The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-03-27

ship OF unnumbered hosts Is inwrapped with
1t. 1t will be the only art of earth that will
have enough elasticity and strength to leap
the grave and take possession Of heaven.
Sculpture will halt this side the grave be-
cause 1t chiefly commentaries the forms Of
those who In heaven will be reconstructed.
and what would we want Of the sculptured
Imitation when we stand In the presence Of the
resurrected original? Painting will halt this
side the grave because the colors OF earth
would be too tame for heaven, and what use
to have pictured on canvas the scenes which
shall be described to US by those who were
the participants? One Of the disciples will
tell us about the ''Last Supper" better than
Titan with mighty touch setup In art gallery.
The plainest saint by tongue will describe the
"Lsst Judgment" better than Michael Angelo
with his pencil put 1t upon the ceiling Of the
Vatican. Architecture will halt this side the
grave. for what use would there be for archi-
tect's compass and design in that city which
is already built and garnished until nothing
can be added2 All the Tuileries and Windsor
Castles and st. Clouds Of the earth piled up
st. Pauls and st. Peters and st. Izaaks and
st. Sophias Of the earth built into one
cathedral not equaling the heavenly temple.
But music will pass right on, right up and
right in, and millions In heaven will ac-
knowledge that, under God, she was the
chief cause OF their salvation. Oh, would
like to be present when all the great Chris
tian singers and the great Christian players
of all the ages shall congregate in heaven.
OF course they must, like all the rest of US,
be cleansed and ransomed by the blood OF
the slain Lamb. Alas, that some of the
great artists OF sweet sound have been as
distinguished for profigacy as for the'way
they warbled or sang or fingered the key
board or trod the organ pedal. Some
who have been distinguished bassos and so
pranos and prims donnas on earth, feel will
never sing the song OF Moses and the Lamb,
or put the lips to the trumpet with sounds OF
masters who charmed US on earth will more
nightly charm us in heaven. Great
music hall of eternity! May you and I
be there some day to acclaim when the
"Halleluiah Chorus" Is awakened As
on earth there have been harmonies
made up Of other harmonies, a strain OF
music from this cantata, and strain OF
music from that overture and bar from this
and bar from that, but one great tune or
theme, into which all the others were poured
as rivers into sea, so 1t may be given to the
mightiest soul in the heavenly world to
gather something from all the sacred songs
we have sung on earth, or which have been
sung in ell the ages, and roll them on In
eternal symphony, but the one greet theme
and the one overmasterng tone that
shall carry all before it and uplift all heaven
from central throne to farthest gate Of pearl
and to highest capstone Of amethyst will be-,
"Unto Him who loved us and washed us
from our sins in His own blood, and made
us kings and priests unto God and the Lamb,
to Him be glory!" That will be mamma
enough for all heaven to feed on. That will
be a banquet for immortals. That will be
angels food.
Now. In the emerald palace of heaven, let
the cupbearers and servants OF the King re-
move this course from the banquet and bring
on another course Of angels food, which Is
laying out Of mighty enterprise. The Bible
lets us know positively that the angels have
ford the rapid transit from world to world.
Ministering spirits, escort1ng spirits, defend
ing spirits, guardian spirits-yea, they have
all 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, bnt
of other worlds. Shall they plan only for
our little planet and be unconcerned Tor
planet 800 times larger? No. They have all
the galades under their observation. Mighty
schemes of helpfulness to be 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 sublime colloquy. They have
cabinet meetings OF winged immortals. They
assemble the mightiest Of them in holy con-
sultation. They plan out stellar, lunar, solar,
consolidated achievement. They vie with
each other as to who shall do the grandest
thing for the eternals. They compose doxol-
ogies for the temple Of the sun. They pre-
side over coronations. II IN the great organ
Of the universe one key gets out OF tune, they
plan for its returning. No undertaking Is 80
difficult. no post Of duty Is 80 distant, no
mission is so stupendous but at Gods COM
mand they are gladly obtained.
Now, in the emerald palace Of heaven, let
the cupbearers and servants OF the King re-
move this course from the banquet and bring
on another course Of angels food-the last
course and the best, the, dessert, the cul-
mination OF the feast, which Is celebratiye
jubilance. 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 a man or woman
that cannot cry; am afraid OF man or
woman who cannot langh. Christ says IN
the book of Revelation that such people are
to Him nauseating and cause regurgitation
-(Revelation ill.,, 16) because thou art luke
warm and neither cold not hot I viii spew
thee out of My mouth" But the angels IN
heaven have no stolidity or unresponSlVe-
ness. There Is one thing that agitates them
into holy warmth. We know that absolute
ly. If their harp be hung up on the panels
of amethyst, they take 1t down and
with deft fingers pull from among
the strings cantlcle. They run in to their.
neighbors on the same golden street and tell
the good news. II Miriam has there cymbals
anything like those with which she per.
formed on the banks Of the Red Sea, she
claps them in triumph, and there Is festaI
table spread, and the best Of the angels food
is set on 1t. When is it? It is when o man OF
woman down in the world who was al
wrong by the grace of God Is made all right
t-Guke xy., 10) "There Is Joy in the
presence of the angels Of God over one sin.
men that repenteth." Why are theyso happily
agitated2 Because they know what tre-
mendous thing 1t is to turn clear around from
the wrong and take the right road. 1t Is be-
cause they know the difference between
swines' trough with nothing but husks ana
Kings banquet with angels food. Is pc
cause they know the infinite. the everlasting
difference between down and up.
And then their festivity Is catching. II we
hear the bells OF city ring, we say, "What
is that for2" If we hear rolling out from an
auditorium the sound of a full orchestra, wa
saw, 'tWhat is happening here?" And when
the angels OF God take on jubEance over q
case Of earthly repentance your friends
in heaven will say: What new thing
has happened? Why full diapason? Why
the chime from the Oldest towers
of eternity?" The fact is, my hearers,
there are people in heaven who would liketc
hear from you. Your children there are
wondering when father and mother will
come into the kingdom, and with more glee
than they ever danced in hallway at your