The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-09-13

ed on one side by Shadrach's redhot
furnace and the other side by de-
vouring lions, learn the secret OF cour-
age and deliverance by looking at that
Babylonish window open toward the
southwest. "Oh, you say "that is
the direction of the Arabian desert.
Yes, but on the other side of the desert
is God, is Christ, is Jerusalem, is
heaven.
The Brussels lace is superior to all
other lace, so beautiful, so multlform,
so expensive-400 francs pound. All
the world seeks it. Do you know how
it is made? The spinning is done III
dark room, the only light admitted
through small aperture, and that light
falling directly on the pattern. And the
finest specimens of Christian character
l have ever seen or ever expect to see
are those to be found in lives all OF
whose windows have been darkened by
bereavement and misfortune save one,
but under that one window OF prayer
the interlacing of divine workmanship
went on until it was fit to deck
throne, celestial embroidery which
angels admired and God approved
Think of Heaven.
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 Icarian
sea foamed and splashed over the bowl
ders at his feet, and his vision reminded
me of wedding day when the bride by
i Lar, ri dc
twisted for her hair and jewels strung
for her neck just before she puts her be-
trothed hand into the hand of her aft
anced. 81, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven prepared as 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.
1t is not 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
lily 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 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 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 we'll 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 or 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 spring tide
that never terminates. Compared with
it all other heavens are dead failures.
| Homer's heaven was an elysium
which he describes as 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, in 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 s 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. Voya-
gers have traversed the deep in all direc-
tions and found no Hesiod's islands Of
the blessed. The Mohammedan' celes-
tial debauchery and the Indians eternal
hunting ground for vast multitudes
have no charm. But here rolls in the
Bible heaven. No more sea-that is, no
wide separation. No more night-that
is, no insomnia. No more tears-that
is, no heartbreak. No more pain-that
4 is, dismissal of lancet and bitter draft
and miasma and Punishment of neural
gias 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 and
skies crystalline because everything is
clear and without doubt. White robes,
and that means sinlessness. Walls full
of odors, and that means pure regale-
ment of the senses. Rainbow, and that
means the storm is over. Marriage sup
per, and that means gladdest festivity.