Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-03-15

for al heaven to feed on. That will be
a banquet for immortals. That will be
angels food.
Mighty Enterprises.
Now, in the emerald palace Of heav-
en-, let the cupbearers and servants Of
the king remove this course from the
banquet and bring on another course Of
angels food, which is laying out Of
mighty enterprise. The Bible let's Us
know positively that the angels have
our worlds affairs on their heart. They
afford the rapid transit from world to
world. Ministering spirits, escorting
spirits, defending spirits, guardian
spirits-yea, they have ali worlds on
their thought. We are told they sang
together at the creation, and that i'm
piled not only the creation of our world,
but of other worlds. Shall they plan
only for our little planet and be uncon-
cerned for planet 300 times larger?
No. They have all the galaxies under
their observation. Mighty schemes OF
helpfuness to he laid out and executed,
shipwrecked worlds to be towed in,
planetary fires to be put out, demoniac
hosts riding up to be hurled back and
down. These angels Of light unhorse an
Apollyon with one stroke of battleax
celestial They talk these matters all
over. They bend toward each other in
sublimest colloquy. They have cabinet
meetings Of winged immortals They
assemble the mightiest Of them in holy
consultation. They plan out stellar, lu'
mar, solar, consolidated achievement.
They vie with each other as to who
shall do the grandest thing for the eter-
nails. They compose doxologies for the
temple of the sun. They preside over
coronations. II in the great organ of the
universe one key gets out Of tune, they
plan for its returning No undertaking
is so difficult, no post Of duty is so dis
tant, no mission is so stupendous but
OF Gods command they are gladly OBJ
tanned.
A Supernal Repast.
When they sit together IN -oayen's
places. Gabriel and Michael, the arch
angel, and the arrel that pointed Hagar
to the fountair in the desert, and the
angel that swung oIen the prison door
of delivered Peter, and the angels who
rae to be the reapers at the end OF the
world, and the angel that stood by Paul
to encourage him on the foundering corn
ship of Alexandria, and the two angels
that sentineled the tomb Of Christ, and
the four angels that st. John saw in
Apocalypse at the four corners Of the
earth, and the ~ angels that guard the
~ swinging pearls, and the 20, 900
charioted angels that the psalmist de-
scribed, and more radiant than all OF
them put together. and mightier than
all, and lovelier than all, THE Angel
of the Covenant" the cadences Of his
voice, the best music that ever entranc-
ed mortal or immortal ears, his smile
another noon risen on midnoon, his
presence enough to make heaven II
there were no other attractlOn-l say,
when they meet together in the council
chambers close to the throne-ah, that
will be regalement infinite. That will
be repast supernal. That will be an
gels food. And one Of my exciting an
ticipations of heaven is the prospect OF
seeing and talking with some Of them.
Why not? What did they come out for
on the balcony ON that Christmas night
and sing for our world, if they did not
want to be put in communication with
us? know the serenade was in Greek,
but they knew that their words would
be translated in all languages. If they
thought themselves too good to have
ANYTHING to do with us, would they
have dropped Christmas carols upon the
shepherds, as bad as any Of US have ever
been? Aye If they sang for mortals,
will they not sing for US when we be-
come immortals?
The Man who Laughs.
Now. in the emerald palace Of heay-
en-, let the cupbearers and servants OF
the king remove this course from the
banquet and bring on another course
of angels food-the last course and
the best, the dessert, the elimination
of the feast, which is celebrative Jubi-
lance. You and have known people
who prided themselves on never getting
excited. They have cultivated the phleg-
matte. You never saw them cry; you
never heard them in burst OF laugh
ter. They are monotonous and to me IN
tolerable. am afraid Of man or
woman that cannot cry; l am afraid OF
a man OF q woman who cannot laugh.
Christ says in the book Of Revelation that
such people are to him nauseating and
cause regurgitation-(R Revelation Ill, l6)
Because thou art lukewarm and neither
cold not hot l will spew thee out OF my
mouth" But the angels in heaven have
no stolidity or unresponsiveness. There
is one thing that agitates them into
holy warmth. We know that absolute
". II their harp be hung up on the
panels of amethyst, they take 1t down
and with deft fingers pull from among
the strings canticle. They run IN to
their neighbors on the same golden street
and tell the good news If Miriam has
there cymbals anything like those with
which she performed on the banks OF the
Red sea, she claps them in triumph,
and there is festal table spread, and
the best Of the angels food is set on it.
When is 1t? It is when a man or woman
down in the world who was all wrong
by the grace of God is made all right
luke XIV, l0) "There is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over ose
sinner that repenteth. Why are they
so happily agitated? Because they know
what a tremendous thing it is to turn
clear around from the wrong and take
the right road. 1t is because they know
the difference between swines' trough
with nothing but husks and a kings
banquet with angels food. 1t is because
they know the infinite, the everlasting
difference between down and up.
Glad Tidings In Heaven.
And then their festivity is catching.
II we hear the bells of city ring, we
saw. What is that forg" II we hear
rolling out from an auditorium the
sound of full orchestra, we say, what
is happening bsrel" And when the an
l. - "A