Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-02-02

also mounts the pal
ace stairs, and bend
ing over the pillow, blows into the face
of 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
PROSTATE on his face, weeping ana wall
ing until the palace rings with the out
cry of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or VIC
torious armies, or conquered provinces,
under such circumstances? What to
any parent is all splendid surroundings
when his child is sick? Seven days
have passed on. There, in that great
house, 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 Da-
yid hears them and he looks up and
says to them, rs the child dead!
"Yes, he is dead" David rouses him
self up, washes ,himself. puts on new
apparel, and its 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 gravedigger's spade could
hide him. The wintry blasts Of death
ha hrs0h
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 pave
ment 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, II shall 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 De an impossibility.
Heaven is so large a place we never
could find our kindred there" Going
into some city without having appoint
ed a time and place for meeting, you
might wander around for weeks and for
months, and perhaps for years, and
never see eacn other; and heaven Is
vaster than all earthly cities together,
and how are you going to find your de-
parted friend in that country? 1t is
so vast realm. John went up on one
mountain of inspiration, and he looked
off upon the multitude, and he said:
Thousands OF thousands" Then he
came upon greater altitude of inspira-
ton and looked off upon it again, and
he said: "Ten thousand times ten thou
sand" And then he came on a higher
mount OF inspiration, and looked off
again and he said: "A hundred and for
ty 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 no man can num-
ber."
Now ask, how are you going to find
your friends in such a throng as that?
Is not this idea we have been enter
tanning after all a falsity? Is this doc
trine of future recognition of friends
in heaven a guess. myth, within, or
is it a granite foundation upon which
the soul pierced of all ages may build
a 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
nniUQr and tho nhaaly Hnch
tire nature thrill. Shall we know each
other there? i get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this sub
ject. ] get a letter in a bold scholarly
hand, on gilt-edged paper, asking me
to discuss this question, and / say: "Ah.
that is curious man, and he wants
curious question solved" But | get
another letter. 1t is written with
trembling hand, and on what seems to
be torn-out leaf of book, and there
and here is the mark of a tear; and |
say: "Oh, that Is 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 pos
tive certainty. People say, 1T would
be very pleasant IL that doctrine were
true. hope It may be true. Perhaps
1t Is true. l wish it were true" But
l believe that l can bring an accumu-
lation 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 reunion at the celestial gate will
be as certain as the dying kiss at the
door OF the sepulchre.
What does my text imply? IL shall
go to him" What consolation would it
be to David o go TO his child il he
would not know him? Would David
have been allowed to record this antici-
patton for the inspection of all ages if
1t we're a groundless anticipation? We
read in the first book of the Bible,
Abraham died and was gathered to his
people Jacob died and was gathered
TO his people. Moses died rid was
gathered to his people. Wha, people?
Why their friends, their comrades their
old companions. OF course it means
that. 1t cannot mean anything else.
So in the very beginning Of the Bible