Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-01-29
HIS GLORIOUS FAITH.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches ON
RECOGNITION IN HEAVEN.

He Sums Up the Evidence Of the Bible
and That of the Dying Christian to Prove
General Hope-A Sermon of Absorb
ing Interest.
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 24.-Dr. Talmage
has been for few days preaching and
lecturing in Chicago, Minneapolis and
ST. Paul, and his sermon is on theme
which will Accordingly interest all who
read it. He returns this week TO Wash
ington. The subject is Heavenly Rec
ognition," and the text, II Sam. xii, 20,
81 shall go to him. "
There is a very sick child in the abode
Of David the king. Disease, which
stalks up the dark lane Of the poor and
puts its smothering hand on lip and
nostril of the wan and wasted, also
mounts the palace stairs and, bending
over the pillow, blows into the face of a
young prince the frosts of pain and
death. Tears are wine to the king OF
terrors. Alas, for David the kingl He
can neither sleep nor eat and lies pros
trate on his face, weeping and Willing
until the palace rings with the outcry
of woe
Shall Go to Him.
What are courtly attendants or vic
torious armies or conquered provinces
under such circumstances? What to any
parent is all splendid surrounding when
his child is sick? Seven days have passed
on. There, in that great house, two eye
lids are gently closed, two little hands
folded, two little feet quiet, one heart
still. The servants come to bear the It'd
ings to the king, but they cannot make
up their minds to tell him, and they
stand at the door whispering about the
matter, and David hears them, and he
looks up and says to them, Is the child
dead?" eyes, he is dead. "
David rouses himself up washes him
self, puts on new apparel and sits down
to food. What power hushed that tenn
pest? What strength was it that lifted
up that king whom grief had dethroned:
Oh. it was the thought that he would
come again into the possession Of that
darling childl No gravedigger's spade
could hide him. The wintry blasts Of
death could not put out the bright light.
There would be a forge somewhere that
with silver hammer would weld the
broken links. In city where the hoofs
of the pale horse never strike the pave
ment he would clasp his lost treasure.
He wipes away the tears from his eyes
and he clears the choking grief from his
throat and exclaims, Il shall go to him.
Was David right or wrongg five part
ON earth, will we meet again in the next
world? "Well, says some one, that
seems to be an impossibility. Heaven Is
so large a place we never could find our
kindred there" Going into some city
without having appointed a time and
place for meeting, you might wander
around for weeks and for months, and
perhaps for years, and never see each
other. and heaven is vaster than all
earthly cities together And how are you
going to find your departed friend in
that country? 1t is so vast realm.
John went up on one mountain Of in
spiration. and he looked off upon the
multitude, and he said, Thousands OF
thousands. " Then he came upon a
greater altitude of inspiration and looked
off upon it again, and he said, Ten
thousand times ten thousand. - And
then he came on a higher mount Of in
spiration and looked off again and he
said. "A hundred and forty and four
thousand and thousands Of thousands. "
And he came on still greater height
of inspiration, and he looked of again
and exclaimed, "a great multitude that
no man can number.
Now, ask, how are you going TO find
YOUR friends in such throng as that
Is not this idea we have been entertain
ing after all falsity? Is this doctrine
of future recognition Of friends in heay-
en- a guess, a myth, whim, or is 1t
Rranitic foundation upon which the soul
pierced Of all ages may build glorious
hope? Intense question! Every heart in
this audience throbs right into it. There
is in every soul here the tomb OF at least
one dead. Tremendous question: II
makes the lip quiver and the cheek
flush. and the entire nature thrill. Shall
we know each other there? l get letters
almost every month asking Inc to dis
cuss this subject. l get letter III
bold. scholarly hand, on gilt edged pa
per, asking me to discuss this question
and say. "Ah, that is a curious man.
and he wants curious question solved.
But get another letter. 1t is writer
with a trembling hand and on wha
seems to be a torn out leaf Of book
and there and here is the mark of tear
and l say, "Oh, that is broken heart
and it wants to be comforted "
From Theory to Certainty.
The object Of this sermon is to TAX
this theory out of the region Of surmis
and speculation into the region Of posi-
tive certainty. People say: "Itwould b
very pleasant if that doctrine were true
I hcpe it may be true. Perhaps it is true
wish it were true" But l believe tha
/ can bring an accumulation OF argu
ment to bear upon this matter whlcl
will prove the doctrine Of future recog
a milton as plainly as that there Is an,
heaven at all, and that the kiss of re
union at the celestial gate will be a
certain as the dying kiss at the door
the sepulcher.
Now, when you are going to build
ship you must get the right kind Of tim
, ber. You lay the keel and make tn
+ framework of the very best material
the keelson, stanchions, plank sheal
counter timber, knees, transoms-al
iron or solid oak. You may build a shi
of lighter material, but when the cy
clone comes ON it will go down. Now
we may have a great many beautiful
theories about the future world buil
out of our own fancy, and they may d
a very well as long as we have smoot
sailing in the world. But when tn
storms of sorrow come upon us, and IN
s hurricane Of death, we will be swampeC
II we will be foundered. We want th'
ory built out of Gods eternal word. III