Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-08-30
EYE HATH NOT SEEN.
ASERMON ON THE SURPRISING SPLEN-
DORIS OF THE HEAVENLY HOME.

Wife's Last Words-A Heavenly Song.
NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-FOr the be-
reaved and faint hearted there could bC
no words Of stronger consolation or en-
couragement than those Of the sermon
prepared by Rev. DR.. Talmage for to
day. His subject was Surprising
Splendors. With inimitable touch, ht
has pictured the glories and attractions
of the world beyond the skies in way
to bring joy to believing souls and tC
fascinate even the thoughtless and in
different. The text chosen was, eye
hath not seen nor ear heard" l Cor
inthians ii, 8.
II am going to heaven am going
to heaven Heaven Heaven Heaven 7
These were the last words uttered few
days ago by my precious wife as she as
cended to be with God forever, and is il
not natural as we'll as Christianly ap
propriate that our thoughts be much di
rected toward the glorious residence Of
which st. Paul speaks in the text 1 have
chosen?
The city Of Corinth has been called
the Paris Of antiquity. Indeed for splen-
dor the world holds no such wonder to-
day. 1t stood on an isthmus washed by
two seas, the one sea bringing the com
merce Of Europe, the other the com
merce Of Asia. From her wharves, in
the construction of which whole king
doms had been absorbed, war galleyS
with three banks of oars pushed out and
confounded the navy yards Of all the
world. Huge handed machinery, such
as modern invention cannot equal, lift
ed 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 q
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 hel
porticoes and threw itself on the altar
of her stupendous dissipations. Column
and statue and temple bewildered the
beholder. There were white marble
fountains into which, from apertures at
the side, there rushed waters everywhere
known for health giving qualities.
Around these basins, twisted into
wreaths Of stone, there were all the
beauties Of sculpture and architecture
while standing, as if to oguard the costly
display, was a statue Of Hercules OF
FURNISHED Corinthian brass. Vases OF
terra Gotta adorned the cemeteries Of the
dead-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 defaced, no ped
| estal overthrown, no bas relief touched
From the edge of the city hill arose
with its magnificent burden of columns
and towers and temples Q,000 slaves
awaiting at one shrine), and citade
so thoroughly impregnable that Glbral
tar is a heap Of sand compared with 1t
Amid all that strength and magnifcenc'
Corinth stood and defed the world.
The Glorious Text.
Oh. it was not to rustics who haC
never seen anything grand that st. Pau
uttered this text. They had heard the
hest music that had come from the bes
instruments in all the world They hat
heard songs floating from morning por
ticoes and melting in evening groves
They had passed their whole lives ava.
among pictures and sculpture and archl
lecture and Corinthian brass, which ha'
been nodded and shaped, until Their
was no chariot wheel in which 1t ha'
not sped, and no tower in which 1t ha'
not glittered, and no gateway that l
had not adorned
All. it was bold thing for Paul t
stand there amid all that and say: "Al
this is nothing. These sounds that com
from the temple Of Neptune are no
music compared with the harmony o
which speak. These waters rushing Il
the basin Of Pyrene are not pure. Thes
statues of Bacchus and Mercury are no
exouisite. Yon citadel Of Acrocorinthu
is not strong compared with that whlcl
Ioffer to the poorest slave that puts dow
his burden at that brazen gate You
Corinthians, think this is a splendid city
| You think you have heard all swee
sounds and seen all beautiful sights, bu
I tell you eye hath not seen, nor ca
heard. neither have entered into tn
heart Of man the things which Go
hath prepared for them that love him.
You see my text sets forth the lde
that. however exalted our ideas may D
of heaven. they come far short OF tn
reality. Some wise men have been cal
culating how many furlongs long AM
wide is heaven, and they have calculate
how many inhabitants there are ON tn
earth; how long the earth will probaol
stand, and then they come to this est
mate-that after all the nations ha
been gathered to heaven there Will be
room for each soul, a room 16 feet lon
and Is feet wide. It would not be lars
enough for me. / am glad to know tina
no human estimate is sufficient 70 tax
the dimensions. "Eye hath not seer
nor ear heard" nor arithmetic calcu
lated.
Health In Heaven.
first remark that we can in tn
world get no idea Of the health OF hea'
on. When you were a child and 20
vent out in the morning, how 20
handed along the road or street--yo
had never felt sorrow or sickness J Pc
hans later-perhaps in these very sun
mer days-you felt glow in yor
,heeir, and spring in your STEP and
, exuberance of spirits, and clearness
> eve. that made you thank God you WEI
, per1nitted to live. The nerves were har
strings. aud the sunlight was doxologl
q and the rnsling leaves were the ru
, Ting Of the robes Of great crowd risin
nm TO praise the Lord. You thought th'
won knew what it was TO be well, b'
there is no perfect health On earth. II
diseases Of past generations come down
ms The airs that float now on the ear
are unlike those which foated abo
paradise. They are charged with II
purities and distempers. The most ei'
tic and robust health OF earth' COZ