Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-09-04
REV. DR.. TaLmaGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.
Cuhject: "Surpassin- Splcndor.''

GE-r: 1--WE hath not seen nor ear heard
Il Corinth ans H., Q.
81 am going to heaven! I am going II
heaven. Heaven. Heaven. Heaven." The,
were the last wor,is uttered few days age
by my precious wife rs sh. ascended to b,
with God forever. and is 1t not natural a,
well as christianity appropriate that om
thoughts be much directed toward the glori.
Gus residence of which st. Paul speaks il
the text ! have chosen?
The city of Corinth has been called the
Paris of antiquity. Indeed for splendor tn,
world holds no such wonlerto-day. Itstoot
on an isthmus washed by two seas. the ons
Sea bringing the commerce of Europe, tht
other the commerce OF Asia. From her
wharves in the construction of which whole
kingdoms had been absorbed, war galley.
with three banks of oars pushed out and
confounded the navy yards of all the world.
Huge handed machinery. such as modern
invention cannot equal. lifted ships from the
sea oil one side AMI transported them on
trucks across the isthmus and set them down
in the sea on the other side. The revenue
officers of the city went down through the
olive groves that lined the beach to collect
tariff from all Nations
The mirth of all people sported in hel
lsthmian games and the beauty of all lands
sat in her theatres, walked her porticoeS and
threw itself on the altar of her stupendous
designations. Column and statue and temple
bewildered the beholder. There were white
marble fountains into which, from aperturea
at the side. there rushed waters everywhere
known for health giving qualities. Around
these basins. twisted into wreaths of stone,
there were all the beauties of sculpture and
architecture, while stsnding. as If to guard
the costly display. was a statue OF Hercules
OF FURNISHED Corinthian brass. Vases OF
terra Gotta adorned the cemeteries of the
dead-vases so costly that Julius Cesar was
not satisfied until he had captured them fO1
Rome. Armed officials, the "Corinthiarii,"
paced up and down to see that no statue was
defaced, no pedestal overthrown. no baS re.
lief touched. From the edge of the city
hill arose, with its magnificent burden OF
columns and tower, and temples 10O0 slaves
awaiting at one shrine), and citadel so
thoroughly impregnable that Gibraltar is
heap of sand compared with it. Amid all
that strength and magnifcence Corintf
stood and defied the world.
Oh, it was not to rustics who had neve.
seen anything grand that st. Paul uttered
this text. They had heard the best music
all the world. They had heard songs float
ing from morning porticoes and melting in
evening groves. They had passed their
whole lives away among pictures and
sculpture and architecture and Corinthian
brass. which had been nodded and shaped,
had not sped, and no tower in which it had
not glittered, and no gateway that it had no
adorned.
All. 1t was bold thing for Paul to stand
there amid all that and say: 'Ali this is
nothing. These sounds that come from the
temple of Neptune are not music compared
with the harmony of which I speak. These
waters rushing in the basin of Pyrene are not
pure. These statues OF Bacchus and Mer-
curry are not exquisite. Yon citadel o,
Acrocorinthus is not strong compared with
that which I offer to the poorest slave that
puts down his burden at that brazen gate.
You, Corinthians think this is a splendid
CITY, You think you have heard all sweet
sounds and seen all beautiful sights, but
tell You "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard
neither have entered into the heart of man
the things which God hath prepared for then
hat love Him.
You see nv text sets forth the idea that
however exalted our ideas maybe OF heaven
they come far short of the reality. Some
wise men have been calculating how many
furlonGs long and wide is heaven, and they
have calculated how many inhabitants there
are on the earth; how long the earth will
probably stand. and then they come to this
estimate-that after all the nations had been
gathered to heaven there will be room for
each soul a room 16 feet long AMI 10 feet
wide II would not be large enough for me.
am glad to know that no human estimate
is sufficient to take the dimensions. Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard" nor arithmetic
calculated.
first remark that we can in this world get
no idea of the health of heaven. When you
were q child and you went out in the morn
ing, how you bounded along the road or
street-you had never felt sorrow or sick
ness! Perhaps later-perhaps in these very
summer days-you felt a glow in your
cheek, and a spring in your step, and an ex-
uberance of spirits, and ciearness of eve,
that made you thank God you were permit
ted to live. The nerves were harp strings,
and the sunlight was a doXoiogy, and the
rustling leaves were the rustling of the robes
of a great crowd rising up to praise tho
Lord. You thought that you knew what 1t
was to be we'll, but there is no perfect health
on earth The diseases OF past generations
come down to US. The airs that float now
on the earth are unlike those which fioated
above paradise. They are charged with i'm
puriiies and distempers. The most elastic
and robust health of earth, compared with
that which those experience before whom the
gates have been opened, Is nothing put SICK,
ness and emaciation. Look at that soul
standing before the throne. On earth she
was a lifelong invalid. See her step now and
hear her voice now! Catch, if you can. one
breath of that celestial air. Health in all the
pulses! Health of vision. Health of spirits.
Immortal health. No racking cough, no
sharp pleurisies no consuming fevers. no
exhansting pains, no hospitals OF wounded
men. Health swinging in the air Heaith
flowing in all the streams. Health blooming
on the banks No headaches, no sideaches,
no backaches Tha. child that died in the
agonies of Group, hear her voice now ringing
In the anthem That old man tnat went
bowed down with the infirmities oil age, see
him walk now with the step OF an immortal
athlete-forever young again! Ihat night
when the needlewoman tainted away IN the
garret, a wave of the heavenly air resuscitat-
ed her forever. For everlasting years, tc
have neither ache nor pain nor Weakness MOI
fatigue. 'Eye hath not seen it, ear hath not
heard it,"
remark further thai we can in this world
get no Just idea OF the splendor of heaven
St. John tries to describe it. He says, '.The
twelve gates are Twelve pearls" and tina.
"the foundations of the walls are garnishe1
with all manner of precious stones" As we
stand looking through the telescope of ST.
John we see a blaze of amethyst AMI pearl
and emerald and sardonyx and chryso oprasus
and sapphire, a mountain of light, catar-
act Of color, sea Of glass and city like the
sun.
st. John bids us look again, and we sec
thrones-thrones OF the prophets, thrones of
the patriarchs, thrones Of the angels, thrones
OF the apostles, thrones of the martyrs, throne
of Jesus, throne of God! And we turn round
to see the glory, and ii is-thrones! Thrones
Thronesi
ST. John bids US look again, AMI we Sc,
The great procession OF the redeemed passing.
Jesus, on white horse, leads the march,
and all the armies OF salvation following on
white horses. Infinite cavalcade passing.
,, passing; empires pressing into line. ages
following ages. Dispensation trampIng on
after dispensation. Glory in the track oI
glory. Europe, Asia, Africa and North and
South America pressing into lines. Islands
OF the sea shoulder to shoulder. Genera
tions before the flood following generations
after the flood, and as Jesus rises at the head
of that great host and waves His sword il
signal Of victory all crowns are lifted. aud
all ensigns flung out, and all chimes rung
and all halleluiahs chanted, and some cry
I '.Glory to God most highi' and some
s.H--.snns to the soa CT Davidr' and soma.
| rworihy is the Lamb that was slainI" till all
| the exclamations of endearment and homage
| in the vocabulary OF heaven are exhausted
and there come up surge alter surge oi
"Ameni Amen! Ameni"
"Eye hath not seen it. ear hath not heard
It." Skim from the summer waters the
Il