Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-08-31

Pile up the splcndurs of earthly cities. and
they would l", make y stepping stone by
which You might mount To- Il g city of God.
Every house is palace. Every step n
triumph Ever covering Of the head a
coronaiion. Every M, a Is banquet.
Livery stroke irg.l The tower l. a wedding
bell. Every dav j. Jubilee every hour a
rapture, and every memcnt an ecstasy.
Eye hath nui seen II. ear hath not heard
it,
Reunions In Heaven.
1 remark fur. ito. we can get no idea on
earth Of the r-unions of heaven. IL you
have ever h,rn arrnSS the SRA and met a
friend or even an acquaintance in some
strange city, YOU remember how your
blood thrilled. and how glad You were to
SEQ him. what. then. will I've our joy, after
we have passed the seas of death, to meet
in the bright city III the sun those from
whom we have long been separated
After We have been away FROM our
friends 10 or Is years. and we come upon
them. we sec how differently they look
The hair has turned and wrinkles have
come la their faces. and we say, ''How
you have changed!' But, oh, when you
stand before the throne, all cares gone
from the face, all marks Of sorrow disap-
pearc,l. and feeling the joy Of that blessed
land, methinks we will say tn each other.
with an cxuitation we cannot now imag-
inc, GLOW you have changcdv' In this
world we only meet TO part. II Is good
by, goodby, farcwells floating In the
air. We hca- IL at the rail car window,
and NJ the steamboat wharf-goodby.
Children lisp il. and old age answers 1t.
Sometimes we FAY 1t in light way
"goodhy'--and sometimes with anguish
In which the soul breaks down. Good
by, All, That Is the word that ends the
thanksgiving banquet; that is the word
that comes in 10 close the Christmas chant.
Goodbyl goodbyl But not 81 in heav
On. Welcomes in the air. welcomes ut
the gates, welcomes nj the house OF
many mansions-but no goodby. That
group Is constantly being augmented.
They are going up from cur circles of earth
To Join it--liitlc voices 10 join the anthem,
little hands to take hold of il in the
great home circle. little feet To dance in
the eternal glcc, little crowns to bc cast
down before the feet of Jesus Our friends
are in two groups-agroupt this side Of the
river and a 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 he gone over How many
of your loved ones have already entered
upon that blessed place, IL should take
paper and pencil do You think could put
them all DOWN. All. my friends, the
waves of Jordan roar 50 hoarSely we can
not hear the joy on the other side where
their group is augmented. 1t is graves
hero and collins and hearscs there.
A Dying Negro boy.
A little child's mother had died, and
they comfortcd her. They said: Your
mother has gone TO heaven. Don't cry"
And the next day they went to the grave
yard, and they laid the body Of the mother
down into tho ground. and the little girl
came up To the verge of the grave, and
looking down ut the body OF her mother
said, SIS this hc:lvcns" Oh, we have no
idea what heaven Isl II Is the grave here,
it Is darkness here. but there Is merry
making yondcr Mc,hinks when a soul
arrives some angel takes it around to show
IL the wonders of that blessed place. The
usher angel says 10 the newly arrived:
These are the martyrs that persisted ut
Piedmont These We're torn 20 pieces Mt
the Inquisi,ion. This is the throne Of the
great Jehovah. This is Jesus Il am
going III slfrAs~. Ssitu ~ uNlDg UtEFO
boy. al am going To sec Jesus" And the
missionary said. You are sure You will
see him:" "Oh, yes; that's what | want
10 go TO heaven for d" 'But, said the mis-
sionary, suppose that Jesus should go
away from hcavcn-what them" Il
should follow him, said the dying negro
boy. Bat II Jesus went down 10 he'll
what them" The dying hoy Thought for a
moment and then he said. "MaSsa, where
Jesus i there can bc no hell oh, TO
stand in his presence, That will I've hcav-
en-! oh, TO put our hand in that hand
which WAS wounded for us on the cross, to
60 around amid all the groups Of the re
deemed and shake hands with prophets
and apostles and martyrs and with our
own dear, beloved oncs-ihai will be the
great reunion We cannot imagine il low,
our loved ones seem 81 far away When
we are in trouble and lonesome, they don't
seem to come To us.
We go on the banks of the Jordan and
call acrosss 10 them, but they don't seem
90 hear We say, lis it well with the
child. L. It well with the loved oncs!" and
we listen to hear il any voice comes back
over the waters. None, None lnbclict
says, "They arc dead and extinct forever"
but, blessed DE God, we have "A Bible that
tells us different. We open 1t and find that
they arc neither dead nor extinct; that
they never We're 80 much alive as now
that they arc only waiting for our coming,
and that We shall join :hcm on the other
side of the river. OH glorious reunion I
we cannot grasp It now. Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart 81 man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. &"
The Song of Heaven.
j remark again, we can in this world
get no idea OF the song of heaven You