Connecticut western news., 1894-02-08

arm, they cried for especial mercy, they conquered seven devils within and sev- enty devils without and were washed in the blood of the Lamb, and by 20 much as their contest was terrific and awful and prolix their victory was consum- mate and resplendent, and they have taken places immeasurably higher than those of good parentage, who could hard ly help being good, because they had 10 generations of preceding piety to aid them. The steps by which many have mounted to the highest places in heaven were made out of the cradles of a cor rupt percentage. When I saw that, said to my attending angel: That is fair; that is right. The harder the struggle the more glorious the reward"
 Then pointed to one of the most col onnaded and grandly domed residences in all the city and said, "Who lives there?" and the answer was, ''The widow who gave two mites." "And who lives thereT' and the answer was, "The peni tent thief to whom Christ said, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. "And who lives there?" said, and the answer was, ''The blind beggar who prayed, Lord, that my eyes may be opened.'"
 NAMES NOT IN THE DIRECTORY. Some of those professors of religion who were famous on earth asked about, but no ope could tell me anything con- corning them. Their names were not even in the city directory of the New Jerusalem. The fact is that I suspected some of them had not got there at all. Many who had ten talents were living on the back streets of heaven, while many with one talent had residences fronting on the Kings park, and back lawn sloping to the river clear as crys- tal, and the highest nobility of heaven were guests at their table, and often the white horse of him who "hath the moon under his feet" champed its bit at their doorway. Infinite capsize of earthly conditionsl All social life in heaven graded according to earthly struggle and usefulness as proportioned to talents giveni
 As I walked through those streets ap- preciated for the first time what Paul said to Timothy, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" It surprised me beyond description that all the great of heaven were great sufferers. Mot allY' Yes, all. Moses, him of the Red sea, a great sufferer. David, him of Absalom's unfilial behavior, and Ahithophel's be- trayal, and nations dethronement, 8 great sufferer. Ezekiel, him of the cap tivity, who had the dream on the banks of the Chebar, great sufferer. Paul, him of the diseased eyes, and the Medi- II La derision, and the Mamertine endungeon- ment, and the whipped back, and the headman's ax on the road to Ostia, a great sufferer Yea, all the apostles after lives of suf- fering died by violence, beaten to death | with fuller's club, or dragged to death by nobs, or from the thrust of sword, or l by exposure on a barren island, or by decapitation. All the high up in heaven great sufferers, and women moro than
 men, Feicitas and St. Cecelia and St. Agnes and St. Agatha and St. Lucia and women never heard of outside their own neighborhood, queens of the needle, and
 the broom. and the scrubbing brush, and cording to how well they did their work, whether to set tea table or govern nation, whether empress or milkmaid. I could not get over it, as in my dream I saw all this, and that some of the most unknown of earth were the most famous in heaven and that many who seemed the greatest failures of
 earth were the greatest successes of heaven. And as we passed along one of the grandest boulevards of heaven there approached us group of persons so | radiant in 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 areg" and 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 LambI'
 EQUALIZED AT LAST.
 My walk through the city explained 8
 thousand things on earth that had been
 the superior delight and 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 capitalized it all at last;
 excess of enchantment in heaven has more than made up for the deficits on 1 earth"
 "But," said to my angelic escort, "I must go now. It is Sabbath morning on
 earth, and I must preach today and be
 in my pulpit by half past 10 o'clock. | Goodby." said to the attending angel
 Thanks for what you have shown me.
 I know I have seen only in part, but I
 hope to return again, through the aton-
 ing mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ Goodby."
 Then passed on amid chariots of sal
 vation, and along by conquerers' thrones,
 and amid pillared majesties, and by win | dows of agate, and under arches that had
 been hoisted for returned victors. And
 as I came toward the walls with the
 gates, the walls flashed upon me with
 emeralds and sapphires and chrysoprases
 and amethysts, until I trembled under
 the glory, and then I heard bolt shove,
 and latch lift, and gate swing, and
 they were all of pearl, and passed out
 loaded with raptures, and down by
 worlds lower and lower, and lower still,
 until came within sight of the city of | cdA tuly EColucnCC, dnu
 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 was and what had seen l 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
 after being cut to pieces; they drink wine
 out of the skulls of their enemies. The
 Moslem heaven as described by the Ko-
 ran: "There shall be 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,
 and then climbs asteep mountain, on the
 top of which is paradise. The Tasms-
 nian's heaven: A spear is placed by the
 dead, that they may have something to | fiOht with and after oubi1a tbay r,r> ;rf<