The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-03-31

dences ii all the city and sid: ssVhc
lives here?" and the answer was, The
widow who gave two mites, And
who lives therc?" and the answer was,
1.-THE penitent 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. :"
Some of those professors of religion
who were famous on earth asked
about, but no one could tell anything
concerning them. Their names were
not even in the city directory of the
New Jerusalem. The fact is that
/ 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 a back lawn
sloping to the river clear as crystal,
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 conditions! All social life id
Heaven graded according to earthly
struggle and usefulness as proper toned
to talents given!
Ny walk through the city explained
thousand things on earth that had
been to me inexplicable. When I saw
up there the superior delight and the
superior. Heaven of many who had on
earth had 1t hard with cancers, and
bankruptcies, and prosecutions, and
trials of all sorts, l said: God has
equalized it all at last; excess of en-
chantment in Heaven has more than
made up for the deficits on earth"
Then I passed on amid chariots Of
salvation. and along by conquerors'
thrones, and amid pillared majesties.
and by windows of agate, and under
arches that had. been hoisted for re-
| turned victors And as came toward
the walls with gates, the walls flashed
upon me with emeralds, and sapphires
and chrvsoprases and amethysts, un-
til / trembled under the glory,
and then l heard bolt shove, and
a 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 my earthly residence, and un.
til 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. awoke.
! Reflection the first: The superiority
of our Heaven to all other heavens.
The Scandinavian Heaven; The de-
parted arc in everlasting battle, ex'
cept as restored after being cut to
pieces, they drank wine out of the
skulls of their enemies. The Moslem
Heaven as described by the Koran:
There shall be houris with large
black eyes like pearls hidden in their
Shells The Slav's Heaven: After
death the soul hovers six weeks about
| the body, and then climbs steer
mountain. on the top of which is Para
disc. The Tasmanian's Heaven: A
spear is placed by the dead, that they
may have something to fight with, and
after awhile they go into long chase
for game of all sorts. The Tahitian''
Heaven: The departed are eaten NJ
of the gods. The native Afri
can Heaven: A land of shadows
and in speaking Of the departed
they say, all is done forever
The American aborigine's Heaven
Happy hunting grounds, to which thu
soul goes on a bridge of snakes Thu
philosophers Heaven, made of /
! thick fog or an infinite don't know
But harkenl and behold our Heaven
which though mostly described b,
figures of speech in the Bible ant
bv parable OF a dream in thi
discourse, has for its chief charac
teristics separation from all that j
J vile; absence from all that can discom
fort; presence of all that can gratulate
! No mountains to climb, no chasms t
bridge, no night to illumine, no tear
to wipe. scandinavian Heaven, Slav'
Heaven, Tasmanian Heaven, Tahi
, tian Heaven, African Heaven, aborig
ines Heaven scattered into tamenes
, and disgust by a glimpse of ST. john
Heaven, of Paul's Heaven. of Christ
J Heaven, of your Heaven, of my HEAVIER
Reflection the second: You had bel
ter take patiently and cheerfully a.
pangs, affronts, hardships, persecution
and trials of earth, since if right
! borne they insure heavenly payment
of ecstasy. Every twinge of ply
, ical distress, every lie told abou
you, every earthly subtraction,
! meekly borne, will be heavenl
4 addition. If you want to amount
4 anything in Heaven and to move in Il
I, best society you must be "perfecte
t through suffering" The only earthl
e currency worth anything at the gal
0 of Heaven is the silver of tears.
t the top of all Heaven sits the creates
:, sufferer, Christ of the Bethlehem ca
: avansary, and of Pilates Oyer an
r Terminer, and of the Calvarean ASA
sination.
What He endured. oh. who can tell?
v To save our souls from death and hell.
Fl Oh, We of the broken heart, and Il
(, disappointed ambition, and the sha
d tered fortune, and the blighted lif
e take comfort from what saw in n
d Sabbath morning dream.
Reflection the third and last: Ho
e desirable that we all get there! Sta