The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1897-01-27

Alas for David the Ring. He can neither
sleep nor cat AMI lies Frustrated on his face
weeping and wailing until the pa ace rings
with the ou'cry Of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or victorious
armies. or conquered provinces under such
circumstances What to any parent Is all
splendid surrounding when his child Is sick?
Seven days have passed on. There in that
great house Two eyeIids are gently closel,
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 minis TO tell him, and they
stand at the door whispering about the nut
ter. and David hears them, and he looks up
and says to them: SIS the child dead2"
Eyes, he Is dead"
David rouses himself up, washes himself, |
puts on new apparel ami sits down to food. |
What power hushed that tempestS What |
strength was it that lifted up that king |
| whom grief had dothronei2 Oh, it was the |
| thought that h5 would come again Into the |
possession of that darling child. No grave
dlgger's spade could hide him. The wintry
blasts Of death could not put out the bright
| light There would be forge somewhere
that with silver uhaWipf fdfdl SD oIs of
! tho 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 ex-
claims. II all go to him."
| Was David right or wrong? II we part on
| earth, wi we meet again in the next worldf
"Well, says some one, "that seems to be an
impossibiliiy. Heaven Is so large place we
never could find our kindred there. Going in
to some city, without having appointed a time
and place for meeting, you might wander
around for weeks and for months, and per-
haps for 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 OH nnt npa mn nf q
SEPARATION. and he looked Off upon the multi.
tude, and he said, Thousands Of thousands
Ihon he came up upon greater altitude or
inspiration and looked off upon 1t again, and
he said, "Ten thousand times ten thousand"
And then he camo On higher mount OF in
SEPARATION aud looked off again. and he said,
"A hundred aud forty 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 number"
Now, l ask, how are you goi"g to find
your friends in such a throng as thatP Is
not this idea we have been entertaining,
after all, n falsity? Is this doctrine Of future
Z recognition OF friends in heaven guess,
2 myth, whim. or is 1t a granitic foundation
upon which the soul pierced OF all ages may
e build a glorious hope? Intense question!
I Every heart in this audience throbs right
into it. There Is In every soul here the tomb
o OF Of least one dead. Tremendous question!
1t makes the lip CULVER; and the cheek flush.
y and the entire nature thrill. Shall we know
n each other there2 get letters almost every
month asking me to discuss this subject.
J, get letter In a bold, scholarly hand, on gilt
% edged paper, asking me to discuss this ques
ton, and / say. "Ah, that Is a curious man,
l. and he wants a curious question solved!
But get another letter. Ii Is written with
u trembling hand and on what seems to be {
n torn out leaf OF a book, and there and here il
the mark OF a tear, and say, sob, that Is
'e broken heart, and it wants to be comforted!
The object of this sermon is to take thi
theory out OF tire region Of surmise an
" speculation into the region OF positive Ger
-, tainiy. People say: 81: would be YER
% pleasant II that doctrine were true. I hop
id 1t may be true. Perhaps it Is true. wis
1t were true" But believe that I can brin
70 an accumulation OF argument to bear upol
"a this matter which will provsthe doctrine c
future recognition as plainly as that there
to any heaven at all, and that the kiss of re
II union at the celestial gate will be rs certai
:" as the dying kiss at the door OF the sepulche
to Now, when you are going to build shi
you must get the right kind Of timber. 70
en lay the keel and make the framework Of th
Va very best mat erlals-tho keelson. stanchion!
plank shear, count or timber. knees, transom
On all iron or solid oak. You may build
En- ship OF lighter N terial but when the cycloI
w comes on 1t will go down. Now, We ma
.et have great many beautiful theories abol
| tuO iukuEo WOIlu Dulil Oub Vi OuE OWu lhuC
y and they may do very well as long as "
"a have smooth 50 ling in the world, but whe
the storms Of sorrow come upon US, and Il
"a hurricane OF death, we will beswamped-v
n, will be foundered. We want theory bu
Ai' out of Gods eternal word. The doctrine
nd future recognition IL not so often positive
stated IL the word OF God as implied, al
Ss you know, my friends that that Is. after a
ity the strongest mode of affirmation. 70
friend travels in foreign Ian ls. He com
home. He does not begin by arguing wi
you to prove that there are such places
m London and Stockholm and Paris and DR.
Wv den and Berlin, but his conversation impl
'ul It. And 80 this Bible does not so positive
state this theory as, all up and down
chapter. take 1t for granted.
las What does my text implyY ~ shall 60
him." What consolation would it be
+ct David to 80 to his childif he would not KIN
To him? Would David have been allowed
record this anticipation for the inspection
ers NIL ages If 1t were groundless anticipate
Ma We read in the first book OF the Bible: Alb
1'0 ham died and was gathered to his peol
be Jacob died and was gathered to his peoE
Moses died and was gathered to his peoI
What people9 Why, their friends, their &C
rades, their old companions. or course
means that. 1t cannot mean anything q
liz SO in the very beginning OF the Bible fl
times that is taken for granted. The VIII
um New Testament Is an arbor over which
|
''y the purple clusters OF consolation. Jan
per John and Peter followed Christ into
mountain. light falls from heaven
per that mountain and lifts it into the glorie
per the celestial. Christ's garments glow and
face shines like the sun. The door Of hea
OF swings open. Two spirits come down
a!ight on that mountain. The disciples ]
ut them and recognize them as Moses
Elias. Now; II these disciples stan iipl
re- the earth could recognize these two sp
who had been for years in heaven, do
IRA tell me that we, with our heavenly eyesi
rou will not be able to recognize those who b
w" gone out from among US only five,
ing twenty, thirty years ago?
The Bible indicates over and over a,
a that the angels know each other, and [
,vs the Bible Gays that we are TO be higher I
'N the angels. and If the angels have the 20
ave OF recognition, shall not we, who are &c
g.u higher than they in the next realm, hav
&c" good eyesight and MS good capacity? Y
,on- did Christ mean in His conversation
Mary and Martha when He said, q
Pop brother shall rise again?" 1t was as N
as to say: Don't cry. Don't wear y
selves out with this trouble. You will
Him again. Thy brother shall rise aga
Sir The Bible describes heaven as a 6
tho home circle Well. now, that would
VIZ very queer home circle where the mem
vie, did not know each other. The Bible
>, scribes death as sleep. II we know
re- other before we go to sleep, shall we
on know each other alter we wake up?
yes. We will know each other a great
live. better then than now, "For now" says
ol- apostle, 1--WE see through a glass darby
then face 10 face" It will be my pur
only enthroned and glorifed body gazing on
al purified. enthroned and gloriied body
'uie Now, l demand, II you believe the E
N to that you take this theory of future rec,
tion out OF the realm Of speculation and
ana misc into the region of positive certa
mon and no more keep saying: 81 hope it il
have an idea 1t is so. guess 1t is 80.
here able to say, with all the contracted or
,,,,,> OF body, mind and soul, II know It Is 8
neaP There are IN addition to these Bible
zines ments other reasons why accept this tn
In the first place. because the rejection
oxen implies the entire obliteration Of our meI
vpel Can 1t be possible that we shall forget
ever those with whose walk, look, m,
they we have been 30 long familiar? Will
o,o come and with sharp, keen blade hew
oohe this faculty OF memory2 Abraham sa
An Dives, "Son, remember" II the exile
.,,o. The lost remember, will not the enthl
tnat remember
aders You know very we'll that our Joy i