Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1897-02-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME ny THE
WASHINGTON PREACHER.
Subject: "Heavenly Recognition"
TrIT; 81 shall so to him."-u Samuel


bending over the pillow blows into the face
OF the young prince the frosts OF pain and
death. Tears are wine to the king OF terrors.
Alas for David the king. He can neither
sleep nor eat and lies Frustrated on his face
weeping and wailing until the palace rings
with the cutlery of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or victorious
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 eyelids are gently closet,
TWO little hands folded, two little feet quiet,
one heart still. The servants come to bear
the tidings to the king. but they cannot
make up their minds TO tell him, and they
stand at the door whispering about the mat
ter. and David hears them, and he looks up
and says 90 them: ''Is the child dead?"
Eyes, he is dead"
Davi1 rouses himself up, washes himself,
puts ON new apparel and sits down TO food.
What power hushed that tempest? 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 child. No grave.
diggers spade could hide him. The wintry
blasts of death could not put out the bright
light. There would be forge somewhere
that with silver hammer would weld the
broken links. In city where the hoofs of
the pale horse never strike the pavement he
would clasp his lost treasure. He wipes
away the tears from his eyes, and he clears
the choking grief from his throat and eE-
claims, II snail go to him."
Was David right or wrong? II we part on
earth, will We meet again in the next world?
"Well, says some one, ''that seems to be an
impossibiliiy, Heaven is so large place we
never could find our kindred there" Going in
to some city, without having appointed time
and place for meeting, you might wander
around for weeks and for months, and per-
haps for years, and never see each other, and
heaven is vaster than all earthly cities to-
gether And how are you going to find your
departed friend in that country? 1t is so vast
realm. John went up one mountain OF in
spiratiOl, and he looked OFF upon the multi
tude and he said, Thousands of thousands
Then he came up 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 higher mount OF in
spiration and looked off again, and he said,
"a hundred aud forty and four thousand
and thousands OF thousands" And he came
ON a still greater height of inspiration, and
he looked Off again and exclaimed, "a great
multitude that TO man can number"
Now, / ask, how are you going to find
your friends in such a throng as thaig Is
not this IDEA we have been entertaining
after all, falsty2 Is this doctrine of future
recognition OF friends in heaven guess.
myth, u within. or is it granite foundation
upon which the soul pierced OF all ages may
build q 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!
1t makes the lip culver; and the cheek flush.
and the entire nature thrill. Shall we know
each other there? | get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject.
get q letter in a bold, scholarly hand, on gilt
edged paper, asking me to discuss this ques-
ton and | say. "Ah. that is n curious man,
and he wants a curious question solved"
But get another letter. Ii Is written with a
trembling hand and on what seems to be Il
torn out leaf of book, and there and here is
the mark OF tear, and l say, "Oh, that is a
broken heart, and it wants to be comforted!'
The object of this sermon is to take this
theory out of the region of surmise and
speculation into the region OF positive GER
tainty People say; II: would be very
pleasant if that doctrine were true. l hope
1t may be true. Perhaps it is true. / wish
it were true" But l believe that can bring
an accumulation of argument to bear upon
this matter which will prove the doctrine OF
future recognition as plainly as that there is
any heaven at all, and that the kiss of re-
union at the celestial gate will be as certain
as the dying kiss at the door of the sepulcher.
Now, when you are going to build ship
you must get the right kind Of timber. You
lay the keel and make the framework OF the
very best materials--tho keelson. stanchions.
plank shear, counter timber. knees, trarsoms
all iron or solid oak. You may build a
ship of lighter material, but when the cyclone
comes on it will go down. Now, we may
have great many beautiful theories about
the future world built out Of our own fancy,
and they may do very well as long as We
have smooth sailing in the world, but when
the storms of sorrow come upon Us, and the
hurricane of death, we will beswamped-we
will be foundered. We want n theory built
out of Gods eternal word. The doctrine OF
future recognition is not so often positively
! stated In the word of God as implied, and
| you know, my friends, that that is. after all,
the strongest mode Of affirmation. Your
friend travels in foreign lands. He comes
home He does not begin by arguing with
you to prove that there are such places as
London and Stockholm and Paris and Dres-
den and Berlin, but his conversation implies
II. And so this Bible does not so positively
state this theory as, all up and down its
chapters, take it for granted.
What does my text imply? II shall go to
him." What consolation would it be to
David to go to his child if he would not know
him? Would David have been allowed to
record this anticipation for the inspection OF
all ages If it were groundless anticipation?
We read in the first book OF the Bible: Abra-
ham died and was gathered to his people.
Jacob died and was gathered to his people.
Moses died and was gathered to his people,
| What people? Why, their friends, their com
rades, their old companions. OF course it
means that. 1t cannot mean anything else.
So in the very beginning Of the Bible four
times that is taken for granted. The whole
N,1x,, T,1Nn 4,
doctrine creeps like aluXuriant vine full of
the purple clusters of consolation. James,
John and Peter followed Christ into the
mountain. light falls from heaven on
that mountain and lifts 1t into the glories OF
the celestial. Christ's garments glow and His
face shines like the sun. The door OF heaven
swings open. Two spirits come down and
alight on that mountain. The disciples look
at them and recognize them as Moses and
Elias. Now if these disciples standing on
the earth could recognize these two spirits
who had been for years in heaven, do you
tell me that we, with our heavenly eyesight,
will not be able to recognize those who have
gone out from among us only five, ten,
twenty, thirtyyears ago?
The Bible indicates over and over again
that the angels know each other, and then
the Bible says that we are TO be higher than
the angels, and if the angels have the power
VI lOSOShibiObJ ohuIi iot w. VIM III W pO
higher than they in the next realm. have as
good eyesight and as good capacity What
did Christ mean in His conversation with
Mary and Martha when He said, "Thy
brother shall rise again?" 1t was as much
as to say: Don't cry. Don't wear your.
selves out with this trouble. You will see
Him again. Thy brother shall rise again. y
The Bible describes heaven as q great
home circle. Well, now, that would be a
very queer home circle where the members
did not know each other. The Bible de-
other before we go to sleep, shall we not
know each other after we wake up? Oh
yes. We will know each other a great dea
better then than now, "For now" says the
apostle, 1--WE see through a glass darkly. but
then face to face" 1t will be my purified
enthroned and glorifed body gazing on you
purified, enthroned and glorifled body.