The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-02-14

| me forever from my Iatner, or my
mother, or my wife, or my child?" All
such problems will dissolve and disap-
pear in the inefable light of Christ's
visible presence. To have Christ as
our everlasting portion is to have every
element Of happiness.
This doctrine makes large room for
the differing notions that men have
about heaven and their differing de-
grees of sensibility to the next world. l
find some Christians who have such
constant and blessed fellowship with Je-
sus here, and who are so busy with the
Christian duties of this life, that they
are but little inclined to think about
heaven. The most godly, active, hum
BILE, self denying Christian that I know
today is woman who, during an IN
innate acquaintance of many years, has
scarcely spoken to ne about what is to
come after death. She so enjoys the
Master here, and mind and hands and
heart are SO constantly and earnestly
engaged in his work in this lower world,
that she has but little opportunity or
inclination to think of what her state
will be in the world above. Other true
and faithful Christians derive most of
their comfort and happiness and most
of their Inspiration for duty from
thinking of the glory that shall be re-
vealed to them when mortality is swal-
lowed up of life and their feet tread
the crystal pavement of the eternal city.
Some of Gods people cling to one as
pect Of the heavenly state and some to
another What feature is most pleas
ing, inspiring and comforting to us is
determined largely by our present tenn
permanent, condition and environment.
If believer is having lifelong strug-
gle with poverty, it will be a sweet
consolation to him to think of an eter-
nal residence in country of plenty,
and where he will never again have to
grapple with such questions as: What
shall I eat? What shall drink, and
wherewithal shall be clothed?" A
Christian woman, wasting away under
long and painful illness, pointed with
skeleton hand to the sky and said,
''There shall be we'll.
DESIRE AND HOPE.
Southey was wont to speak Of heaven
as the home Of sanctiied genius, where
gifted spirits hold exalted fellowship.
He longed to see and converse with
Shakespeare, Dante and Chaucer. The
ruling aspiration Of John Foster was to
explore the secrets Of the spiritual uni
verse. His sublime soul was restive
under the limitations Of the present life.
It was like courser painting to leap
the barrier; like an eagle dragging at
it's chain, beating the bars of its prison
and longing to soar above the clouds.
He thought of heaven as place that
will give free and ample scope to his
truth seeking and wonder loving spirit.
Take the Christian to whom home and
family are very dear, and who, when
far away in strange land or on trou-
bled sea, is accustomed to sit alone in
the twilight and sing ''Home, home,
sweet, sweet home! Be it ever so hum
BILE. there's no place like home!' and
you will find that his fondest concep-
tion of heaven is that it is for those
who have been exiles, strangers and pill
grims here, 8 home of infinite rest.
God has planted in my own breast an
almost bcundless admiration for hero
ism-especially moral heroism. My
favorite study has been the biographies
Of heroes. In selecting men to be my
companions 1 look first for courage
courage to know and speak and act the
truth. In a world Of trimmers and
time servers and place seekers and
moral towards my heart bounds with
ecstatic Joy when find man who
holds himself immeasurably above the
dastardly principle that I've must do
in Rome what Romans do. Having
this intense admiration for courage and
this passionate fondness for brave men,
it is feast to my soul to think Of heav-
en- as the gathering place of Gods he
roes. And no intelligent Christian can
read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews
and John S escription of the glorifed
martyrs without admitting that this
conception is true. I want to see brave
old Noah. who for more than 100 years
withstood the ridicule Of the whole
world. want to see Moses, who had
the sublime courage to step down from
the wealth ard splendor and power of
prince-an belr apparent to the throne
Of Egypt-and identify himself with the
afflicted and enslaved people of God. !
want to see those apostles who, when
sentenced to be whipped and threat
ened with death, stood before the court
which condemned them and said, 1--WE
will obey God rather than men. . l
want to see Paul, whom neither bonds
nor imprisonments nor stripes, nor the
fury of mebs, nor the wrath of kings,
could conquer. want to see Polycarp,
who could not be constrained even by
the torture Of flames to deny Christ. l
want to see Martin Luther, who faced
the wicked vengeance of papal Rome
without a tremor l want to see the
old Bedford Baptist John Bunyan, who
would lie in Jail It'll 4loss grew over