Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-02-10
and amethysts. until trembled under

and amethysts, until 1 trembled under
the glory, and then heard a bolt shove,
and latch lift, and gate swing, and
they were all of pearl, and I passed out
loaded with raptures, and down by
worlds lower and lower, and lower still,
until came within sight of the city of
my earthly residence, and until through
the window of my earthly home the sun
poured so strong upon my pillow that
my eyelids felt it, and in bewilderment
as to where I was and what had seen
awoke.
Reflection the First-The superiority of
our heaven to all other heavens. The
Scandinavian heaven: The departed are
in everlasting battle, except as restored
sfter being cut topieces; they drink wine
out of the skulls Of their enemies. The
Moslem heaven as described by the Ko-
ran: "There shall be hours with large
black eyes likes pearls hidden in their
shells" The Slav's heaven: After death
the soul movers six weeks about the body,
and then climbs asteep mountain, on the
top of which is paradise. The Tasma-
MANS heaven: A spear is placed by the
dead, that they may have something to
fight with, and after awhile they 80 into
a long chase for game of all sorts. The
Tahitian's heaven: The departed are eat
en- up of the gods. The native African
heaven: A land of shadows, and in speak
ing of the departed they say all is done
forever. The American aborigine's heav-
en-: Happy hunting grounds, to which
the soul goes on bridge of snake. The
philosophers heaven; Made out of
thick fog or an infinite don't know.
But hearken, and behold our heaven,
which, though mostly described by fig
ures of speech in the Bible and by para
BILE of q dream in this discourse, has for
it's chief characteristics separation from
all that is vile; absence from all that can
discomfort; presence of all that can gratu-
late. No mountains to climb; no chasms
to bridge; no night to illumine; no tears
to wipe. Scandinavian heaven, Slavs
heaven, Tasmanian heaven, Tahitian
heaven, African heaven, aborigines'
heaven, scattered into tameness and dis
gust by IL glimpse of st. Johns heaven,
of Paul's heaven, of Christ's heaven, of
your heaven, of my heaven!
THE SILVER OF TEARS.
Reflection the Second-You had better
take patiently and cheerfully all pangs
affronts. hardships, prosecutions and tri-
ais Of earth, since, if rightly borne, they
insure heavenly payments of ecstasy.
Every twinge of physical distress, every
lie told about you, every earthly subtrac-
ton, if meekly borne, will be heavenly
addition. IF you want to amount to any
thing in heaven and to move in its best
society, you must be perfected through
suffering" The only earthly currency
worth anything at the gate of heaven is
the silver of tears. At the top of all
heaven sits the greatest sufferer, Christ
of the Bethlehem caravansary and Of
Pilates oyer and terminer, and of the
Calvarean assassination.
What he endured, oh, who can tell.
To save our souls from death and hell?
Oh, we of the broken heart, and the disc
appointed ambition, and the shattered
fortune, and the blighted life, take COM
fort from what saw in my Sabbath
morning dream!
Reflection the Third and Last-How
desirable that we all get there! Start this
moment with prayer and penitence and
faith in Christ, who came from heaven
to earth to take US from earth to heaven.
Last summer, a year ago, preached
one Sabbath afternoon in Hyde Park,
London, to q great multitude that no man
could number. But heard nothing
from it until a few weeks ago, when
Rev. Mr.. Cook, who for % years has pre-
sided over that Hyde Park outdoor meet
ing, told me that last winter, going
through hospital in London, he saw a
dying man whose face frightened as he
told him that his heart was changed that
afternoon under my sermon in Hyd
Park, and all was bright now at his de-
parture from earth to heaven.
Why may not the Lord bless this as
well as that? Heaven as dreamed about
it, and as l read about it, is so benign a
realm you cannot any of you afford to
miss it. Oh, will it not be transcendent-
ly glorious after the struggle of this life
is over to stand in that eternal safety?
Samuel Rutherford, though they vicious
ly burned his books and unjustly arrest
ed him for treason, wrote of that celes-
tial spectacle:
The King there in his beauty,
Without a veil, is seen;
II were well spent journey,
Though seven deaths lay between.
The Lamb with his fair army
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
j. And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immnnuel's land.