Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-09-13

But it is another Jerusalem toward
which we now need to open our WIN
dows. The exiled evangelist Of Ephesus
saw it one day as the surf Of the lcarian
sea foamed and splashed over the bowl
1ers at his feet, and his vision reminded
me Of wedding day when the bride by
sister and maid was having garlands
twisted for her hair and jewels strung
for her neck just before she puts her be-
trothed hand into the hand Of her afti-
anced. II, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out Of heaven prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband" " Toward
that bridal Jerusalem are our windows
opened?
We would do we'll to think more Of
heaven. 1t is not a mere annex Of earth.
It is not a desolate outpost. AS Jerusa-
lem was the capital Of Judea, and
Babylon the capital Of the Babylonian
monarchy, and London is the capital OF
Great Britain, and Washington is the
capital of our own republic, the New
Jerusalem is the capital Of the universe.
The king lives there. and the royal fam
ily of the redeemed have their palaces
there. and there is a congress Of many
nations and parliament Of all the world.
Yea. as Daniel had kindred in Jerusa-
lem of whom he often thought, though
he left home when a very young man,
perhaps father and mother and brothers
and sisters still living, and was home
sick to see them, and they belonged to
the high circles of royalty, Daniel him
self having royal blood in his veins, so
we have in the New Jerusalem a great
many kindred, and we are sometimes
homesick to see them, and they are all
princes and princesses, In them the
blood imperial, and we do well to keep
our windows open toward their eternal
residence.
1t is a joy for us to believe that while
we are interested in them they are in
terested in us. Much thought of heaven
makes one heavenly. The airs that blow
through that open window are charged
with life, and sweep up to us aromas
from gardens that never wither, under
skies that never cloud, in a spring tide
that never terminates. Compared with
it all other heavens are dead failures.
Homer's heaven was an elysium
which he describes as a plain at the end
of the earth or beneath, with no snow
nor rainfall, and the sun never goes
down, and Rhadamanthus, the justest OF
men. rules. Hesiod's heaven is what he
calls the islands Of the blessed, III the
midst of the ocean, three times year
blooming with most exquisite flowers,
and the air is tinted with purple, while
games and music and horse races occupy
the time. The Scandinavian heaven
was the hall Of Walhalla, where the
god Odin gave unending wine suppers
to earthly heros and heroines. The Mo
hammedan's heaven passes its disciples
in over the bridge Al-Sirat, which Is
finer than a hair and sharper than a
sword. and then they are let loose into
riot Of everlasting sensuality.
The American abOrigines look for
ward to heaven Of illimitable hunting
ground. partridge and deer and wild
duck more than plentiful, and the
hounds never off the scent and the
guns never missing fire. But the geog-
rapher has followed the earth round
and found no Homer's elysium. Noya'
gers have trayersed the deep in all direc-
tions and found no Hesiod's islands OF
the blessed. The Mohammedan celes
tial debauchery and the Indian s eternal
hunting ground for vast multltude'
have no charm. But here rolls III the
Bible heaven. No more sea-that Is, nc
wide separation. No more night-thai
is. no insomnia. No more tears-that
is. no heartbreak No more pain-tha'
is. dismissal of lancet and bitter drat'
and miasma and banishment Of neural
pias and catalepsies and consumptions.
All colors in the wall except gloomy
black. All the music in the major key
because celebrative and jubilant.
River crystalline, gate crystalline ano
skies crystalline because everything Is
clear and without doubt. White robes
and that means sinlessness. Nials tul
of odors, and that means pure regale
ment Of the senses. Rainbow, and thai
means the storm is over. Marriage sup
per. and that means gladdest festlvlty
Twelve manner of fruits, and tha
means luscious and unending variety
Harp. trumpet, grand march, anthem
amen and halleluiah in the same orches
ira. Choral meeting solo, and overture
meeting antiphon, and strophe joining
dithvramb, as they roll into the oceal
of doxologies. And you and may hay'
all that, and have it forever through
Christ if we will let him with th'
blood of one wounded hand rub out ou
sin. and with the other wounded han'
swing open the shining portals.
Think, Talk, Dream.
Day and night keep your window
omen toward that Jerusalem. Sing aoou
il PRAY about it. Think about 1t. Tai
about it. Dream about it. Do not be IN
consolable about your friends who hav
| zone into It. Do not worry II some
} thing in your heart indicates that yor
are not far off from its ecstasies. DO MOI
think that when a Christian dies h'
stops, for he goes on.
An ingenious man has taken tn
heavenly furlongs as mentioned IN Kew
elation and has calculated that ther'
will be in heaven 100 rooms 10 fee
square for each ascending soul, though
this world should lose 100, ,OOO, OO'
yearly. But all the rooms of heavel
will be ours, for they are family rooms
, and as no room In your house Is TO
good for your children, so all the room
r Of all the palaces Of the heavenly Jeru
salem will be free to Gods children, an
Z even the throneroom will not be de
MED, and you may run up the steps 9
= the throne. and put your hand on IN
/ side Of the throne, and sit down besid
@ the King according to the PROMISE 1
8 him that overcometh will / grant to s.
, with me in my throne.
t But you cannot 60 in except as Col
s uuerors. Many years ago the Turks an
Christians were in battle, and the Chril
II tians were defeated, and with the
!. commander Stephen fed toward Tor
Il ress where the mother OF this con
=. II.