The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-09-16
GA.
TALMAGE.1as

pictures ap of the earlyh2ld,
L see = !.
Stelf IS these, up !g
sernt &c, peanuts r.
The Ego, ramie, II
uoy CT, timo- A.
,,i8 r spring CO
ks
- ,yiron-
So .
the p
belle TERN
was 1 nc
| away . reu In
to thet u"i oii
| After n IN 'heu
down, an h"'ueau'
| they begaa STONE
| after stone lai ram Vi
missiles Step4a ICY ms Knees
| and folds his blood drlps
| from his temples. looking up ne
makes two prayers. for himself and
| one for his murder Lord Jesus. re-
ceive my spirit" thS was for himself
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge
that was for his murderers. Then, from
pain and loss of blood. he swooned away
! and fell asleep.
| want to show you today five pictures
Stephen gazing into heaven; stephen look
ing at Christ; Stephen stoned; Stephen in
his dying prayer; stephen asleep.
First look at Stephen gazing into heav-
on. Before you take leap you want to
know where you are going to land. And II
was right that stephen. within few mo-
ments of heaven, should be gazing into IT,
We would all do well to be found in the
same posture. There is enough in heaven
to keep us gazing. man of large wealth
may have statuary in the hall, and paint
ings in the sitting room. and works of art
in all parts of the house, but he has the
chief pictures in the art gallery, and there
bnt aft hour walk with catalogue
and glass and ever-increasing admiration.
Well. heaven is the gallery where God has
gathered the chief treasures of his realm.
The whole universe is his palace. In this
lower room where we stop there are many
adornments. tessellated floor of amethyst,
and on the winding cloud-stairs are
stretched out canvas on which commingIe
azure and purple. and saffron and gold.
But heaven is the gallery in which the
chief glorles are gathered. There are the
brightest robes There are the richest
crowns. There are the highest eXhilarations.
St. John says of it: 1.-The kings of the earth
shall bring their honor and glory into it,"
And l see the procession forming and in
the line come all empires, and the stars
spring up into an arch for the hosts to
march under. They keep step to the sound
of earthquake and the pitch of avalanche
from the mountains and the flag they bear
is the flame of a consuming world, and all
heaven turns out Win ndiIS anu lIuilptlS
and myriad-voiced reclamation of angelic
domnions to welcome them in, and so the
kings of the earth bring their honor and
glory into il. DO you wonder that good
people often stand like Stephen, looking
into heaven? We have many friends there.
There is not a man here so isolated in life
but there is some one in heaven with whom
he once shook hands. AS man gets older
the number of his celestial acquaintances
very rapidly multiplies. We have not had
one glimpse Of they Stree the night We
kissed them goodh - they went away;
but sun We stand E5<ing at heaven. As
when some of our friends 20 across the sea
We stand on the dock. or on the steam tug
and watch them, and after awhile the hulk
of the vessel disappears. and then there is
only patch OF sail on the sky. and soon
that is gone. and they are all out OF sight.
and yet We stand looking in the same di-
rection; 50 when our friends so away from
us into the future world we keep looking
down through the Narrows, and gazing and
gazing as though we expected that they
would come out and stand on some cloud,
and give us one glimpse OF their blissfuI
and transfigurcd faces
While you long to join their companions
ship, and the years and the DAYS 10 with
such todium that they break your heart
ana the Nipcrs of pain, and sorrow and be-
itaVemeht Keep gnawins at your vitals you
AOu wonder If they have changed since YOU
saw them last. You wonder if they would
recognize your face now, so changed has il
Decn with trouble. You wonder it, amid
the myriad delights they have they care
as much for you as they used to when they
save you a helping hand and put their
shoulder under your burdens. You wonder
II they look any older, and sometimes in
the evening tide, when the house is all
Quet' you wonder If you should call
them by their first name if they would not
| answer; ana perhaps sometimes you do
make the experiment, and when no one
Out God and yourself are there you dis
sit gazing into heaven
Iass on now. and see Stephen looking
upon Christ. My ttNc SAYS lt. say Tho SoB
Of Man at the right hand of God. just
now tnr1st looked IN TINS world, Just now
fle looks IN heaven, we cannot saw Thu
PAINTERS OF tho different ages have tried
10 imagine the features of Christ and put
them upon canvas; but We have To- wait
unul with our own eyes we see him
and with our own ears we can hear HIM
Ana yet there is a way of seeing Him and
nearing INN now. l have To ten you that
unless you see ana hear Christ on earth.
you VIII never see and hear Him in heaven.
Look There lie is, Behold the Lamb of
God! Gan you not see Him? Then pray 10
God 70 take the scales off your ewes
Look that way-try to look that way. His
voice comes down To you this day-comes
down to the blindcst, to the dcafest soul.
saying: Look unto Me- all We ends of the
earth and be ye saved, for am God, ana
there is none else" Proclamation of uni
versal emancipa ton ,or all slaves. Tel
me. We who know mo-, of the worlds his
tory @n3sd what nat other kin er asked the a5an-
and the outcastSS " "1Ed sit beside
him? Oh, wonC o' Clon! You can
take II today,,sH 60. head of the
darkest allies and say
Comet ClS6I H. galve for
gGur soiIt eternal