Democratic messenger., 1894-02-10

the grandest boulevards Of heaven ther,
approached us group Of persons Sc
radiant ncountenance and apparel had
to shade my eyes with both hands be
cause could not endure the luster. and
SAID, Angel. do tell me who they are?'
AMI the answer was. These are they
who came out of great tribulation and
had their robes washed and made white
in the blood of the Lamb
EQCALIZED AT LAST.
My walk through the city explained q
thousand things ON earth that had been
to me incxplicable. When saw up ther.
the superior delight and the superior
heaven Of many who had on earth had
il hard with cancers and bankruptcies
and prosecutions and trials of all sorts
said. God has equalized it all at last
excess of enchantmcnt in heaven has
more than made up for the deficits on
earth
But" said | to my angelic escort. 81
must go now. 1t is Sabbath morning on
earth. and | must preach today and be
in my pulpit by half past 10 o'clock
Go"dby.' said to the attending angel.
Thanks for what you have shown me.
| know | have seen only in part. but
hope 10 return again. through the atom
ing mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Goodby."
Then passed on amid chariots Of sal.
walton, and along by conquerers' thrones,
and amid pillared maicsties. and by win
1ows Of agate. aud under arches that had
been hoisied for returned victors. And
as ! came toward the walls with the
gates. the walls flashed upon me with
emeralds and sapphires and chrysoprases
and amethysts, until trembled under
the glory, and then heard a bolt shove,
and latch lift. and gate swing. and
they We're all of pearl, and passed ont
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 50 strong upon my pillow that
my eyeli,ls felt it. and in bewilicrment
as to where was and what had seen
awoke.
Reflection the First -Thesuperiorityo OF
our heaven To all other heavens. The
Scandinavian heaven: The departed are
in everlasting battle. except as restored
after being cut topieces; they drink wine
ont Of the skulls of their enemies. The
Moslem heaven as described by the Ko-
ran: There shall he houris with large
black eyes likes pearls hidden in their
shells" The Slav's heaven: After death
/ the soul hovers six weeks about the body,
ami then climbs asteep mountain. on the
/ top of which is paradise. The Tasma-
MANS heaven: a spear is placed by the
dead. that they NAV have something to
fight with. and after awhile they go into
a long chase for game of all sorts. The
Tahtian's heaven: The departed are eat
en- MP of the gods. The native African
/ heaven A land If 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 Il bridge of snake. The
philosophers heaven: Made ont of a
thick fog or an infinite don't know.
/ But hcarken. and behold our heaven,
/ which. though mostly described by fig
ures of speech i'll the Bible and by para
! BILE of a dream in this discourse. has for
/ its chief characteristics separation from
all that is vile; absence from all that can
discomfort: presence Of all that can gratli-
/ late. No mountains To climb no chasms
/ to bridge; no night TO illumine: no tears
/ to wipe. Scandinavian heaven, Slav's
/ heaven. Tasmanian heaven. Tahitian
heaven. African heaven. aborigines
/ heaven. scattered into tameness and dis.
| gust by glimpse of st. Johns heaven,
of Paul's heaven, of Christs heaven, OF
your heaven. Of my heaven.
THE SILVER OF TEARS.
Reflection the Secund-You had better
take patiently and cheerfully all pangs,
aifronts, hartships, 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.
tion II meekly borne. will he heavenly
addition. If you want to amount to any
thing in heaven and To move in its best
] society. you must he 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 over and terminer. and of the
Calvarean assassination.
What he endured. oh. who can tell.
/ To savc"ur souls from death and hell?
| Oh. We Of the broken heart, and the dis
| 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 pcnitence and
/ faith in Christ, who came from heaven
To earth To take us from earth 10 heaven.
Last summer. a year ago. preached
one sabbath afternoon III Hyde Park,
London. to great multitude that no man
from il until few weeks ago. when
Rev. Mr.. Cook. who for IL years has pre-
sided over that Hyde Park outdoor meet
| ing. told me that last winter going
| through Il hospital in London. he saw a
diving man whose face frightened as he
told him that his heart was changed that
afternoon under my sermon in Hyde
Park. and all was bright now at his de-
/ parture from earth To heaven.
! Why may not the Lord bless this as
we'll as that: Heaven as dreamed about
| il, and as | read about il. is so benign q
realm You cannot any of you afford TO
miss il. oh. viii it not be iranscendent-
~ 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 n veil. is seen:
I; were well spent journey.
Though seven deaths lay between.
The Lamb with lis fair army
Doth On Mount Zion stand.