Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-12-11

wrong where we must have the heaven
ly military. That is what keeps US
Christian reformers so buOS ant. 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 coura-
geous, because, while we know that the
armies of evil in the world are larger
in numbers than the army Of truth,
there are celestial cohorts in the air
fighting on our side.
have not so much faith in the army
on the ground as have in the army in
the air. o God, open our eyes that
we may see them-the military spirits
that went up from earth to join the
military spirits before the throne-Josh-
ua and Caleb and Gideon and David
and Samson and the hundreds Of Chris
tian warriors who on earth fought with
feshly arm, and now, having gone IN
on high, are coming down the hills OF
heaven ready to fight among the invisi-
bles. Our departed Christian friends
who had the military spirit in them
sancti6ed are in the celestial army.
Whether belonging to the artillery, or
the cavalry, or the infantry, know not.
| only know that they have started out
for feet service and courageous service
and everlasting service. Perhaps they
may come this way to fight on our side
and drive sin and meanness and satan
from all our hearts Yonder they are
coming, coming. Did you hear them as
they swept byT
Everlasting Metaphysics.
But what are our mathematical
friends TO do in the next world? They
found their joy and delight in mathe-
MATES. There was more poetry to them
in Euclid than in John Milton. They
were as passionately fond Of mathemat-
les as Plato, who wrote over his door,
"Let no one enter here who is not ac-
quainted with geometry" What are
they doing now? They are busy with
figures yet No place in all the universe
like heaven for figures. Numbers INF
mite, distances infinite, calculations in
finite; il they want them, arithmetics
and algebras and geometries and trig-
onometries for all eternity. What fields
of space to be surveyed What magni-
tudes to measured What diameters, what
circumferences, what triangles, what
uuaternions, what epicycloids, what
parallelograms, what comic sections!
The didactic DR.. Dick said he really
thought that the redeemed in heaven
spent some of their time with the high
er branches of mathematics So Of our
transferred and transported metaphysi-
clans. What are they doing now! Study
ing the human mind, only under better
circumstances than they used to study
it. They used TO study the mind sheath
ed in the dull human body. Now, the
spirit unsheathed-now they are study
ing the sword outside the scabbard.
Have you any doubt about what Sir
William Hamilton is doing in heaven,
or what Jonathan Edwards Is doing IN
heaven. or the multitudes on earth who
had a passion for metaphysics sanctifed
BY the grace of God? No difficulty IN
guessing. Metaphysics, glorious meta
physics, everlasting metaphysics.
What are our departed Christian
friends who are explorers doing now?
Exploring yet. but with lightning 10.
comotion, with vision microscopic and
telescope at the same time. A contl-
nent at a glance, a world in a second,
a planetary system in a day. Christian
John Franklin, no more in disabled Ere
bus pushing toward the north pole;
Christian de Long, no more trying TO
free blockaded Jeanette from the ice;
Christian Livingstone, no more amid
African malarias, trying TO make reve-
lation of a dark continent, but all OF
them in the twinkling Of an eye taking
in that which was once unapproachaole.
Mont Blanc scaled without alpenstock,
the coral depths Of the ocean explored
without a diving bell, the mountains
unbarred and opened without Sir HUM
phrey Davy's safety lamp.
The Library OF the universe.
What are our departed friends who
found their chief Joy in study doing
now? Studying yet, but, instead OF
few thousand volumes on few shelves,
all the volumes of the universe open
before them - geologic, ornithologic,
conchologic, botanic, astronomic, phi
losophic. No more need Of Leyden jars or
yoltaic piles or electric batteries, stand
ing as they do face to face with the facts
Of the universe.
What are the historians doing nowf
Studying history yet, but not the his
tory Of few centuries Of our planet only
but the history of the eternities-whole
millenniums before Xenophon or He
rodotus or Moses or Adam was born.
History Of one world, history OF all
worlds. What are our departed astrono-
mers doingl Studying astronomy yet
but not through the dull lens Of earth
ly observatory, but with one stroke OF
wing going right out to Jupiter ana
Mars and Mercury and Saturn and
| OrlOn ana the UiouS'' Wv .
and passing the swiftest comet in their
fight Herschel died Christian. Have
you any doubt about what Herschel Is
doingg Isaac Newton died Christian
Have you any doubt about what Isaac
Newton Is doing' Joseph Henry died a
Christian. Have you any doubt soou'
what Joseph Henry is doing? They were
10 discussion, all these astronomers OF
earth. about what the aurora borealis
was. and none of them could guess.
They know now; they have been out
there 20 see for themselves,
What are our departed Christian
chemists doingi Following out theii
own science, following out and follow
| ing out forever. Since they died the,
have solved 10, 900 questions which puz
zled the earthly laboratory. They stan'
, ON the other side Of the thin wall o
eIecticity-the thin wall that seems y
divide the physical from the spiritua
world; the thin wall OF electricity 8
, thin the wall that ever and anon
, seems 70 be almost broken through
broken through from one side BY tele
1 phonio and telegraphic apparatus, oro
Al ufd m