The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-08-31

DIR. Talmage Tells of the Beauties
Of the Christian Heaven.

DIR. Talmage Tells of the Beauties
Of the Christian Heaven.
the Things Thai God Hath Prepared
for Them That Love
Him."
The latest sermon by Rev. 7. Dewitt
Talmage was one prepared after the
plicable to those under heavy bereave-
ment. His subject was 'Surpassing
Splendors," and his text from l. Cor.
ii, 9: Eye hath not seen nor a
heard" Following is the sermon:
II am going to Heaven! am going
to Heavenl Heaven! Heaven! Heavenr'
These were the last words, uttered q
few days q by my precious wife as
she assembled to be with God forever,
and Il 1t not natural, as we'll as Chris
tianly appropriate, that u thoughts
be much directed toward the glorious
residence of which Paul speaks in the
text / have chosen?
The city of Corinth has been called
the Paris Of antiquity. Indeed. for
splendor, the world holds no such Won
der to-day. 1t stood on an isthmus
washed by two seas, the one sea bring
ing the commerce of Europe, the other
the of Asia. From her
wharves, in the construction of which
whole kingdoms had been absorbed,
war gslleys, with three banks of oars,
pushed out and COMPOUNDED the navy
yards Of all the world. Huge-handed
machinery, such as modern invention
cannot equal, lifted ships from the sea
on one side and 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 her isthmian
games, and the beauty of all lands sat
in her theaters, walked her porticos
and threw itself on the altar of her
stupendous dissipationa. Column and
statue and temple bewildered the be.
holder. There were white marble
fountains into which. from apertures
ct the side, there rushed waters every
where known for health giving quail
ties. Around these basins, twisted
into wreaths of stone, there were all
the beauties Of sculpture and architeo-
ture; while standing, as IL to guard
the costly display, was Q statue Of Her
cules of FURNISHED Corinthisn brass
Vases Of terra Gotta adorned the ceme-
teries Of the desd-vases so costly that
Julius Cesar was not satisfied until he
had captured them for Rome. Armed
officials, the "Corinthiarii," paced up
and down to see that NO statue was de-
faced, no pedestal overthrow, no has
relief touched. From the edge Of the
city . hill arose, with its magnificent
burden Of columns and towers and
temples lone thousand slaves awsittng
at one shrine). and q city 90 thoroughly
impregnable that Gibraltar IL q heap
OF sapd compared with It. Amid all
that strength and msgnifcence Corinth
stood and dcfed ths world, sa
Obi IL was not to rustics who he'd
never seen anything grand that st.
Paul uttered this texk They had
heard the best music that had come
from the best instruments In all the
world; they had heard songs 6oat3pg
from morning porticos and melting In
evening groves; they had passed their
whole lives away among pictures, and
sculpture. and architecture. and Co.
rinthian brass, which had been mold.
ed and shaped, until there Was 40
chariot whsel in which IL had not
sped, and no tower IN which 1t had not
glittered, aud no gateway that 1t had
not adorned All, It was . bold thing
for Paul to stand there amid al that.
and say: "All this 10 nothing. These
sounds that come from the temple
OF Neptune are not music compared
with the harmony Of which I speak.
Theae waters rushing In the basin Of
Pyrene ara not pure. These statues Of
Bacchus and Mercury are not exquisite.
Yon citadel Of AcrooorinthHs IL not
strong compared with that which !
offer TO the poorest slave that ppts
down his burden ct the brazep gate.
You, Co~rinthians, think this . splendid
city; you think you have hssyd I'll
sweet sounds, and seen all beautiful
sights; but ] tell you, eye hath not
sesn, nor ear heard, neither have en-
tered into the hesrt Of man. the things
which God hath prepared foF them
that love Him."
You see my text sets forth the idea
that however exalted our ideas may be
Of Heaven, they come far short OF re-
atty. Some wise men have been osleu.
lating how many furlongs long aud
wide 10 Heaven; and they have calcu-
lated how many inhabitants there are
on earth; how long the earth will prob
ably stand, and then they come TO this
estimate that after ell the nations had
been gathered TO Heaven. there will be
room for each soul--s o 9 feet
long and Is feet wide. It would not
be large enough for me. ] Am glad to
know that no human estimste IL sufa-
cisnt TO take the dimensions. Eye
hath not ssep. nor q heard" nor
arithmetic oalculstsd.
! frat remark that we can in this
world get NO idea of the health Of
Heaven. When y0p were . child, end
you went out In the morning. how you
bounded along the road or strest-you
had never fel sorrow or sicknessl Per.
haps later-perhaps In these very sum
mer dsys%you felt . glow In your
cheek and . spring In your step. and
an exuberence of spirits, end . clear
ness of eye. that made you thank God
you were permitted to live, The
nerves were harp strings, and the sun
light was . doxology, and the rustlinR
leaves were the rustltag robes OF q
great crowd rising up to praise the
Lord. You thought that you knew
what 1t was to be we'll. but there Il
no perfect health on earth. The dis
eases Of past generations come dowr
to Us. The airs that float now ON ths
earth are unlike those which 6oated
above Paradise. They ere charged
with impurities and distempera. Thu
most elastic and robust health Of earth
compared with that which those exps
sisncs before whom the gates hav'
opened, Is nothing but sickness AM
evacuation. Look 1t that soul stand
ing before the throne. On earth sh
was . lifelong invalid. See her ste
now and hear her voice nowl Catch
II you can. one breath of that celes
tial air. Health In all the pulses
Health of vision; health of spirits
immortal spirits. No racking cough,u
sharp pleurisies, 10 consuming fever
NO exhausting pains, NO hospitals 9
wounded men. Health swinging !
- =.