St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-01-09
TALMA6E's SERMON.
TAo Doctor D1ocoureee Upon I'm.
pl0ymento IN Heaven.
1soooAoso WIN lPseocA, Tooeherp VIM
1sacAs I'D tAs WseiA's eapaey.
uDoaes WIN O. o. Jaoe
Aboae - UeQak

Aoo0e - U0o0A
Rev. Z. Dewitt Talmags delivered
the following discourse before hi.
Washington congregation, taking for
his text:
Now Il came to pass II the thirtiesh rear. II
TIE fourth month. In the nth day Of the month
8 was among the captives BY the River Of
kiel LII.
Ezekiel, with others, had been ex
patriated. and while in foreign slavery
was standing on the banks Of the royal
canal which he and other serfs had
been condemned to dig by the order Of
Nebuchadnezzar-this royal canal IN
the text called the River of Chebar-
the illustrious exile had visions Of
Heaven. Indeed, It Is almost always
%. that the brightest visions of Heaven
come not 70 those who are on noun.
tain-top of prosperity. but to some
John on dcsolate Patmos, or to some
Paul in Mamertine dungeon, or to
some Ezekiel. standing on the banks
Of ditch he had been compelled to
dig-yea, TO the weary, to tho heart
broken, TO those whom sorrow has
banished. The text il very particular
to give us the exact time of the vision.
II Was in the thirtieth year, and in the
fourth month, and In the fifth day Of
the month. So you have had visions
of earth you shall never forget You
remember the year, you remember the
month. you remember the day. you
rememberthe hour. Why may We not
have some such vision now, and it be
in the twelfth month, and in the sixth
day Of the month";
The question 10 often silently. asked,
though perhaps never audibly pro.
poundeds "Whst are our departed
Christian friends doing now?" The
question 10 more easily answered than
you might suppose. Though there has
come no recent intelligence from the
Heavenly City. and We seem depend
emit upon the stories Of 10 centuries
ago. still / think we may from strong
est inference decide what are the pres
ent occupations of our transferred
kinsfoIk. After God has made . ma
turc He never eradicates the chief
characteristic of its temperament.
You never knew . man sanGuine in
temperament to become phlc9matic in
temperament Conversion plants new
principles in the soul. but Paul and
John are just as different from each
other after conversion Is they were
different from each other before con-
version. If conversion does not Grad
icate the prominent characteristics of
temperament. neither will death Grad
icate them. Paul and John are - diff
ferent;from each other in Heaven n
they were different from each other
in Asia Minor.
You have, then, only BY . sum in
and . sum In addition to
decide what are the employments Of
your departed friends in the better
world: You are to subtract from them
all earthly grossness and add all earth
" goodness, and then you are to come
to the conclusion that they are doing
now in Heaven what In their best mo-
ment they did on earth. The reason
50 many people never start for Heaven
Is because they could not stand It il
they got there IL it should turn out
TO b the rigid and formal place some.
people pilot ograph It We like to come
to church, but we would not want to
stay hero till next summer. We like
to hedr the "Hsllelujah Chorus." but
we would not want to hear it all the
time for 50 centuries. It might be on
some great occasion il would be posi-
bly, comfortable to wear . crown Of
gold Weighing several pounds, but it
would be IN afliction to wear such .
crown forever. In other words, we
run the descriptions Of Heaven into
the ground while we make that which
WAS attended n especial and celebra-
tive u be the exclusive employment in
Heaven. You might ~ well, if asked
to dedcribe the habits Of American 40
cietyI describe = Decoration day; or .
Of July, or an aulumnal
Thanksgiving. ~ though it were all
the tihe that way.
In }he first place, l remark that al
thoselo our departed Christian friends
who. on earth. found great Joy in the
fine afts arc now INDUCING their tastes
il thb same direction. On earth they
had their gladdest pleasures amid
pictafes and statuary, and in the study
Of thS laws Of light and shade and
perspective. Have you any idea that
! f1ueIhce of faculty At death collapsed
md Ierished? Why 30, when there is
more tor them to look 1T and they have
keen}r appreciation Of the beautiful.
md they stand amid the very looms
wherS the sunsets and the rainbows aud
Ihe spring mornings are woven7 Are
you p obtusc Is to suppose that because
The painter drops his easel. and the
sculptor his chisel, and the engraver
his knife, that therefore that taste,
which he WAS charging and intensi-
lying for 20 or 80 years is entirely OBJ
liLerated? These artists, or these
friends Of art on earth. worked
in cbarse material and with Inn
perfect brain and with frail
handi Now they have carried their
lrt into larger liberties and into wider
They arc 1t their old
business yet, but without tho fatigues.
without the limitations. without the
ndfances. Of the terrestrial studio.
/ r{mark again. that all our depart
ID Christian friends who in this world
werel pessionately fond OF music are
till RECALLING that taste In the world
celestial. The Bible says % much
lbout the music Of Heaven that It can
not III b dgurative. Why all this talk
.bout haflelu jshs and choirs ON the
ElasH and trumpets and harps and
,ratsiriss;and organs7 The Bible over
lpd.over again speaks Of the songs Of
Heaven. II Heaven had no songs Of it,
,wn ! vast number Of those on earth
woulh have been taken mp by the earth
u euiierant& Surely the Christian at
lesth does not lose his memory.
rheu there must Be millions
II souls in Heaven who know
'.CorSnation" and 'Antioch" and
MONT Hiagah" and 'Old Hun
lrod.n The leader Of the eternal
prehdstra need only once tap his baton