The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-03-13
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sermon, De.
uyered In Washington.
Subject: "Hcaveniy Recognition"

TEXT: ST shall go to him."-1I Samuel
xiii, %.
There is a very slick child In the abode OF
David the king. Disease, which Stalks up |
the dark lane Of the poor and puts its smotn.
ering hand on LIP and nostril oil the wan ana |
wasted also mounts the palace stars ana
bending over the pillow blows into roe iacs
Of The young prince the frosts oil pam unu
death. Tears are wine to the king or terrors. |
Alas for David the kim. He can neither
sleep nor eat and lies Frustrated OF hls iace
weeping and waling until the paace rings
with tho oulcry OF woe.
What are courtly attendants, or victorious
armies or. conquered provinces under sncn
circumstances? What to any parent is an
splendid surrounding when his child is sick?
Seven days have passed on. There In tnat
great house two eyelids are gently ciose !,
two little hands folded, two little feet QUEER,
one heart still. The servants come TO bear
the tidings to the king, but they cannot
make up their minds TO tell him, ana ,hey
stand at the door Whispering about the mat
ter, and David hears them, and ne looks up
and says to them. "Is the chlid deaa
ayes, he is dead"
Davi. rouses himself up, washes himself,
puts on new apparel and sits down 10 Ioou.
What power hushed that tempest! what
strength was 1T that lifted up that King
whom grief had dethroaei? Oh. 1t was the
possession OF that darling child. NO grave.
| digger's spade could hide him. The wiDtry
| blasts OF death could not put out tho prignt
| light. There would be a forge somewhere
| that with silver hammer would weld the
broken links. In city wfare the noois OF
the pale horse never strike payemen, nc
would clasp his lost treasure. He wipes
away the tears from his eyes, and ne clears
the choking grief from his throat and e1-
| claims. 81 shall so to him.
Was David right or wrong? II we part on
! EARTH viii we meet again in the next worioi
| "Well.' says some one, "that seems TO pe an
impossibiily. Heaven Is so large place we
never could ind our inbred there" Going in
TO some city, without having appointed d 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 Ia vaster than all earthly cities to-
gether. And how are you going to md your
departed friend Ia that country? 1t e 80 vast
realm. John went up one mountain OF IN
| spiration, and he looked of upon tins multi.
tude and he said, Thousands Of Thousands.
| Then he came up upon greater aititude OF
inspiration aud looked off upon it again. and
he said, "Ten thousand times ten thousand.
And then he came on higher mount oil H.
| spiration and looked off again, and be eaid
"a hundred aud forty and four thousand
} and thousands of thousands" And he came
on still greater height OF inspiration, and
he looked off again and exclaimed, "a grea'
; multitude that 20 man can number"
Now, ask, how are you going to hnd
your friends In such throng as THAR IL
| not this idea we have been entertaining
after all. a falsity? Is this doctrine OF future
: recognition OF friends in heaven guess. a
: myth, within, Or is il granitic foundation
? upon which the soul pierced OF all ages ma,
,, | build glorious hope? Intense question
!" Every heart in this audience throbs RICH
J. into it. There Is in every soul here the tom
r OF az least one dead. Tremendous question
, 1t makes the lip culver; and the cheek flush
and the entire nature thrill. Shall We know
each other thers2 get letters almost ever
d month asking r6e to discuss this subject.
!, get letter in bold, scholarly hand. on gil
: edged paper, asking me- to discuss this ques
ton, and say, "Ah, that Is a curious man
aud he wants curious question solved!
z But get another letter. Ii Is written with
. trembling hand and on what seems TO be
torn out leaf OF n book, and there and here
the mark OF tear, and say, "Oh, that ts
= broken heart, and it wants 10 DO comforted!
The object of this sermon is to take tn
theory out of the region OF surmise an
r' speculation into the region OF positive eel
taintv People say; III. would be yer
n pleasant Ii that doctrine were true. HOP
- il may be true Perhaps it il true. wis
70 ii were true" But believe that can bril-
I'm accumulation of argument TO bear upo
this matter which will prove the doctrine
future recognition rs plainly as that there
any heaven at all, and that the kiss OF n
union Mt the celestial gate will be es certi
c as the diving kiss ut the door of the sepulche
n Now. when you are going to build sh
"a you must get the right kind OF timber. &c
u law the keel and make the framework OF Il
In yely best maierials-the keelsoD. stanchion
ut plank shear, counter timber. knees. transon
all iron or solid oak. You may build
/ -1Ih ,fkrr -f1ova a
Is comes on it will go down. Now, we mi
4. have great many beautiful theories abo
- the future world built out of orr own fanc
- and they may do very well as long as '
y, have smooth sailing in the world. but Wn
81 the storms of sorrow come upon US, ana
- hurricane OF death, We will be swamped-'
~ will be foundered. We want theory pu
As ont of Gods eternal word. The doctrine
,r- future recognition is not so often positive
=. stated ia the word of God az implied, a
% Won know, my friends, that that is. after {
n the strongest mode Of affirmation. Yc
be, friend travels In foreign lands. He con
,or home. He does not begin by arguing W
-. YOU to prove that there are such places
all London and Stock holm and Paris and DR.
Is den and Berlin, but his conversation impl
"a 1t. And 80 this Bible does not so positive
- state this theory as, all up and down
-et chapter. take it for granted.
re- What does my text imply? 81 shall go
an. him." What consolation would 1t be
~ David TO 70 to his child If he would not KIN
en- him2 Would David have been allowed
ib- record this anticipation for the inspection
al. all ages II it were groundle5s anticipate
We read in the fret book OF the Bible: All
On ham died and was gathered to his peor
Ing Jacob died and was gathered to his peol
/, Ia Moses died and Wa gathered to his peol
-, What people? Why, their friends, their &C
oie rades, their old companions. OF course
ere means that. 1t cannot mean anything e
mr. So in the very beginning OF the Bible j
-. times that is taken for granted. The WI
~ New Testament is an arbor over which
Gus doctrine creeps like Rluxurant vine lui
mi. the purple clusters OF consolation. Jan
m onn an" i,o,,t ta,:s IRON, beaven
for that mountain and lifts It into the glorie
the celestial. Christ's garments glow and
face shines like the sun. The door Of hea
swings open. Two spirits come down
as" alight on that mountain. The disciples
,tor at them and recognize them as Moses
Elias. Now, IL these disciples standing
tie earth could recognize these two ep
'act who had been for years in heaven, do
re- tell me that we, with our heavenly eyesi
tied wiz ho. NC au'o W ,1s If, AZ
eie- twenty, thirty years ago?
The Bible indicates over and over al
- that the angels know each other, and
the Bible says that We are to be higher
the angels. and IL the angels have the pc
of recognition, shall not we, who are tt
higher than they in the next realm, hav
good eyesight and as good capacity? '
did Christ mean in His conversation
Mary and Martha when He said,
brother shall rise again." Ii was as n
as to say: Don't cry. Don't wear )