The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-04

world get no just idea of the splendor
of heaven. st. John tries to describe
it. He says, The y gates are y
pearls" and that the foundations OF
the wall are garnished with all man
ner 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-a noun
tain of light, cataract of color, sea
of glass and city like the sun.
st. John bids us look again, and we
see thrones-thrones Of the prophets,
thrones of the patriarchs, thrones Of
the angels, thrones of the apostles,
thrones of the martyrs, throne Of
Jesus, thorne OF God. And we turn
round to see the glory, and it is
Thrones, Thrones. Thrones,
St. John bids us look again, and we
see the great procession Of the redee :
ed passing. Jesus, on white horse,
leads the march, and all the armies of
salvation following on white horses
Infinite cavalcade passing, passing
empires pressing into line, ages fol-
lowing ages. Dispensation tramping
on after dispensation Glory in the
track of glory. Europe, Asia, Africa
and North and South America press
ing into lines Islands of the sea
shoulders to shoulder. Generations
before the flood following generations
after the flood, and as Jesus rises at
the head of that great host and waves
his sword in signal of victory all
crowns are lifted, and all ensigns flung
out, and all chimes rung, and all hal
leluiahs chanted, and some cry, "Glory
to God most high. and some, Hos
anna to the Son of David" and some,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
till all eXclamations of endearment
and homage in the vocabulary of
heaven are exhausted, and there come
up surge after surge of Amen Amen
Amen!'
Eye hath not seen it: ear hath not
heard it." Skim from the summer
waters the brightest sparks, and you
will get no idea of the sheen of the
everlasting sea. Pile up the splendors
of earthly cities, and they would not
make a stepping stone by which you
might noun to the city of God. Ev-
cry house is a palace Every step a
triumph. Every covering of the head
a coronation. Every meal is a ban
quet. Every stroke from the tower is
wedding bell. Every day is jubi-
lee every hour rapture, and every
moment an ecstasy. Eye hath not
seen It; ear hath not not heard it.
I remark further we can get no idea
on earth of the reunions Of heaven. If
you have ever been across the sea and
met friend or even an acquaintance
in some strange city, you remember
how your blood thrilled, and how glad
you were to see him. What then,
will be our JOY, after we have passed
the seas of death, to meet in the bright
city of the sun those from whom we
have long been separated.
After we have been away from our
friends 10 Or i years, and we come
upon them. we see how differently
they look. The hair has turned, and
wrinkles have come in their faces, and
we say. ''How you have changed =
But, oh, when you stand before the
throne ali cares gone from the face,
all marks of sorrow disappeared, and
feeling the joy of that blessed land,
methinks we will say to each other,
with an exultation we cannot now i'm
agine, "How you have changed" IL
this world we only meet to part. 1t is
goodby, goodby, farewells floating in
the air. We hear it at the rail car win.
dow, and at the steamboat wharf
goodby. Children lisp it, and Oh age
light way" "goodby"-and sometimes
with anguish in which the soul breaks
down. Goodby! All That is the
word that ends the Thanksgiving ban
quet; that is the word that comes in tc
close the Christmas chant. Goodby
goodby! But not so in heaven. Wei
comes in the air, welcomes at the gates
welcomes at the house of many man
sions-but no goodby. That group is
constantly being augmented. They
are going up from our circles of earth
to Join little voices to join the an
them, little hands to take hold of it in
the great home circle, little feet tc
dance in the eternal glee, little crowns
to be cast down before the feet ot
Jesus. Our friends are in two groups
"a group this side of the river and
group on the other side of the river
Now there goes one from this to that
and another from this to that, anc
soon we will all be gone over. How
many of your loved ones have already
entered upon that blessed place! If J
should take paper and pencil, do you
think could put them all down? All
my friends, the waves of Jordan roal
so hoarsely we cannot hear the othe,
side where their group is augmented
It is graves herr and coffins and hear
ses there
a little child's mother had died, and
they comforted her. They SAID
Your mother has gone to heaven.
Don't crv." And the next day they
went to the graveyard, and they laid
the body of the mother down into the
ground and the little girl came up to
the verge of grave, and looking down
at the body of her mother said, "ls
this heaven2' Oh, we have no idea
what heaven is, It is the grave here
it is darkness here, but there is merry,
making yonder Methinks when a
soul arrives some angel takes II
around to show it the wonders of that
blessed place. The usher angel says
to the newly arrived: These are the
martyrs that perished at Piedmont.
These We're torn to pieces at the In,
QUESTION. This is the throne of the
great Jehovah. This is jesus I
am going to see Jesus, said dying
negro boy. II am going to see Jesus.
And the missionary said, You are
sure you will see him." "Oh, yes;
that's what want to 60 to heaven
for" But" said the missionary.