Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-23

of emerald without flaw? Yet all
this only the outside OF heaven, and the
poorest part of the outside; not the wall
itself but only the foot OF the wall, Tor
nv text saws: THE foundations OF the
wall of the city were garnished with all
manner of precious stones" Oh, get
down your harp, if you can play one.
Get down a palm branch, II you can
reach one. Why, it makes US all feel
like crying out with James Montgom-
cry:
When shall these eyes thy heaven built walls
And peArly gates behold:
Oh, my soul! If my text shows us
only the outside, what must the inside
be? While riding last summer through
the Emperor's park near ST. Peters
burg, Russia, l was captivated 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 nowhere
else is seen. said: This Is beautiful.
never saw anything like this before"
Bus when 1 entered the palace and saw
the pictured walls and the long line OF
statuary, and aquariums a1oat with all
bright scales, and aviaries chant with
bird voices, and the inner doors Of the
palace were swung back by the cham
berlain, and
SAW THE EMPEROR
and Empress and princes aud princesses
and they greeted me with cordiality Of
old mountaineering, forgot al the
groves and floral bewichment l had seen
outside before entrance. And now l
ask, il the outside of heaven attracts
our sauls to-day, how much more will
be the uplifting when we get inside and
see the King in his beauty and all the
princes and princesses of the palaces OF
amethyst? 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 an
cent Hebrews were 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 it this hour
gines me very pleasant dream.
Standing on this amethyst, l
dream a dream. l close my eyes
and 1 see it all We are there. This is
heaven! Not the outside but the inside
Of heaven. With what warmth OF well
come our long-ago departed loved ones
have kissed ms. My! How they have
changed in looks. They were so sick
when they went away, and now they are
so well. Look! Yonder is the palace
of our Lord the King. Not kept a mo-
ment outside, we are ushered into the
throne room. Stretching out his sacred
hand, he says: II have loved thee
with an everlasting love-" and we re-
spond: "Whom have l in heaven but
thee?" But, look! Yonder is the play
ground OF the children. Children do
not want throne. A throne would
not fit child There they are on the
Fairgrounds Of heaven-the children.
OUT OF THE SICK CRADLE
Of earth, they came into this romping
mirth of eternal Fairgrounds. l clap
my hands to cheer them in the glee.
Yonder are the palaces of the martyrs,
and before their doorway the flowers
crimson as the bloody martyrdoms
through which they waded up into
glory. Ycnder is Apostolic Row, and
the highest turret is over the home Of
Paul. Here is Evangelist Place. Yon-
der are the concert halls in which the
musicians of earth and heaven are TAX
ing Dart-Handel with organ and David
with harp and Gabriel with trumpet aud
four and twenty elders with voices.
And an angel Of God says to me:
where shall 1 take you? On what
street of heaven would you like to live?
What celestial habitation would you
like to occupy?' And l answer: Now
that | have got inside the wall made up
OF all manner OF precious stones, l do
not care where you put me. Just show
me where my departed loved ones are.
have seen the Lord and next
want to see them. But here are those
with whom l toiled in the Kingdom OF
God on earth. They are from old par
ishes at Bellevlle and Syracuse and
Brooklyn, and from many places on both
sides the sea where / have been per-
mitted to work with them and for them.
Give them the best places you can find.
l Will help steady them as they mount
the thrones. l will help you FURNISH
their coroneSs. Take these my old
friends 10 as good rooms as you can get
for them in the House OF Many Man
gions, and with windogs looking out
upon the Palace of the Great King. As
for myself, anywhere in heaven is good
enough for me. "Halleujah to the
Lamb that was slain" But l awake.
In the ecstacy OF the moment my foot
slipped from the layer OF amethyst, that
so-called producer Of dreams, and in
the effort to catch myself the vision
vanished. And To- it was but a dream!