The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-02-05

) HallelujahI never expected to see thl
lost one come back" The Bible say
nations are to be born in a day. Wher
China comes to God will it not know
Dr. Abeel? When India comes will i
not know DIR. John Scudder? When th'
Indians come to God will they not know
, David Brainerd?
see a soul entering Heaven at last
with covered face at the idea that i
has done so little for Christ, and feel
ing borne down with unworthiness
and it says to itself: 81 have no right tC
be here voice from a throne says
"Oh, you forgot that Sunday-schoo
} class you invited to Christi 1 was one
of them.'' And another voice says
You forget that poor old man tt
whom you gave loaf of bread, and
told of the Heavenly bread. l was
that man." And another says: ''YeE
forget that sick one to whom you gave
medicine for the body and the soul.
was that one" And then Chi sst, from
a throne overlapping all the rtSt, will
say: ''Inasmuch as ye did it to one OF
the least of these, you did it to Me. >
And then the seraphs will take their
harps from the side of the throne, and
cry: ''What song shall it be?" And
Christ, bending over the harpers, shall
say: 1T shall be the Harvest Home!'
Heaven is not stately, formal place,
as sometimes hear it described, very
frigidity of splendor, whose people
stand on cold formalities and go around
with heavy crowns of gold on their
heads. No, t11.at is not my idea of
/ 81 g
like this: You are seated in the even
ing-tide by the fireplace; your whole
family there, or nearly all OF
them there. While you are seated
talking and enjoying the evening
hour, there is knocl1 at the
door and the door opens, md there
comes IN a brother that has been long
absent. He has been absent, for years
you have not seen him, and no sooner
do you make up your mind taat it is
certainly he than you leap up, and the
question is who shall give him the first
embrace. That is my idea of Heavcn-a
great home circle where they are wait
ing for us. Oh, will you not know your
mothers voice there? She who always
called you by your first name long
after others had given you the formal
"Mister?" You were never anything
| but James, or John, or George, OF
| Thomas, or Mary, or Florence, to
her. Will you not know your
child's voice? She of the bright
eye and the ruddy cheek, and the
quiet step, who came in from play
and flung herself into your lap. a
very shove of mirth and beauty?
| iS
soul 1t can not wear out. If that
| little one should stand on the other
side of some heavenly hill and call to
| you, you would hear her voice above
the burst of Heavens great orchestra
Know it! You could not help but
know it.
Now l bring you this glorious con-
ISOLATION of future recognition. If you
could get this theory into your heart
it would lift a great many shadows
that are stretching across it. When
was lad used to go out to the rail
road track and put my ear down on
the track, and | could hear the express
train rumbling miles away, and COM
ing on; and to-day, my friends, if we
only had faith enough we could put
our ear down to the grave of our dead,
and listen and hear in the distance the
rumbling on of the ch hariots of resur-
rection victory.
o Heaveni sweet Heavenl You do
not spell Heaven as you used to spell
it, Heaven, Heaven. But now when
you want to spell that word you place
side by side the faces of the loved ones
who are gone, and in that irradiation
of light and love, and beauty and joy,
you spell it out as never before, in
songs and hallelujah Oh, ye, whose
hearts are down under the sod of the
cemetery, cheer up at the thought of
this reunion. Oh, how much you will
have to tell them when once you meet
them.
Oh, now they bound in, these spirits
before the throne! Some shout with
gladness Some break forth into un-
controllable weeping for joy. Some
stand speechless in their shock of de-
light. They sing. They quiver with
excessive gladness. They gaze on the
temples, on the palaces, on the
waters, on each other. They weave
their joy into garlands, they
spring it into triumphal arches, they
strike on timbrels. and then
all the loved ones gather in a great
circle around the throne of God-fa-
theirs, mothers. brothers, sisters, sons
and daughters lovers and friends, hand
to hand around about the throne-the
circle, hand to hand, joy to joy, jubi-
lee to ju ubilee, victory to victory, ''un-
til the day break and the shadows fee
away. Turn, my beloved, and be like
roe or a young hart upon the
mountains of Bether."
Oh, how different it is on earth from
the way it is in Heaven when Chris
+ian dies! We say: "Close his eyes. =
In Heaven they say: Give him a
PALM" On earth we say: Let him
down in the ground" In Heaven
they say: Hoist him on
throne" On earth it is: Fare
well, farewell" In Heaven it is:
Welcome, welcome" And SO SEQ
a Christian soul coming down to tho
river of death, and he steps into tho
river, and the water comes up to tho
ankle. He says: Lord Jesus, is this
death?H No" says Christ. this is
not death" And he wades still
deeper down into the waters until tho
food comes to the knee, and he says,
Lord Jesus, tell me, tell me. is this
death?" And Christ says: mo. no,
this is not DEATH" And he wades still
further down until the wave comes to
the girdle, and the soul says: Lord
Jesus,i is this death?" mo, says Christ,
this is not. +" And deeper in wades tho
soul till the billow strikes the lip, and
the departing one cries: Lord Jesus,
is this death?" NO" says Christ,