The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-25
1T is HEAVENLY RECOGNITION.
AN ACCORDINGLY INTER ESTING
SERMON TO ALL WHO HEARD IT.

object Is to Take the Surmise out
of the Region of SamuaI i'm to the
Region of Positive Calamity.
Minneapolis, MINI, Jan. 2A-Dr. Tai
mage has been for a few days preaching
and lecturing in Chicago. Minneapolis and
St Paul and his sermon is on a theme
which will Accordingly interest all who
read it. He returns this week to Wash
ington. The subject is Heavenly Recog-
milton" and the text II. Sam. 1923, Il
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 ats
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 young prince the fros,s
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 PROSTATE on his face, weeping and
wailing until the palace rings with the
cutlery of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or victo-
rious armies, or conquered provinces, I'M
rent is all splendid surrounding when his
child is sick? Seven days have passed on.
There. in that great mouse, two eyelids,
are gently closed, 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 matter and
David hears them and he looks up and
says to them, rs the child dead?' yes,
he is dead" David 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 de-
throned? oh, it was the thought that he
would come again into the possession Of
that darling child. No grave digger'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 a 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 exclaims. u shall go to him"
Was David right or wrong? If we part
on earth will we meet again in the next
world? We'll" says some one, that seems
10 be an impossiblity. 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 Cor
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 a realm. John went up on one
mountain of inspiration, and he looked off
upon the multitude, and he said: Thou
sands of thousands Then he came upon
a greater altitude of inspiration, and
looked off upon 1t 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 a still greater hight of
inspiration, and he looked off again, and
exclaimed: "A great multitude that no
man can number"
Now / ask how are you going to lind
your friends in such a throng as that? Is
not this idea we have been entertaining
after all a falsity? Is this doctrine of flu.
ture recognition of friends in heaven
guess, a myth, a whim or is it granite
foundation upon which the soul pierced Of
all ages may build a glorious hope? In
tense question! Every heart in this audi
ence 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? l get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject.
! get letter in a bold, scholarly hand,
on gilt-edged paper, asking me to dis
Cuss this question, and l say: "Ahi that
is a curious man, and he wants a curious
question solved" But l get another let
ter. 1t is written with a trembling hand,
and on what seems to be a torn-out leaf
of book. and there and here is the mark
of a tear; and l say; "Oh, that is a
broken heart and 1t wants to be com
forted."
The object of this sermon is to take this
theory out of the region of surmse and
speculation into the region of positive GER
tainty. People say, 1T would be very
pleasant if that doctrine were true. / hope
II may be true. Perhaps it is true. / wish
it were true" But l believe that l can
bring an accumulation of argument TO
bear upon this matter which will prove
the doctrine Of future recognition as plain
" as that there is any heaven at all, and
that the kiss of reunion at the celestial
gate will be as certain as the dying kiss
at the door or the sepulchre.
Now, when you are going to build
ship you must get the right kind of tim
her. You lay the keel and make the
framework Of the very best materials, the
keelson, stanchions, plank-shear, counter
timber, knees. transoms, all iron or solid
oak. You may build a ship of lighter
material, but when the cyclone comes On
il 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 be
swamped--we will be foundered We want
a 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 strong
est mode of affirmation. Your friend
travels In foreign lands. He comes home.
He does not begin by arguing with you
10 prove that there are such places as
london and Stockholm and Parts ana
Dresden and Berlin, but his conversation
implies IL. And so this Bible does not
so positively state this theory as. all up
and down It's chapters. take 1t for granted.
WHAT does my text imply2 II shall SO
20 him" What consolation would Il be