Democratic messenger., 1894-02-10
A VISION OF HEAVEN.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S ELOQUENT SER
MON AT THE TABERNACLE.


and Describes What He Saw There Tho
Saints Who Are Great In Heaven Names
N"t In the Directory.
BROOKLYN, Feb. An the Brooklyn
Tabernacle this forenoon the hymns, tho
Scripture lesson and the prayers. as well
rs the sermon. were about the future
world more than about this world.
Rev. DIR. Talmage took for his subject
"A Vision of Heaven" the text being
Ezekiel i. |, Now it came 10 pass as
was among the captives by the river
of Chehar that the heavens We're opened
and saw visions of God
Expatriatcd and in far exile ON the
banks of the river Chcbar. an allluent
of the Euphrates. sat Ezekiel. II was
there he had an immortal dream. and 1t
is given 10 us in the Holy Scriptures.
He dreamed of Tyre and Egypt. He
dreamed of Christ and the coming
heaven. This exile seated by that river
Chebar had more wonderful dream
than you OF ever have had or ever will
have seated on the banks of tho Hudson
or Alabama or Oregon or Thames or Ii
ber or Danube.
But we all have had memorable
dreams. some of them when we were
half asleep and half awake. So that we
did not know whether they were horn
of shadow or sunlight. whether they
were thoughts let loose and disarrangcd
as in slumber. or the imagination of
faculties awake.
Such dream had this morning. II
was about half past ;. and the day was
breaking. 1t was dream of God, a
dream of heaven. Ezekiel had his dream
on the banks of tho Chebar; had my
dream not far from the banks of the
Hudson. The most of the stories of
heaven were written many centuries
ago. and they tell us how the place
looked then. or how it will look cen
turies ahead. Would you not like to
know how il looks now: That is what
am going Ia tell You. was there this
morning. have just got back. How
got into that city of the sun | know
not. Which of the IL gates entered is
Ia me uncertain. But my first remem-
hrance of the scene is that stood on
one of the main avenues. looking this
way and that. lost in raptures. and the
air So full of music and redolence and
laughter and light that 1 knew not
which street 10 take. when an angel of
God accosted me and offered To show
me the objects of greatest interest. and
TO conduct me from street Ia street, and
from mansion to mansion. and frcm tenn
pie TO temple, and from wall to wall.
said TO the angel, ''lIow long hast thou
been in heaven:' and the answer came.
'Thirty-two years according to the
earthly calendar.
There was a secret about this angel :
name that was not given me, hut from
the tenderness and sweetness and aifec-
tion and interest taken in my walk
through heaven. and more than all in
the fact of 33 years residence. the num-
ber of years since she assembled. think
it was my mother. Old age and decrep-
itude and the tired look were all gone,
but | think il was she. You see. was
only ON visit TO the city and had not
yet taken up residence. and could
know only in part.
THE CHURCH ~ HEAVEN.
1 looked i'm for few moments at the
great temple. Our brilliant and lovely
Scotch essayist, Mr.. Drummond. says
there is no church in heaven. hut he did
not look for it on the right street.
st. John was right when in his Patmos-
ic vision, recorded in the third chapter
of Revelation. lie speaks of the temple
of my God" ] saw il this morning the
largest church ever saw. as his as all
the churches and cathcdrals of tho earth
put together. and it WAS th:ungcd. oh,
what multitude! had never seen So
many people togct her. All III" audiences
Of all the churches of all the earth put
together would make poor attendance
compared with that assemblage. There
was fashion in attire and headdrcss
that Immediately took my attention.
The fashion was white. All in white.
save one. And the headdress was
garland of rose and lily and mignon-
cite. mingled with green leaves culled
from the royal gardens and bound to-
gether with bands of gold.
And saw some young men with a
ring ON the finger of the right hand and
said 10 my accompanying angel. why
those rings on the fingers of the right
hands," and | was told that those who
wore them were prodigal sons aud once
fed swine in the wilderness and lived
on husks. but they came home, and the
rejoicing father said. Put ring on
his hand. :"
But | said there was one exception to
this fashion of white pcrvading all the
auditorium and clear up through all the
galleries. IL was the attire of the one
who presided in that immense temple
the chicfcst. the mightiest. the loveliest
person in all the place. His cheeks
seemed to I've flushed with infinite beau
ty. and his forehead was Il morning sky.
and his lips were eloqucncc omniIotent.
But his attire was of deep colors They
suggested the carnage through which he
had passed. and said to my attending
angel. What Is that crimson robe that
he wears and | WAS told. They are
dyed garments from Bozrah and = lie
trod the wine press alone.
Soon after | entered this temple they
began Ia chant the celestial litany. 1t
was unlike anything had ever heard
for sweetness or power. and have heard
the mos. of the i:leat organs and the
most oi the great urat'ri,'s. ] said To
my accompany angel. Who is that
standing vunder with the harp" and
the answer WAS. "Davii"' And said.
Who is that sounding that trumpet
and the answer was. 'Gahlicl"' And |
SAID. WHO is that at the organ and
the answer WAS. Handel" And the
music rolled on till il came To- II doxnl
ogy extulling Christ himself. when all
the worshiprrs. lower down and higher
up. a Thousand galleries of them. snd-
q Quarter Century Test
For n quarter nf a century DIR Kin. \