The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-09-21
GAZING INTO HEAVEN.
Five Graphic Pictures Drawn by
DR.. Talma9e.
Stephen. the Martyr. Looking ut h Saviour
Heaven the Galisry Whore Code
Treasures Are 0a~thsred-0ood
Men Often Martyrs.

In q late sermon in New York Rev.
T. De Witt TalmaRe grouped his dis
course into Five Pictures" The text
from Acts vii. $3.50: Behold, I
see the Heavens open" DIR. Talmage
said:
Stephen had been preaching Q rous.
ing sermon and the people could not
stand It They resolved to do - men
would like to do in this day,
II they dared, with some plain preach
er Of righteousness-ki kill him. The
only way to silence this man vas to
knock the breath out Of him. So they
rushed Stephen out Of the gates Of the
city, and with curse and whoop and
below they brought him to the cliff,
IS vas the custom when they
wanted to take away life by ston-
ing. Having brought him to the edge
Of the cliff, they pushed him of. After
he had fallen they came and looked
down and seeing that he was not yet
dead, they began to drop stones upon
him, stone after stone. Amid this hor-
rible rain of missiles Stephen chambers
upon his knees and folds his hands,
while the blood drips from his tenn
pies; and then, looking up, he makes
two prayers-ons for himself and one
for his murdererA- "Lord Jesus, re.
ceivs my spirit" that was for himself,
Lord, lay not this sin TO their charge"
that was for his murderera. Then,
from pain and loss Of blood, he swooned
away and fell asleep
I want TO show you to-day ave pic
lures, Stephen gazing into Heaven.
Stephen looking ct Christ Stephen
Stephen In his dying prayer.
Stephen asleep
First, look 1t Stephen gazing into
Heaven. Before You take . leap you
want to know where you are going TO
land. Before you climb . ladder you
want to know TO what point the lad
der reaches. And It was right that
Stephen, within . few m0msnts Of
Heaven, should be gazing into IL. W.
would al do we'll to b. found In the
same posture. There IL enough In
Heaven TO keep Us gazing. A man Of
large wealth may have statuary In the
hall and paintings in the sitting room
and works Of art In all parts Of the
but he has the chief pictures In
the art gallery, and there, hour after
hour, you walk with catalogue and
glass and ever.incressing admiration.
Well, Heaven II the gallery where
God has gathered the chief t-reasurers
Of His realm The whole universe 10
His palace. In this lower room whore
We stop there e many sdofnments;
doors Of amethyst, aid on
the winding cloud-stsirs are stretched
ont canvas on which commingls azure,
and purple. and saffron, and gold. But
Heaven IL the gallery In which the
chief giories are gathered. There are
the brightest robes There are the
crowna There are the
sxhilsrations. st. John says
Of Il: The kings Of the earth
shall bring their honor and gioyy
into Il. And I see the procession form
ing, aud IL the line come all empires.
and the stsrs spring up into an sreh
Tor the hosts TO march padsr. They
keep step 70 the sound Of earthquake
aud the pitch Of avalanche from the
and the Dag they bear 70
the flame Of consuming world, and
all Heaven turns ont with harps and
trumpsts aud mysisd-voicsd soclsms.
Of angelic domipiops to welcome
then IN. and % the kipgs Of the esyth
bring their honor and giery into It."
Do ron wonder that good people often
stand, like Stephen, looking into
Heaven? We hsve many friends there
There h not . man here 70 isolstsd
In life but there II some one In Hssyen
with whom he onos shook banda A
man gets older. the number Of his
celestial scqusintances very rapidly
We have not had one
glimpse Of them since the night We
kisssd them good,by, and they went
away; but stin We stand casing 81
Heaven. Al whom some Of our
triends 60 across the sea, We
stand on the dock, or ON the
steam tug, and watch them. and after
swhils the hull Of the vessel disappears,
and then there Il only psteh Of sail
on the sky. and soon that u gone. and
they Are al ont Of sight, and yet We
Stand looking In the sams direction; q
when our frisnds 70 away from a. into
the future world, we keep looking
down through the Nsrrows, and gaEina
and casing - though We expected they
would come ont and stand on some
cloud. and give NJ one glimpse Of thsiz
trsnsdgured faces.
While you long TO Join thsiy com
psnionship, and the years and days &C
with such tsdium that they break your
hssyt, and the vipsrs Of pain, and sor
row. and bereavement keep gnswins
ct your vitals, you will stand, liks
Stephen, gazing into Hssvsu. You
wonder II they have changed since yor
saw them last. You wonder II thsJ
would recognize your fsce now
90 changed has u been with trou
BILE. You wondsr II, smid thu
myrisd delights they have, thsy esrs
- much for you - they used Il
whom they gave you . helping hand
and put their shoulders under youl
burdepa You wonder II they looi
any older; and sometimes In the even
Ing tide, whom the house 10 Ill quist
you wonder II you should call them BY
their Hrst name II they would not an
swsr; and psrhsps' sometimes you DE-
make b Impairment and when nc
one but God and yourself are thsrs
you distinctly call their names, and
listen, n at gssinR INTO Hcsven.
Pass on now. and . Stephen look
Ing upon Christ y eext eaye No ssv
the o OF MAJ On the right hena o
God. 10 aow Cnriss iookso IN IA
world, Just now he looked ! ncavea
We cannot ssy. The painters OF amer
ens ages ave sr'ed 70 mssine IN
Ssstures Oh christ 2 pun tnem upoi