The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-02-09
A VISION OF HEAVEN.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S ELOQUENT SER
MON AT THE TABERNACLE.

Not In the Directory.
BROOKLYN, Feb. Am the Brooklyn
Tabernacle this forenoon the hymns, the
Scripture lesson and the prayers, as well
AS the sermon, were about the future
world more than about this world.
Rev. DR.. Talmage took for his subject
"a Vision of Heaven" the text being
Ezekiel i, 1, Nov it came to pass as
was among the captives by the river
of Chebar that the heavens were opened
and I saw visions of God"
Expatriated and in far exile on the
banks of the river Chebar, an aff1uent
of the Euphrates, sat Ezekiel. 1t was
there he had an immortal dream, and it
is given to us in the Holy Scriptures.
He dreamed Of Tyre and Egypt. He
dreamed of Christ and the coming
heaven. This exile seated by that river
Chebar had a more wonderful dream
than you or ever have had or ever will
have seated on the banks of the Hudson
or Alabama or Oregon or Thames or I'll
Der or Danube.
But we all have had memorable
dreams, some of them when we were
half asleep and half awake, so that we
did not know whether they were born
of shadow or sunlight, whether they
were thoughts let loose and disarranged
as in slumber, or the imagination of
faculties awake.
Such dream had this morning. 1t
was about half past 8, and the day was
breaking. 1t was a dream of God,
dream of heaven. Ezekiel had his dream
on the banks of the Chebar; had my
dream not far from the banks Of the
Hudson. The most of the stories of
heaven were written many centuries
ago, and they tell us how the place
looked then, or how it will look CEN
turies ahead. Would you not like to
know how it looks now? That is what
am going to tell you. was there this
morning. | have just got back. How
got into that city of the sun I know
not. Which Of the 12 gates l entered is
to me uncertain. But my first remem-
brance of the scene is that | stood on
one of the main avenues, looking this
way and that, lost in raptures and the
air so full of music and redolence and
laughter and light that [ knew not
which street to take, when an angel of
God accosted me and offered to show
me the objects Of greatest interest, and
to conduct me from street to street, and |
from mansion to mansion, and from tenn
pie to temple, and from wall to wall. | |
said to the angel, elbow long hast thou
been in heaven" and the answer came,
'Thirty-two years according to the
earthly calendar. -
There was secret about this angels
name that was not given me, but from
We tenderness and sweetness and affec-
ION and Interest taken in my walk
through heaven, and more than all in
he fact of 80 years residence, the num-
Der of years since she assembled, think
it was my mother. Old age and decrep-
ltude and the tired look were all gone,
but | think it was she. You see, was
only on visit to the city and had not
yet taken up residence, and l could
know only in part.
THE CHURCH IN HEAVEN.
| looked in for few moments at the
yreat temple. Our brilliant and lovely
scotch essayist, Mr.. Drummond, says
here is no church in heaven, but he did
lot look for it on the right street
It. John was right when in his Patmos-
C vision, recorded in the third chapter
# Revelation, he speaks of 1.-THE temple
# my God" l saw it this morning, the
argest church l ever saw, as big as all
he churches and cathedrals of the earth
nut together, and it was thronged. Oh,
What a multitude! l had never seen so
many people together. All the audiences
all the churches of all the earth put
ogether would make poor attendance
with that assemblage. There
vas a fashion in attire and headdress {
hat Immediately took my attention.
he fashion was white. All in white,
ave one. And the headdress was a '
arland of rose and lily and mignon- {
tie, mingled with green leaves culled s
rom the royal gardens and bound to- i
ether with bands of gold. /
And l saw some young men with a s
ing on the finger of the right hand and '
hid to my accompanying angel, why r
hose rings ON the fingers of the right a
ands?" and 1 was told that those who 4
ore them were prodigal sons and once o
ID swine in the wilderness and lived b
q husks, but they came home, and the ''
,joicing father said, Put a ring on a
is hand" L
But said there was one exception to
lis fashion of white pervading all the d
and clear up through all the a
,lleries. 1t was the attire of the one b
no presided in that immense temple a
10 chiefest, the mightiest, the loveliest I
,rson in all the place. His cheeks
emed to be flushed with infinite beau il
:, and his forehead was a morning sky, G
I'd his lips were eloquence omnipotent. rC
ut his attire was of deep colors. They g
ggested the carnage through which he h
ID passed, and said to my attending 81
gel, what is that crimson robe that 81
wears?" and l was told, They are
ed garments from Bozrah, and HE 81
cd the wine press alone" h
Soon after 1 entered this temple they m
4. Il