The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-02-21
ttRnt naid 70 INV anoalic eacnrf ST |

But said l to my anRellc eScOrt, Il
must 60 now. 1t is Sabbath morning on
earth, and I must preach to-day and be In my
pulpit by half past 10 o'clock. od-by,"' I
what you have shown me. know have
seen only in part, but hope to return again.
through the atoning mercy OF our Lord Jesus
Christ. Good-by."
Then passed on amid cheriots Of saliva
lion, and along by conquerors thrones. and
amid pillared majesties, and by windows OF
agate and under arches that had been hoist
sd for returned victors. And az L came
toward the walls with the gates. the walls
dashed upon me with emeralds and sapphires
and chrysoprases and amethysts, until I
trembled under the glory, and then heard
a bolt shove, and latch lift. and g. gate
swing and they were all Of pearl. and I
passed out 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
80 strong upon my pillow that my eyelids
felt it, and In bewilderment as to where
was and what had seen I awoke.
Reflection the First-The superiority OF our
heaven to all other heavens. The Scandina-
vian heaven: The departed are iE everlast-
ing 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 Koran There shall be
houris with large black eyes likes pearls hid
den in their shells" The Slav's heaven !:
After death the soul hovers six weeks about
the body, and then climbs q steep. mountain.
on the top of which is paradise. The Tasma-
MAS heaven A spear Is placed by the dead.
that they may have something to fight with,
and after awhile they 60 into long chase
for game Of all sorts. The Tahittan's heaven
The departed are eating up OF the gods. The
native African heaven A land OF shadows,
and in speaking of the departed they say all
is done for ever The American aborigines
heaven Happy hunting grounds, to which
the soul goes on a bridge OF snake. The
philosophers heaven Made out OF tn OK
fog or an infinite don't know. But hearken
and behold our heaven, which, though mostly
described by figures OF speech In the Bible
and by parable of dream In this discourse,
has for its chief characteristics separation
from all that is vlle absence from all that
can discomfort presence of all that can con-
pratulste. No mountains to climb no chasms
10 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 disgust by q glimpse OF st.
Johns heaven, of Paul's heaven, OF Christs
baaven, OF your heaven, OF my heaven!
Reflection the Second-You had better take
patiently and cheeriully all pangs, affronts,
bardships, prosecutions and trials OF earth,
since. il rightly borne, they insure heavenly
payments of ecstasy. Every twlnge Of phys
tcal distress, every lie told about you, every
earthly subtraction, If meekly borne, will be
heavenly addition. II you want to amount
TO ANYTHING in heaven and to movein Its best
society, you must be "perfected through SUI
fering." The only earthly currency worth
anything at the gate Of heaven ts the silver
Of tears. At the top OF all heaven SITS the
greatest sufferer, Christ OF the Betnlenem
Ssrayansary and OF Pilates oyer and term
iuer and of the Calyarean ASSASSINATION.
What He endured, oh, who can tell
To save our souls from death and hellf
oh, ye of the broken heart, and the dtssp-
pointed ambition, and the shattered fortune,
and the blighted life, take comfort from
what saw In my Sabbath morning dean!
Reflection the Third and Lsst-How de-
siruble that we all get there! Start this
moment with prayer and penitence and faith
In Christ, who came from heaven to earth
to take us from earth to heaven.
Last summer, q year ago, preached one
Sabbath afternoon In Hyde PARK, London, to
a great multitude that no man couldnumber.
But I heard nothing from 1t until few
weeks ago, when Rev. Mr.. Cook, who for
twenty-five years has presided over that
Hyde Park outdoor meeting, told me that
last winter, going through hospital in Lon
don, he saw dying man whose face bright
ened as he told him that his heart was
changed that afternoon under my sermon In
HYDE Park, and al was bright now at his
departure from earth to heaven.
Why may not the Lord bless this as well as
thatp Heaven as I dreamed about It, and as
I read about it. is 80 benign realm you can
not any Of you afford to miss 1t. on, will 1t
not be etrauscendently glorious after the strug-
gle of this life is over to stand 1t In that eter-
nal safety? Samuel Rutherford, though they
yiciously burned his books and unjustly ar
rested him for treason, wrote OF that oeles-
tial spectacle
The King there In His beauty,
Without a veil, Is seen;
Il were q we'll speut journey,
Though seven deaths lay between
The Lamb with HIS fair army
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In ImmanueI9 land.