Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-02-09

And there we met George W. Bethune OF
wondrous Brooklyn p3storate, ani1told him
OF how his comforting hymn hal been SUNG
nj obsequies all arouni the wOrl lit Is
Not Death to Die And Toplady came up
and asked about whether the church was
still making use OF his old hymn, Crock oil
Ages. Cleft For Me-" And we also met on
Song row Newton and Hastings AMI Mont
gomery and Horatio Bonar. and We hoari
floating from window to win low snatches o.
the old hymns wdichthey startsl on earth
AID started never to die.
"But, say some OF my hearers, "did you
SEQ anything OF our frien Is in heaven On.
yes, did. "Did YOU see my children there2
says some one, "and are there any marks OF
their last sickness still upon themY lid
see them, but there was no pallOr, no cough
no fever. no languOr. about them, They ar3
all well and rudy aud songfil and bound
ing with eternal mirth. They told me TO give
their love TO you that they thought OF you
hour by hour, and that when they could DO
excused from the heavenly Fairgrounds they
came down, AM hoverel over you. an /
kissed your cheek. AMI filled your dream
with their glad faces. and that they would be-
at the gate to greet you when you asceniei
to be with them forever.
"But." say other voices. "iid you see our
glori1ed friendsY" Yes. [ saw them. and
they are well in the land across which no
pneumonias or palses or dropsies Of typhoids
ever sweep. The aroma blows over from or.
cnarls with trees bearing twelve manner OF
fruits and gardens compared with which
Chatsworth is a desert. The climate is
mingling of an earthly June and October
the balU Of the one and the tonic OF the
other. The social life in that realm where
they are is superb and perfect. No contro-
versies or jealousies or hates, but love, uni
versal love. everlasting love. And they told
meto tell you not to weep for them, fortheir
happiness knows no bound, and it Is only 4
question Of time when you shall reign with
them in the same palace and Join with them
in the same exploration OF planets and the
same tour OF worlds.
But yonder in this assembly is an up
turned face that seems TO ask how about the
ages OF those in heaven. "DO my departed
children remain children, or have they lost
their childish vlyacity2 Do my departei
parents remain aged or have they lost tho
venerable out Of their nature?' Well, from
what saw l think childhood has advanced
to full maturity Of faculty, retaining all the
residence OF childhood, and that the aged
had retrcated to midliie, freed from all de-
cadence, but still retaining the charm OF tho
venerable In other words, It was fully de-
velOped and complete life OF all souls,
whether young or old.
Some one says. "Will you tell us what most
, impressed you in heayen?" will. l was
most impressed with the reversal OF earthly
conditions. | knew. OF course, that there
would DO differences Otattire AMI residence
in heaven, Tor Paul had declared long ago
that souls would then differ las one star diff
fered from another as Mars from Mercury,
rs saturn fromJupiter. But at every step in
1. L.. I I e.. eaIa
that some who were expected to be high in
heaven were low down, and some who wcrs
expected 10 be low down were high up. You
thought. for instance that those born OF
pious parentage, and OF naturally cool dis
position. and OF brilliant faculties. and OF all
STYLES Of attractiveness will move in the high
est range OF celestial 81 len1or AMI pomp.
No. no. | found the highest thrones, the
brightest cOrOnets. the richest mansions.
were occupied by those who had repro
bate father or bal mother, and who
inherited the twisted natures OF
ten generations OF miiscreants. and who
had compressed in their body all the de-
prayed appetftes and all evil propensities.
bat they laid hold of Gods arm. they cried
for especial mercy. they conquered seven
devils within and seventy devils without an
were washed in the blood OF the Lamb, AMI
by so much rs their contest was terrific AMI
awful ani pr0iX their victory Was consum-
mate and Respondent. and they have taken
Places immeasurably higher than those OF
good parentage, who could hardly help be-
ins good. because they had ten generations
OF preceding piety to aid them. Tne stops by
which many have mounted TO the hghest
places in heaven were made ont OF the crd-
dies OF corrupt parentage. When ! saw that.
| said 10 my attending angel 'Inat Is fair /,
that is right Tho har Ter the struggle the
more glorious the reward.
Then | pointed 10 ono Of the most colon
naded and granlly domcj residences in all
the city ami said. WHO lives there an
the answer was. The widow who gave two
mites" And who lives thereE AMI the
answer was, Tine p,nitant thief TO whom
Christ said. This day shalt thOI be with Nc
in paradise AMI who livss thereI L
said, and the answer was. the blind beggar
who prayed, Lord tha- ny eyes may bo
opened. ."
Some Of those professors OF religion who
were famous on earth / asked about but no
one could tell me anything concerning them.
Their names were not even in the city dir2,-
tory ofthe New Jerusalem. The fact is that !
suspected some Of them had not got there at
all. Many who had ten talents wero living
on tho back streets Of heaven, while many
with one talent hal residences fronting on
the Kings park ami q back lawn slo2ing 70
the river clear as crystal AMI the highest no.
bility OF heaven were guests at their table.
and often the white horse Of Him WAC "lath
the moon under His feet champst is bit at
their doorway. Infinite cap5iZs o. earthly
conditions All social life in heaven graded
according 10 earthly struggle AMI US .ain 30
as proportional to talents given
As [ walked through those streets ] APP
prccated for the first time what Paul said o.
Timothy, III we suffer, We shall also reign
with Him II surprised me beyond des'rip-
ton that all the great OF heaven W1ra great
| sufferers. Not ally' Yes, all. Moses nun
of tho Rcd Sea. great sufferer. David. him
OF Absalom's sunflial behavior, AMI Ahitho-
phcrs betrayal. and Nations dethronement.
a great sufferer. Ezekiel. him Of the captiy-
itv. who had the dream on tho banks OF tao
Cbebar a great sufferer. Paul, him oi thN
diseased eyes. and the Mediterranean ship
wreck. AMI the Mars Hill derlsion, an th1
Mamertine enlargement, and the wlipp'i
back, AMI the he1dsman'5 AK on the roli -
Ostis. great sufferer.
Yea, al the apostles after lives % Pr Term (:
died by violence. beaten 20 death with iuli-
cr's club. or dragged 90 death ly mons, or
| from the thrust OF q sword. or by exposure
on barren island. or by decaptation. All
the nlEN lIl I'D Ni'f4ht'N -INtst SUM ''t'
women moro than men. Felicitas and 81. g.
cola and 81. Agncs and St. Agatha and ST.
Lucia AMI women never hearl 81 OUT
| side their own ncishborhool. queens Of the
needle. AMI the broom. AMI the scruboin;
! brush. and the washtuh. AMI the dairy, r.
varied according to how we'll they did the.r
work. whether 10 set a ten table or govern
! Nation. whether empress or mtSmaid.
I could not get over IT. as in my dream
saw all this. and that some OF tho most I'M
! known OF earth were tho most famous IN
heaven and that many vino s'emed the great
est failures OF earth werc the greatest sue
cesses Of heaven. And as we passe a'onS
one Of the granlest bOulevar' 5 %! heaven
/ there approached usa group OF persons so
| radiant in counttnanco and apparel had To
shade nv eyes with both hands because l
| oould not endure the lus,cr, AMI / sail,
! CANCEL. do tell NO VINO they arey' an the
answer WAS. "Thesa are they VINO came ont
Of great tribulation and had their robes
washed and made white in the blool Oh the
! Lamb "
Nv walk through the city explained q
| thousand things on earth that had been 10
me inpxDlicable. When saw uD there the ST.
por.or delight AMI the superior heaven OF
many who had on earth had it hard with
cancers and bankruptcies and prosecutions
and trials OF all sorts. said. God has oqul' 70
lied il all at last excess OF cnchantment in
heaven has more than made mp for the de-
fcits on earth.