Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-02-16
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: GA Vision of Heaven. :"

Expatriated and in far exile on tho banks
| OF the river Chebar, an affiuent OF the Eu-
I pirates, sat Ezekiel. 1t was there he had an
Imnorta! dream, and it is given to Us in the
10Y scriptures He dreamed of Tyre and
Egypt' He dreamed of Christ and the com
ing heaven. This exile, seated bv that river
CheDar, had more wonderful dream than
you or ever have had or ever will have
seF'teh on the banks of the Hudson or Ala
/ Danube
But we all have had memorable dream.
! some OF them when We were halt asleeD AMI
nan awake, so that we did not know whether
they We're born of shadow or sunlight.
whether they were thoughts let loose and
ulsarrangod as in slumber or the imapina-
tion OF faculties awake
such dream had this morning II was
hoout half-past 5. and the day was breaking
IL was dream of God, a dream of heaven
EEeklei had his dream on the banks of ths
|hehar had my dream not far from the
| banks OF the Hudson. The most of tha stOrios
or heaven We're written many centuries ago
| ana they tell us how the place looked then,
! or now IT Will look centuries ahpaI WOnId
! you not like to know how it looks now That
ls what ! am going 10 tell you. | was there
thlS morning. | have Just got bAck How
Eot INTO that city Of the sun / know not
Which OF the tWelvt Gates | entered is 70 mo
uncertain. But my first remembrance Of the
scene IS that | stool on one Of tho main ave-
u""S) booking this way and that lost in rap
t"reS' ana the air 50 full of music and re To-
! renee and laughter AMI light that [ knew not
"hlch street TO tak0, when an angel of God
hccoSted me and offered TO show me the Oh
lectS or greatest interest, and conduct me
from street to street and from mansion to
mansion, and from temple to temple. and
from wall 70 wall I said to the angel Glow
long hast thou been in heaven?'' and the an
hWer, "Ihirty-twO years according to the
earthly calendar
There was secret about this angels name
that was not given me, but from the tender
ness and sweetness and affection and infer
eS' taken IN my walk through heaven and
more than all in the fact Of thirty-two wears
residence, the number of years since she
assembled, L think it was my mother. Old
age and decreptude and the tired look were
all gone, but L think If was she. You see. [
was only on a visit to the city and had not
yet taken up residence, and l could know
only in part
/ looked in for few moments at the great
temple. Our brilliant and lovely Scotch cs-
SaylSt; Mr. DrummOnd, says there is no
church in heaven, but he did not look for if
on the right street. st. John was right when
IN ms PatmOsic vision, recorded in the third
chaPter OF Revelation. he speaks of 1.-THE
temple of my God" l saw it this morning
the largest church l ever saw as big as ali
the churches and catheira!s of the earth D,lt
together, and it was thrOnged Oh what a
multitude! l had never seen so many neo-
PIE together. All the audiences of ali the
churches of all the earth put together would
max" poor attendance compared with the
aSsembiage. There was a fashion in attire
anu headdress that Immediately took my at
tentlOn. The fashion was white All in
wh!te, save one. And the headdress was q
garland OF rose and lily and mignOnette,
mingled with green leaves culleI from the
royal gardens and bound gether with bands
of gold.
-, Ana saw some young mon with a ring on
lhe lnSer OF the right hanl and said to nv
accompanying angel, ''Why those rings on
the fingers of the right hanis?" and | was
told that those who wore them were proiigal
sons and once fed swine in the wilderness
and lived on husks. but they came home. and
!he rejoicing father said, Put a ring on his
hand"
But said there was one exception to this
fashion 0t white pervadng all the auditorium
and clear up through all the galleries. 1t
was the attire Of the one who presided in
that immense temple-the chiefest, the
mIghtIest, the lOveliest person in all the
place. His cheeks seemed to be flushed with
Infinite beauty, and his forehead was a
morning sky, and his lips were elOquence
omnipotent. But his attire was of deep
colors. They suggested the carnage through
which he had passed, and l said to my at
tending angel, 'sWhat is that crimson robe
that he wears" and was told "They are
dyed garments from Bozrah," and He trod
the wine press alone"
Soon after 1 entered this temple they be-
gan to chant the celestial litany. 1t was un-
like anything l had ever heard for sweetness
and power, and have heard the most sweet
OF the great organs and the most of the
great oratOrios. | said to my accompanying
angel "WhO is that standing yonder with
the htrp| and the answer was, ''David -
And L said, who is that sounding that
trumpet?' and the answer was "Gabrielw
And | said, ''Who is that at the organ?'' and
the answer was ''Handeln' And the music
rolled on till it came to doXOiogy extolling
Christ Himself, when all the worshipers,
lower down and higher up. a thousand gal
leries OF them, suddenly dropped on their
knees and chanted, ''Worth is the Lamb that
was slain" Under the overpoWering har-
mony l fell back. l said: LET US go. This
IS TOO much for mortal ears. cannot bear
the overwhelming symphony"
But noticed as l was about to turn awav
tlat on the steps of the altar was something
like the iachvrmal. or tear bottle. as I had
seen II in the earthly muSems the lachry.
hlalS. or tear bottles. into which the orien-
tals used to weep their griefs and set them
away as sacred. But this lachyrmaI or tear
bottle, in stead of earthenware. as those tbe
OrIentals used, was lustrOus and fiery with
many splendors, and it was towering and of
great capacity. And said to nv ATTENDING
angel, what is that great lachrvmal. or
tear bottle. standing on the step of the atari"
W, [
That iS the bottle to which David the psalm
1st, referred in this fifty-sixth psalm when he
said, Put thou my tears into thy bottle It
is tuIl of tears from earth-tearS of repen-
tance. tears of bereavement. tears of ioy,
tears OF many centuries" And then l saw
how sacred tothe sympathetic God are eartn-
Iy sorrows.
As | was coming out of the temple | saw
all along the pictured walls there werd
sheIVes, and golden vials were being set up
on all those shelves. And | said WHY the
setting up of all these vials at this time?
They seem Just now to have been flied
and the attending angel said, The week OF
prayer all around the earth has lust closed.
and more supplicatiOnS have been made than
have been made for long while aud thes6
new vals, newly set up, are what the Bib4
speaks of as golden viais full OF odors.
which are the prayers ofsaints." And sal
to the accompanying angel. "Can it be posi-
ble that the prayers of earth are worthy OF
being kept III such heavenly shape?" 'tWhy,'
said the angel, ''there is nothing that so
moves heaven as the prayers of earth, and
they are set up in sight of these infinite
muIttudes, and, more than all in the sight
OF Christ. and He cannot forget them. and
they are before Him world without end"
IheD we came out, and as the temple is al
ways open and some worship at one hour
and others at other hours we passed down
the street amid the throngs coming to an
going from the great temple. And we passed
along through a street called Martyr place,
and we met there, or saw sitting at the WIN
dows. the souls of those who on earth went
through fire and blood and under sword and
rack. We saw John Wyclif, whose ashes
We're by decree of the council of Constance
thrown into the river. and Rogers, who
bathed his hands in the fire as though it had
been water, and Bishop Hooper and McKail
eDd Lattmer and Ridley and PoIycarp whom
the flames refused to destroy as they bent
ant -nrlf all
of the Albigenses and Ruguenots and conse-
Grated Quakers who were slain for their re-
ligion. They lad on them many scars, but
their scars were illumined. and they had on
their faces look of especial triumph
Then we passed along Song row and we
met some of the old gospel singers. FThat is
Isaac Watts" said my attendant As wa
came up to him, he asked me if the churches