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

HEAVENS BEGINNING.
MISCONCEPTIONS AND PROBABILITIES
AS TO THE FUTURE STATE.
A Sermon by Rev. j. B. Hawthorne at the
First Baptist Church In Atlanta-What
the Bible and Reason Teach-Diferent
Notions.Tha Prevail.
II 1 go and prepare place for you. viii
come again and receive you unto myself. that
where lam ye may be also.-John xiv, 8
These were the comforting words
which Jesus spoke to his disciples just
before his crucifxion. To those who
had journeyed with him through the
years of his earthly ministry, and who
had received his saving grace and expe-
rienced the blessedness Of the closest
communion with him, he was the dear
est object in the universe. The thought
of separation from him was almost un-
endurable. extinguished their fond
est hopes and filed their hearts with
the loneliess anguish. AS his presence
had made their highest joy, the loss of
It would make their bitterest grief.
Knowing this, loving them with the
tenderest affection and moved with the
profoundest pity for their sorrow, he
assured them that he would provide fol
the qualification of their supreme de-
sire. II will come again and receive
you unto myself, that where / am ye
may be alsc. "
An impressive feature of divine reve-
lation is the lack of particularly In
reference to the future state. It gives
us sonly the outlines of the great unseen.
It assures us that another and an end
less state Of being will succeed the pres
ent. It teaches us that on the threshold
of that other life there is judgment,
and that in that judgment there is a
separation of the righteous from the
wicked, the former going away into
everlasting blessedness and the latter
into everlasting punishment. It tells
us that the presence and love of Christ
will make the eternal felicity of one
class, and the absence of it the eternal
wretchedness of the other. These are
the eternal verities which revelation
has placed beyond the realm of doubt
and speculation. These are the out
lines of the world to come. AS to what
lies between them we are at liberty to
exercise our reason and Imagination.
THE REAL HEAVEN.
Men who not only believe heaven to
be reality, but cherish the hope that
it will be their final and eternal home,
can scarcely avoid discussing many
questions ABOUT it upon which revela-
ton is silent. They desire to know
where heaven is. Is it one Of the lar
ger planets of our solar system? Is it in
the dim farof milky way? Or is it the
great central orb of the universe: They
desire to know what heaven is. What
does it look like? What object within
the range Of mortal ken does it resemble?
What shall we do in heaven? What un-
dertakings shall engage our enlarged
and unfette7ed faculties? What will
come in to satisfy our desire and need
of activity when we are forever beyond
the realm of earthly pursuits? With
whom shall we keep company there?
What language shall we speaks What
music shall we sing? What raiment
shall we wear? How much of what we
know and feel and enjoy in this life
can we carry over into that other life?
We cannot take our houses and lands
and money. Our sersuous pleasures,
our social distinctions and our political
Offices and honors must be left behind.
But may we carry with us the inno-
cent loves and pure friendships which
we cherish here: Will the genius and
knowledge and skill Of the painter. and
of the musician, and of the poet, and
Of the orator be transferred to the next
life and the next world?
The absence of light upon these sub
iects does not distress the intelligent
Christian. Having Christ as his ever
lasting portion and companion, he is
confident that no element of blessedness
will be left out of his heavenly inherit
ance. If we have received Christ as
our Saviour; il we have seen him as our
substitute under divine law, bearing
our sins in his own body on the tree;
if we have felt the transforming power
Of his grace making Us new creatures
In him; if we have received the spirit
of adoption. and as loving, confding
children lean on his breast, look up in
to his sweet, benignant face and bask in
his smile, we realize that heaven is
simply to be with him forever.
Where am ye may be Also We
are with him here and now, but in
the next life we shall be with him in
a deeper and larger sense. There we
shall have clearer sight of him,
closer communion with him and
more perfect knowledge of every at
tribute of his being and of every ele-
ment of his history and work than it
is possible for us to have in this life,
where, even in our moments of highest
e1altation and rapture, we see only