Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-09-06

Ibrioht city OF the sun those from whom We
20 lono been separated! After we have
heen away from our friends ten or hfteen
wears. and we come upon them, we SEQ now
differently they look. The hair mas turned;
and wrinkles have come III their Iaces, anu
we say. Chow you have changed! Dut, Oh,
when we stand before the throne, all cares
oona from The face. all marks of sorrow dis
appeared, and feeling the JOY OF that oleSSeo
land. methinks we will say to each otner,
| with an exultation we cannot now I'M
arine. GLOW you have changed! In
| his world we only meet to part IL Is
goodby, goodby. Farewels floating In the
qir. We hear it at the rail car window and
# tbe steamboat wharf. Goodby! Children
| ism If. and old age answers it. Sometimes
we say it in light way, "GoodDy! anu
sometimes with anguish in Wflcn the sou,
breaks down. Goodbyl Alb, that is the Woro
that ends the thanksgiving banquet; tnat Is
/ the word that comes in TO close the OnIlS'-
mas chant Goodbyi Goodby!
But not so in heaven. Welcomes in the
| air. welcomes at the gates. welcomes at the
| house of many mansions but no goodDy'
| That group is constantly being augmented.
| They are going up from our circles oil earth
| to ioin it-little voices to join the anthem,
| little hands to take hold Of 1t in the great
| home circle little feet to dance in the eternal
| glee, little crowns to be cast down before the
/ feet of Jesus Our friends are In two groups
| "A group this side Of the river and group
| on the other side of the river. Now there
| goes one from this to that, and another from
| this to that, and soon we will all be gone
| over How many of your loved ones have
| already entered upon that blessed placel If
| should take paper and pencil. do you think
| could put them all down? Alb. my friends,
| the waves of Jordan roar so hoarsely we eau
not hear the JOY on the other side where
| their group is augmented. 1t is graves here
| and collins and hearses here.
! A little child's mother had died, and they
| comforted her. They said: "Your mother
has gone to heaven. Don't cry" and the
next day they went TO the graveyard, and
| they laid the body of the mother down into
| ground, and the little girl came up to the
verge of the grave, and looking down at the
| body of her mother said, "ls this heaven?'
| Oh, we have no idea what heaven is. 1t is
| the grave here. II is darkness here, but there
| is merry making yonder. Methinks when
| soul arrives some angel takes 1t around to
show it the wonders of that blessed place
| The usher angel says to the newly arrived:
"rhese are the martyrs that persisted at
| Piedmont; these were torn TO pieces at the
| inquisition; this is the throne of the great
| Jehovah this is Jesus!" ~ am going to see
| Jesus" said dying negro boy. 81 am go
ing to see Jesus, and the missionary said,
| "You are sure you will see Him?" "Oh,
yes. That s what want to go to heaven
| for" "But," said the missionary, Suppose
that Jesus should go, away from heaven;
| what thenY 81 should follow him" said
! the diving negro boy. 'But if Jesus went
| down to hell. what them" The dying boy
! thought for a moment and then he said.
"Massa where Jesus is there can be no help
Oh, to stand in His presencel That will
| be heaven! On, to put our hand in that
| hand which was wounded for US on the cross
to go around amid all the groups of the
redeemed and shake hands with prophets
and apostles and martyrs and with our own
dear, beloved ones! That will be the great
reunion. We cannot imagine 1t now, our
loved ones seem so far away When we are
in trouble and lonesome, they don't seem to
come to us. We go on the banks of the Jor-
dan and call across to them, but they
don't seem to hear. We say: sis 1t we'll
with the child? Is it we'll with the loved
ones?" and we listen to hear if any
voice comes back over the water. None!
None! Unbelief says, "They are dead and
extinct forever" but blessed be God, we
| have Bible that tells us different. Weopen
| it and find that they are neither dead nor
extinct; that they never we're so much alive
| as now; that they are only waiting for our
coming. and that we shall join them on the
other side of the river Oh, glorious re-
union, we cannot grasp it now! EYE hath
not seen, nor ear heard. neither have entered
into the heart of man the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him."
remark again, we can in this world get
no idea of the song of heaven. You know
there is nothing more inspiritin9 than music.
In the battle of Waterloo the Highlanders
were giving way. and Wellington found out
that the bands of music had ceased paying.
He sent q quick Dispatch telling them 10
plav with utmost spirit battle march.
The music started. the Highlanders were
rallied, and they dashed ON till the day was
won. We appreciate the power Of secular
music, but do we appreciate the power OF
sacred song2 There is nothing more inspir-
ing to me than whole congregation 1IteI
up on the wave of holy melody When we
sing some of those dear old psalms and
tunes they rouse all the memories OF the
past. Why. some of them were cradle songs
in our fathers house. They are all sparI-
ling with the morning dew OF thousand
Christian Sabbaths.
They were sung by brothers and sisters
gone now, by voices that wee aged and
broken in the music. voices none the less
sweet because they did tremble and break.
When 1 hear these old songs sung 1t seems as
If all the old country meeting homes joined
Bethel and Western cabins, until the whole
continent lifts the doxoogY and the scepters
of eternity beat time to the music. Away
then with your starveling tunes that chill
the devotion of the sanctuary and make the
peoI,le sit silent when Jesus is coming to
hOeanna.
But, my friends, il music on earth is 50
sweet. what will it be in heaven? They all
know the tune there. Methinks the tune OF
will he made II nartlV from the
songs of earth, the best parts OF all our
HYMNS and tunes going to add to the song OF
Moses aud the Lamb. All the best singers Of
all the ages will Join it--choirs of white
robed children. ChOirs Of patriarchsl Choirs
of apostles Morning stars clapping their
cvmbals Harpers with their harps Great
anthems of God roll on, roll! on! Other en-
pires Joining the harmony till the thrones
are full of it and the Nations all saved.
Anthem shall touch anthem, chorus join
chorus. and all the sweet sounds OF earth
and heaven be poured into the ear OF christ:
David of the harp will be there. Gabriel OF
the trumpet will be there. Germany re-
deemed will pour its deep bass voice into the
song and Africa will add to the music WIN
her matchless voices.
wish we could anticipate that song. l
wish in the closing hymns OF the churches
to-day we might catch an echo that slps
from fhe gates, Who knows but that when
the heavenly door opens to-day to let some
soul through there may come lorth tne
strain of the jubilant voices until we catcn
it? Oh, that as the song drops down rom
heaven 1t might meet bali way song COLI
ing up from earth!