Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-05-15


His friends. Wait until China; which Is hal
as large as all Europe, shall have develope
her capacities for rice and tea and suga
among edibles; and her amethyst and saI
phire and topaz and opal and jasper an
porphyry among precious stones, and he
rosewood and ebony and camphor and var
hisH trees among precious woods, an
turned up from her depths half doze
Pennsylvania of coal and iron. and twent
Nevadas OF silver and fifty Californias Q
gold, and her 100000 900 of people shall b
evangelical. Then the lord will divide l
up among the good:
If my text be not deception, but tn
eternal truth, then the time is coming whoI
all the farms will be owned by Christian
farmers, and all the commerce controlled b.
Christian merchants. and all the authority
l~held by Christian officials, and all the ship
commanded by Christian captains, and al
the universities under the instruction o
Christian professors; Christian kings, Chris
tian presidents. Christian governors, Chris
tian mayors, Christian common council. Yet
what securing oail What an tipturning
What q demolitionl What resurrection
must. precede this new apporionment!
do not underrate the enomy. julius
Caesar got his greatest victories by fully esti-
mating thu vastness Of his foes and prepared
his men for their greatest triumph by saying,
Tomorrow King Juba will be here with
1000 horses; 100000 skirmishers and 300
elephants" / do not undcrrate the vast
| forces Of sin and death, but do you know
who commands us2 Johovahjireh. And the
reserve corps behind us are all the armies OF
| heaven and earth; with hurricane and thun-
derbolt. The good work OF the worlds re-
! demption is going on every minute. Never
so many splendid men and glorious women
on the side OF right az to-day. Never SO
| many good people as now. Dlogenes has
| been spoken of as wise man because he
went with lantern at monday, saying he
WAS looking for an honest man. II he had
turned his lantern toward himself, he might
have discovered a crank. Honest men by
the 10000! Through the international series
OF Sunday school lessons the next generation
all through ChrIsteldom are going to be
wiser than any generation since the world
stood. The kingdom is coming. God can
do it. No housewife with d chanois cloth
over polished silver teaspoon With more
ease than Christ Will RIB of from this world
the tarnish and brighten it up till 1t gloWs
like heaven. and then the glorious appor-
tioament, for my text is re- on forced by ii
score Of other texts, when it says of Christ.
"He shall divide th6 spoil with the strong"
But" you say, ''thiS is pleasant to think
OF for others, but before that time shall
have passed up into another existence and /
shall get no advantage from that new ap-
pointment. Alb, you have only driven me
to the other more exciting and transporting
consideration, and that Is that Christ Is 60
ing to divide up heaven In the same way.
There are old estates in the celestial world
that have beenin the possession OF the in
habitants for thousands OF Year,, and they
shall remain as they are. There are old
family mansions in heaven filled with whole
generations of kindred, and they shall never
be driven out. Many OF the victors from
earth have already got their palaces, and
they are pointed out to those newly arrived.
Soon after our getting there we will ask to
be shown the apostolic residences, and ask
where does Paul live an John, and shown
the patriarchal residences, anil shall say,
"Where docs Abraham live or jacob" and
shown the martyr residences and say,
"Where does John Huss live and Ridley"
We will want to sec the bouevards, where
the chariofs of conquerors roll. will want
to see the garden where the princes walk.
We will want to see Music row. where Hun
del and Haydn and Mozart and Charles IVES.
ley and Thomas Hastings and Bradbury
have their homes, out of their windows, ever
and anon, rolling some snatch Of an earthly
oratorlo. or hymn transported with the COM
poser. We will want to see Revival ter
ace, where Whitehed and Nettleton and
Payson and Rowland Hill and Charles Fin
ney ard other giants of soul reaping are
resting from their almost supernatural la
bors, their doors thronged with converts
Just arrived, coming to report themselves.
But brilliant as tho sunset and like the
leaves for number are the celestial homes
vet to be awarded when Christ to you and
millions of others shall divide the SPOIL
What do you want there? You shall have it.
An orchard? There 1t is-twelve manner OF
fruits, and fruit every month. Do you want
river scenery? Take your choice on the
banks of the river, In longer, wider. deeper
roll than Danube OF Amazon or Mississippi
If mingled in one and emptving into the sea
OF glass. mingled with fire. Do you want
your kindred back again? Go out and meet
your father ind mother, without the staff or
the stoop, ard your children in dance of inn
mortal glee. Doyou want throne2 Select
it from the million FURNISHED elevations. Do
YOU want crow12 Pick 1t out of that
mountain of diamonded coronets. Do you
want your old church friends Of earth
around you? Begin to hum an old revival
tune, and they will flock from all quarters TO
revel with you in sacred "reminiscences. ALI
the Garth for those who are here on earth at
the time of continental and planetary dis
tribution and all tho heavens for those who
are there.
That heavenly distribution of spoils will
be surprise to many. Here enters heaven
the soul of a man who took up great deal
of room IN the church on earth, but sacrificed
little, and among his good works sslashness
was evident. He just crowds through thu
gate, but it's n ve;Y tight squeeze,
so that the doorkeeper has TO pull hard to
get him in, aud this man expects half of
heaven for his share OF trophies, and he
would like monopoly Of all its splendor
and to purchase lots in the suburbs. so that
he could get advantage Of the growth OF the
city. Well, little by little he gets grace of
heart. just enough to get him through, and
to him is given secondhand crown which
one of the saints wore at the start, but ex-
changed for a brighter one as he went on
from glory to glory. And he is put in an
old house once occupied by an angel who
was hurled out Of heaven ut the time of |
satan's rebellion.
Right after him comes soul that makes
great stir among the celestials, and the an |
gels rush to the scene, each bringing TO her q
dazzling coronet. Who is she? Over what |
realm on earth was she queen2 In what ,
great Dusseldorf festival was she the canta-
Irce? Neither. She was an invalid who |
never left her room for twenty years, but she
was strong in prayer-and she prayed down !
revival after revival and pentecost after PEN
tecost upon the churches, and with her pale
hand she knit many mitten or tippet for
he poor, and with her contrivanees she add
I'd Joy to many holiday festival, and now
with those thin hands so strong for kindness
and with those white lips so strong Tor sur
Dlication she has won coronation and in
.hronenent and jubilee. And Christ said to
the angels who have brought each crown
for the glorihed invalid: mo, not these.