Connecticut western news., 1896-12-10

the embroideries, and the water colors, and the works of art which your de- parted friends used to admire. Do not say, "I am so sorry they had to leave all these things" Rather say, 1T am glad they have gone up to higher artis- tic opportunity and appreciation. Our friends who found so much joy in the fine arts on earth are now luxuriating in Louvres and Luxembourgs celestial.
 remark again that all our departed Christian friends who in this world were passionately fond of music are still regaling that taste in the world celestial. The Bible says so much about the music of heaven that it cannot all be figurative. Why all this talk about halleluiahs, and ohoirs on the glass and trumpets and harps and oratorios and organs? The Bible over and over again speaks of the songs of heaven. If heaven had no songs of its own, vast number of those on earth would have been taken up by the earthly emigrants. Surely the Christian at death does not lose his memory. Then there must be millions of souls in heaven who know Coronation" and Antioch" and Mount Pisgah" and "Old Hundred !" The leader of the eternal orchestra need only once tap his baton, and all heaven will be ready for the halleluiah. If heaven should ever get out of musio Thomas Hastings and Lowell Mason and Bradbury would start up hundred old magnificent chorals. But what with the new song that John mentions, and the various doxologies alluded to, and the importation of sublunar harmonies, a Christian fond of music, dying, will have an abundance of regalement. What though the voice be gone in death, what though the ear be fallen in dissolution, are you therefore to con- clude that the spirit will have no pow CT to make or catch sweet sounds? Can- not the soul sing? How often we oom- pliment some exquisite singing by say ing, "There was SO much soul in her music'
 Celestial Music.
 In heaven it will be all soul until the body after awhile comes up in the res- urrection, and then there will be an additional heaven. Cannot the soul hear? If it can hear, then it can hear music Do not therefore let it be in your household when some mem Der leaves for heaven, as it is in some households, that you close the piano and unstring the harp for two years be- cause the fingers that used to play on them are still. You must remember that they have better instruments of music where they are. You ask me. ''Do they have real harps and real trumpets and real organsf" do not know. Some wiseacres say positively there are no such things in heaven. I do not know, but I should not be sur prised if the God who made all the mountains, and all the hills, and all the forests, and all the mines of the earth, and all the growths of the uni verse; should not be surprised if he could, if he had 8 mind to, make few harps and trumpets and organs. Grand old Haydn, sick and wornout. was car ried for the last time into the music hall. There he heard his oratorio of the Creation. History says that as the orchestra came to that famous passage, . "Let there be lightp' the whole audi ence rose and oheered, and Haydn waved his hand toward heaven and said, Tt comes from theref' Over whelmed with his own music, he was carried out in his chair, and as he came to the door he spread his hand toward the orchestra as in benediction. Haydn was right when he waved his hand to- ward heaven and said, "It comes from .,, it will ever have its highest throne in heaven, and want you to understand that our departed friends who were pas sionately fond of music here are now at the headquarters of harmony. I think that the grand old church tunes that died when your grandfathers died have gone with them to heaven. When those tunes died, they did not stay on earth, and they could not have been banished to perdition, and so think they must be in the corridors of alabaster and Leb- anon cedar.
 In Bloodless Battle.
 Again, remark that those of our de- parted Christian friends who in this world had very strong military spirit are now in armies celestial and out in bloodless battle. There are hundreds of people born soldiers. They cannot help it. They belong to regiments in times of peace. They cannot hear drum or f1fe without trying to keep step to the music. They are Christian, and when they fight they fight on the right side. Now, when these our Christian friends who had natural and powerful military spirit entered heaven, they entered the celestial army. The door of heaven scarcely opens but you hear military demonstration. David cried out, "The chariots of God are 90, 000p Elisha saw the mountains filled with celestial cavalry. St. John said, "The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses. Now, when those who had the military spirit on earth sanoti- fled entered glory, I suppose they right away enlisted in some heavenly cam paign. They volunteered right away. There must needs be in heaven soldiers with soldierly spirit. There are grand parade days, when the King reviews the troops. There must be armed escort sent out to bring up from earth to
  querors. There must be crusades ever being fitted out for some part of God s dominion-battles, bloodless, groanless painless of evil to be fought down and fought out, other rebellious worlds to be conquered, worlds to be put to the torch, worlds to be saved, worlds to be sunk, worlds to be hoist ed. Besides that, in our own world there are battles for the right and against the wrong where we must have the heaven ly military. That is what keeps us Christian reformers so buoyant. So few good men against so many bad men; so few churches against So many grog- shops; so many pure printing presses against so many polluted printing press es, and yet we are buoyant and ooura- geous, because, while we know that the armies of evil in the world are larger in numbers than the army of truth