The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-06-07
WHAT VIZ KNOW OF npAvrN
Was the Topic of Rev. DIR. Chapman's Ser
mon ut First Methodist Church Last

Was the Topic of Rev. DIR. Chapman's Ser
mon Mt First Methodist Church Last
Evening.
At the First Methodist church last even
ing Rev. DR., Chapman, the pastor, preached
ON the topic, "What We Know of Heaven"
taking as his text Rev. iv;1: 81 looked and
behold a door was opened in Heaven" DR.,
Chapman said In part that it is not strange
that man should speculate about his future
life and linger wistfully about any door
that gives any CLEAN of what that other
life will be. While the most of us are ca
ger to know what heaven is like, it must be
confessed that our desire and yearning is
out of all proportion to our actual knowl-
edge. The Bible, our solitary source of
knowledge of heaven, assumes the fact of
future life, but does not prove 1t; it sug-
gests visions of blessedness, yet leaves
much for the wistful yearning of our i'm
agination.
The Old Testament has no door even ajar.
The New Testament alone gives us any
disclosure Of the Christian heaven, but even
1t gives us only pictures and symbols which
stir the Imagination, kindle great expect
ancy and are pictorial and poetic not de-
scriptlve and actual. These Bible pictures
were addressed to race intensely imagin-
alive After interpreting In general way
these pictures and symbols, DR.. Chapman
said:
I'VE are told that there is joy in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth. That JOY
implies knowledge of earth--an Interested
intimate acquaintance with what is going
on In individual souls. 1t is not merely the
public confession, it Is the silent secret re-
pentance Of the solitary sinner which wakes
| the orchestries of the skies and rocks hea-
ven to the very throne.
| 1--WE stand here on the verge of mysteries
| which we may not fath0m and on which
we should not dogmatlze; but it seems to
me that here Is door ajar through which
we may get glimpse of the life of hea-
ven, vision Of the immortal solicitudes
and activities of the spirit world,
ministry OF h heaen is ministry 10
agencies, supernatural beings, heavenly in
/ habitants, are near at hand and not afar
| off. Standing just within the silence. and
| the shadow that wells the spirit world, an
| near, and, though we see as through glass
| darkly, yet we hear the chanting OF the
heavenly host over one sinner that repent
eth, and we know that the sollcitude Of the
| gospel and the solicitude of the cross is
Still the sollcitude of the sky.
| I'm much blindness and uncertainty, amid
many questions and doubts and fears, this
| is certain: Heaven has not forgotten us;
| heaven watches and waits and wants us;
| heaven will not be wholly heaven until we
| too are heavenly.
| lnOSe VINO nave lONeu us On edFIu lONe
us still. The father, the mother, who
prayed over. your cradle; the husband or
the wife in whom death could not quench
or chill two immortal passions; their love
for Christ and their love for you; the van
shed children who dipped Into life as
birds into the sea, and futtered away tc
their native heaven; the dear friends with
whom we have sorrowed and rejolced on
earth, and who are bound with us in the
inseparate companionship of the heart--al
are there watching us still with a passion
ate interest, oyerhanging us ever with ar
immortal solicitude.
every day we are sending thrill OF
fear, or a song Of hope, through that in
visible spectral company by our weakness
or by our strength--by our treason or by
our loyalty to Him at whose dear fee
they cast their crowns.
God give us grace, that we may see then
face to face
'In that great day which comes apace'
81 looked and behold door was opened
in heaven and these are some of the thing
/ saw"