Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-11-24
Heavenly Recognition
and Reunion.
TEXT:-JoHN IL: 1-3.
Ely REV. WIN. GERHARDT, D. D.

TExT:-JoHN Ii: 1-3.
"Let not your hearts be troubled; ye be-
lieve in God, believe also in Me. In NV
Fathers house are many mansions; if it
Were not SO, would have told you. go
to prepare place for you. And If / go
and prepare place for you, will come
again, and receive you unto Myself, that
where am. there may ye be also.''
The text, as addressed by Jesus
to his disciples, is in its language at
once comforting and coasol. cg, and
touching to deg ee. He had given
his disciples to understand ia pa
thetic language that he was not only
about 70 leave them, but TO Iea we
them under the most dis. "ess ng cir-
camstances,-under cloud Of suf-
fering. They must shortly see him
deserted by some OF his friends, load.
ed with rep-oaches, barbarously abus-
ed and then put to death by his enc
mics. We may we'll imagine how the
disciples were affected by this an
nouncement. They were troubled, -
intensely sad. The Saviour seeing
and feeling this,in most gentle. touch.
ing, but assuring words. uttered the
words of the text.
These blessed words come to as
just as assuripglv when our dear
ones in the Lord are taken from Us
by death. Indeed, it is natural for
US at the death of our beloved ones
to cherish The fond hope of seeing
them again and recognizing them in
better world that world where
golden stars spanale in the celestial
canopy, and where stand those hear.
emily mansions, mot made with hands,
eternal in The heavens"
Loved ones are gone before,
Whose pilgrim days are done;
soon shall greet thee on that shore,
Where partings are unknown"
We will consider.
], The Subjects. II, The Nature.
Ill, The Ground. ", The Bless
ings OF this Recognition a Dire iop.
I. THE SUBJECTS, OR, WHO WILL MEET
THEIR FRIENDS IN HEAVEN.
1t is evident from Gods word, as
well as the nature of things, that this
is limited to two classes. First and
foremost are the children, of whose
fitness for heaven there can be no
question. When they die they die
in their innocency. They have
committed no actual sin, and hence
they are not accountable. Many
thousands of these pass away an.
nually. They are quietly and peace
fully translated into heaven. These
flowers of the family are only trans
planted by our Heavenly Father in
to Paradise, his celestial garden, to
bloom forever there, and there the
sorrowing christian parents, BROTH
ers and sisters will meet aud know
them. The other class that will find
admittance to that eternal home and
the society of dear ones gone before,
are the children Of God, who have
kept the faith and fought the good
fight, and with all the ransomed ones
in heaven are forever basking in the
sunshine of Gods favor and love.
tits evident, therefore, and fix
ed fact, both according to reason and
revelation, that these two classes
will meet each other and all those
gone before them in heaven, and we
may reasonably conclude that they
will know each other there in the
city of our God, under the palms of
Paradise and in the presence of the
all-glorious and ALLOWING Heavenly
Father and His Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, where all the redeemed will
forever praise God in his holiness,
and in unison make heaven resound
with the "songs OF Moses and the
Lamb"
III. THE NATURE, Or, THE LOCALITY AND
CHARACTER OF THIS RECOGNITION
AND REUNION.
Much of this is involved in mys.
terry. 1t is question of great mo-
ment and the subject is one of SER
ious import and interest to the liv-
ing, and cannot but often engage
their attention and concern while
pilgrims upon earth. But our short
sighted reason and feeble efforts are
unable to uHravel the mystery Nor
do the scriptures afford in positive
terms a solution of the question; and
if they did reveal it as it is, it is not
likely that the human mind would
be able TO comprehend and grasp it.
Besides, it is not essential to saliva
ton, however gratifying a mere
/ glimpse of heaven would be TO the soul
while yet in the body.
While the scriptures do not state,
in so many words, that there will be
| q RECOGNITION of frinnde IN hoavan