The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-03-10
HEAVEN.
Doctor TaImage's Idea of What Heaven
Is Like.
atlanta Journal.

.itldnta Journal.
One great need of this country i
more Talmages in putlic life. \ Tai
mage on every block would make fa
better, brighter and happier land.
''That is too tremendous a theme.
And DR.. Talmage as he made tha
exclamation looked like a man wht
wanted all the time he could get.
1 had asked him to give me his idet
of heaven.
II am afraid,' said he, "that
can't do it without time for reflection
It is such an immense subject"
"Why, you've been thinking abou
it 30 years or more, and you are always
ready"
Still he had his misgivings, but a
last, with winning smile said:
"Well, meet me in the parlor IL
ten minutes and I'll do my best
And he shot upward in the elevator
Ten minutes later to the second ht
sank into luxurious chair at the
Kimball and faced me with the very
rosiest smile that ever oVcrspread the
face of an optimist.
well" he began, "you want myides
of heaven and he clasped his hand:
gently, and for a moment seemed
looking down the future with his great
benevolent eyes-a future in which
nothing but the brightest flowers were
blooming.
eyes, sir; I want strictly the Tai
mage idea Of heaven, if you please" "
The smile broadened. A good name
for that smile would be happiness
And then his rich voice rolled out the
words of music and beauty.
''NIy idea of heaven! 1t is the capi.
tai of Gods universe, the grand as,
semblage hall of all the sweetest and
best spirits that have adorned the
annals of time in all the marching ages
of this world. After the harvest Of
death they will be gathered there, that
is to say after the glorious morning Of
the resurrection. They will come
from the sea and from the mountain
and the valley-from the uttermost
confines of the boundaries of time.
'The resurrection will be lustrous
It will be mighty uprising Of the
hosts of the grave. 1t will be full Of
amazing velocitics such as has never
been dreamed of by man. I do not
say swiftness of wing-that may be
merely fgurativc-but [ do say mar
yelous, magnificent, most majestic
movement The form of their beings,
born of the resurrection will not be
the form of men, as We know them.
They will ,le shapes Of an infinitely
higher, brighter, insurperably more
dazzling nature than have ever graced
this world.
Spiritual beings they will be-but
the human mind can get no adequate
grasp Of the spiritual.
eve see the bodies of mcn-but we
cannot see the souls of men. They
will all be gathered into another, a
different and an infinitely grander
world than ours.
"Heayen, then, has local habita-
tion, as we'll as name p
"That's my idea. 1t is a place.
Christ did not say, I 60 to prepare a
state, theory, Or sentiment But
he said, L 60 to prepare place.
The face of the wonderful optimist
grew brighter still as he continued.
Good does not do his best in this
world. He does not bring into full
play his mighty power. lie could
make even more gorgeous sunsets. lie
could spread more spacious seas He
could rear more resplendent canopy
of burning worlds He could rush
even grander and more majestic cata-
racks. He could lift into the even
loftier mountains, crowned with more
dazzling whiteness.
"No, in this world God does not do
his best.
"But in heaven God has done his
best. He has adorned it with the last
possibility of crystal beauty. There
his hand has spread supernal lowell
ness.
1T is place Of amazing happiness
of absolute harmony THERE'S
not the shadow Of a sorrow. There
not one pang of pain. Thcrc-not
even the faintest echo Of a Earring
chord.
''But we only get glimpses as the
curtain swings slightly and then shuts
in the beatifc vision. We only get
occasional peeps.
"It is well-for were it otherwise
if We could see heaven from this world
in all it's glorious fullness-men would
live in disquiet-men would be haunt,
ed by dissatisfaction. The contest
between what we saw and what we are.
would be too sharp and agonizing! 1t
would be like going into that adjoining
room and listening to an oratorio by
Hendel-and then hustled into the
street to hear the broken notes of a
handorgan!
"Heaven," said he, lis always i'm
proving. 1t is always progressing in
love and peace and harmony and hap
piness
"a man tells me that a ship is
coming over bearing great but incom
pleted pictures. There is Rubens
Titan, a Raphael. | do not wish tc
sec them-for he tells me that a vesse
will follow frcightcd with finished
pictures by the same masters.
''I will wait for the next steamer
before l begin to feast my vision
"Ileaven is not rcady-it is always
improving. 1t is ever progressive!
During the last century there lived
in England an evangelist named
Tenant.
Gle died, or at least they thought
nc died. He lay for 10 days, moi
moving muscle. But there was nc
sign Of decay. Suddenly one day ht
awoke and arose He told those about
him that, during the 10 days, his soul
had been to heaven. 1t was not a
vision. His soul had gone to heaven
and seen the blossoming glorics.
"IIe was no dreamer-no visionist
H..