta Are you not glad that we did
not stop in our ascent this morning until we
got TO the top round Of the foundation wall
OF heaven, the twelfth row, the amethyst
Perhaps the ancient Hebrews we're not.
after all, SO far out Of the way when they
thought that the touch Of the amethyst
gave pleasant dreams, for the touch of il
this hour gives me a very pleasant
dream. Sta ldng on this amethyst, /
dream a dream. close my eyes
and see it all. We are there. This is
heavenl Not the outside but the inside of
heaven. With what warmth of welcome
kissed US. My How they have changed
in looks. They were 80 sick when they
went away, and now they are so we'll
Look Yohder is the palace Of our Lord
the king. Not kept a moment outside, we
are ushered into the throne room. Stretch
ing out his SCARED ha ids he says: II nave
loved thee with an everlasting love,n aud
we respond: "W HON have IN heaven but
thee% But. lookl Yonder is the playground
of the children. Children do not want a
throne. A throne would not fit child.
There they are on the playground
of heaven-the children. Out OF the sick
cradle of earth, they came into this rompiup
mrth OF the etern al Fairgrounds. | clap IN
hands to cheer them in their glee. Yonder
are the palace OF the martyrs, and before
their door cay the flowers crimson as the
bloody martyrdoms through which they
waded up Into glory. Yonder is Apostolic
Row, and the highest turret is over the
home of Paul. Here Is Evangelist Place.
Yonder are the concert halls in which the
musicians of earth and heaven are taking
part-Hendel with organ and David with
harp aud Gabriel with trumpet and four
and twenty elders with voices. And an
angel of God saws to me: "Where shall
take youl On what street OF hea ven wou Id
you like to liver What celestial habi-
tatIon would you like to occupy p
And / answer: NOW that l have
got inside the wall made ur
of all manner of precious stones
/ do not care where you put me. Just
show me where my departed love ones are.
have seen the Lord and next / want &c
see them. But here are those with whom |
toiled in the Kingdom of God on earth. They
are from my old parishes at Belleville and
Syracuse and Philadelphia and Brooklyn,
aud from many places on both sides the
sea where have been permitted to work
with them aud for them. Give them the
best places you can find. will help stead y
them as they mount the thrones. / will
help you FURNISH their coronets. Take these
my old friends to ms good rooms as you car
get for them in the house Of many man
sions, and with windows looking out upon
the palace Of the great king. As for myself
anywhere In heaven is good enough for ms
"Hallelujah TO the lamb that was slain.
RuC | AWAKE In the pCxtacv ~ tina mo