Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-09-06
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME ny TIM
kEw YORK PREACHER.
Subject Surprising spIendor."

TEXT "Eye bath not seen nor ear heard"
II Corinthians H., 9.
az am going 70 heavenl I am going %
heaven! Heaveul Heaven Heaven" These
were the last w0rls uttered a few DAYS ago
by my precious wife AS she assembled TO he
with God forever. and Is Il not natural As
we'll as Christianity appropriate that our
thoughts lie much directed toward the glori-
Gus residence OF which 81. Paul speaks in
the text have rhosent
The city ot Connth has been called the
Paris Of antiquity. Indeed Tor splendor the
world holds u0such woniertO-day. IL stood
on an isthmus washed by two seas. the one
sea bringing the commerce OF Europe, the
other the commerce Of Asia. From her
wharves. in the construction OF which whole
Kingdoms had been absOrbel :, war galleys
with three hanks oi oars pushed out and
coniounded the navy yards OF all the world.
Huge handed machinery. such a. 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 theatres, walked her porticoes and
threw itself on the altar of her stupenious
designations Column and statue and temple
bewildered the beholder. There were white
marble fountains into which, from aperturcs
at the side, there rushed waters everywhere
known for health giving qualities. Around
these basins visited into wreaths OF stone,
, there were all the beauties of sculpture and
architecture while standing, as II TO guard
the costly display, was a statue OF Hercules
OF FURNISHED Corinthau brass. Vases OF
terra Gotta adorned the cemeteries of the
dead-vases so costly that Julius Caesar was
not satisfied until he had captured them for
Rome. Armed officials, the "Corinthiarii,'
paced up and down to see that no statue was
defaced, no pedestal Overthrown, no has re-
lief touched. From the edge Of the city
hill arose, with its magnificent burden OF
columns and towers and temples 1000 slaves
awaiting at one shrine), and citadel so
thoroughly impregnablr that Gibraltar Is
heap OF sand compared with it. Amid all
that strength and magniilcence Corlnth
stood and deled the world.
Oh, it was not to rustics who had never
seen anything grand that st. Paul uttered
this text. They had heard the best music
that had come from the best instruments in
all the world. They had heard songs float
/ ing from morning pOrticoes and melting in
evening groves. They had passed their
/ whole lives away among pictures and
/ sculpture and architecture and Corinthian
! brass, which had been nodded and shaped,
until there was no chariot wheel in which 1t
( had not sped; and no tower in which II had
not glittered and no gateway that it had not
/ adorned.
/ All. ii was bold thing for Paul to stand
/ there amid all that and say; "AE this is
nothing These sounds that come from the
| temple of Neptune are not music compared
with the harmony Of which | speak. These
waters rushing in the basin Of Pyrene are not
pure. These statues of Bacchus and Mer-
curv are not exquisite. Yon citadel OF
AcrocOrinthus is not strong compared with
that which | offer to the poorest slave that
puts down his burden at that braZen gate.
You, Corinthians, think this is a splendid
city. You think you have heard all sweet
sounds and seen all beautiful sights, but l
tell YOU "eVe hath not seen. nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man
the things which God hath prepared forthem
that love Him. "
You see nv text sets forth the idea that,
! however exalted our ideas maybe OF heaven,
they come far short Of the reality. Some
wise men have been calculating how many
/ furlOngs long and wide is heaven, ana they
| have calculated how many inhabitants there
are on the earth; how long the earth will
probably stand. and then they come to this
. eStimate-that after all the nations had been
gathered to heaven there will be room Tor
each soul. a room l6 feet long and 10 feet
wide 1t would not be large enough for me.
/ am glad to know that no human estimate
is sufficient to take the dimensions. Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard nor arithmetic
/ calculated.
1 first remark that we can in this world get
no idea of the health Of heaven. When you
were child and you went out in the morn
ing. how YOU bounded along the road or
street-you had never felt sorrow or sick
ness! Perhaps later-perhaps in these very
summer days-you felt 4 glow in your
cheek, and a spring in your step, and an eX-
uberance Of spirits, and cIearness OF eye,
that made you thank God you were permit
ted to live The nerves were harp strings,
and the sunlight was a dOXology, and the
rustling leaves were the rustling OF the robes
of a great crowd rising up to praise the
Lord. You thought that you knew what 1t
was to be well, butthere is no perfect health
on earth. The diseases OF past generations
come down to us. The airs that float now
on the earth are unlike those which tioated
above paradise. They are charged with I'M
purities and distempers. The most elastic
and robust health of earth, compared with
that which those experience before whom the
gates have been opened, is nothing but sick.
ness and emaciation. Look at that soul
standing before the throne. On earth she
was lifelong invalid. See her step now and
near her voice now. Catcn, II you can, one
breath of that celestial air. Health in all the
pulses! Health of vision. Health OF spirits.
Immortal health No racking cough no
sharp pleurisies, no consuming levers, no
exhausting pains, no hospitals OF wounded
men. Health swinging in the air. Health
flowing in all the streams. Health blooming
on the banks. No headaches, no sideaches,
no backaches. That child that died in the
agonies of Group, hear her voice now ringing
In the anthem! That old man that went
bowed down with the intirmities OF age, see
him walk now with the step OF an immortal
athlete--forever young again! That night
when the needewoman tainted away In the
garnet, wave of the heavenly air resuscitat-
ed her forever. For everlasting years, to
have neither ache nor pain nor weakness nor
fatigue. Eye hath not seen it, ear hath not
heard it."
remark further that we can in this world
get no Just idea OF the splendor of heaven.
St. John tries to describe it. He SAYS, "The
twelve gates are twelve pearls" and that
"the foundations of the walls are garnished
with all manner OF precious stones" As we
stand looking through the telescope of st.
John we see blaze of amethyst and pearl
and emerald and sardonyx and chrysoprasus
and sapphire, mountain of light, q catar-
act of color, sea of glass and q city like the
sun.
st. John bids us look again, and we SCI
thrones thrones of the prophets, thrones Of
the patriarchs, thrones of the angels, thrones
of the apostles, thrones Of the martyrs, thron,
of Jesus, throne Of God! And we turn round
to see the glory, and it is-thrones! Thrones
Thrones!
st. John bids us look again, and we Sc
! the great procession Of the redeemed passing
Jesus, on white horse, leads the march
and all the armies of salvation following OIL
white horses. Infinite cavalcade passing
passing; empires pressing into line, age
following ages. Dispensation tramping OF
after dispensation. Glory in the track Q
glory. Europe, Asia, Africa and North an
South America pressing into lines. Island
| Of the sen shnmller 10 shnullar- GennrG