Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-08-21
"lhe Beautiful City aud its Redeemed
Inhabitants. Isa. 6l:l1 aud Rev.
2l:l5-18.

d1slO-lO.
My dear friends have come to , OF
this sabbath morn, by invitation and
appointment of your committee to ds.
liver q message from the Lord Il is
+. quisite aud pleasant at times dur:nr
The earthly pilgrimage Of the redeemed
OF the Lord, to stop and seriousl, con-
slider the great problems of life, also
to think of and feast the soul on the
resplendent beauties and incompatible
ljoys of the Beautiful City of the
, skies"
and so 1 come this morning. bidding
lyOu stop long enough to catch faint
Rimpses of this heavenly country
; Some would have US believe that our
future abiding place is simply a condi-
tion, an abstract reality. But l can
not bring myself to believe such doc
trine. TO me heaven is place lccat-
ed-a tangible something that the
ira ms sformed visual nerve will reveal to
the redeemed soul when, in the great
resurrection, the eye, for the first time
perhaps, shall look out upon the mag
Inificent splendors of the glorious king
dom of eternal joys.
If the theoretical doctrine OF post
mundane condition be true (which [
cOnnot believe is true. believing as
do that tne argument used for the sus-
tanning OF such view is based upon
false hy potheses) then what is the
need of universal resurre ction and n
reunion of the disenthralled soul and
the resurrected body, even though
thH> body be transformed, immortal
lied and filly prepared for the eniov-
ment of the congenial atmosphere and
seraphic influences OF the heavenly en-
vironmen The text TO me. after a
close study, seems a successful refuta-
tion OF the above theory and a conclu-
sive argument for the other. Statistic q
as christians, of the truth of the text.
let us linger awhile, feasting the soul
on the beauties spread out before US
in panoramic form. In the Old Testa-
ment portion of the text the mighty.
lcountless hosts of God are seen iour-
Ineying under the leadership and pro-
e. citing care ofthe Holy Spirit, from
the regions round about the awful
place of death 10 the beautiful city of
Zion, where rest is eternal and Joyous
song the ceaseless occupation OF the
ransomed. That in the New Testament
described to us, for our consolation
and joy, the paradisiacal splenders and
transcendent pleasures Of the celestial
Zion. The soul leaps forth with ec-
static Joy as the word pictures of the
exIled seer, descriptive of the eternal
home" pass before the mind.
The wondrous city has been styled
the heavenly Zion. Let us note Ist
The city, its size, inhabitants etc. Ahl
even in the very beginning my soul
Ienraptured with the thoughts of it,
beauties, seems filed with the magnet
ic fire of him who saw, by divine per
mission, the "HolY City" Wing so
Ill L. ~Srh ~ -.
nal universe.
l have travelled quite extensively in
this country. and read of some of the
wonderful cities of ancient and mod
ern times, but no where in all my trav-
els and readings have | seen OF heard
of city that could be compared with
heaven. Baby Ion, the Golden Mistress
of the ancient world, with her tower
ing walls and gold-leaved gates and
world famed gardens, in her noontide
glory. would sink into insignifcance, il
placed Within the wide-sweeping circle
of the irradiant light of heaven. Min
evah, the great and proud, would be
but seaside hamlet in comparison
with the titan Zion.
Modern Paris, the arbiter Of fashion
and centre of modern civilization
would be nothing more than Jordan
ic village filed with illiterates. Jeru
salem, the holy, with her temple of
priceless worth, would fade into moth.
, ingness in the presence of the Temple
city of the skies Call to your aid the
mysterious genii of the air, and gather
!, together the wealth, beauty, civiliza-
tion and power of all worlds in one
, huge pile Ieaching from tha fiery face
of the burning king of day. through
space to the opened arms Of far dis
tant Neptnne and 'twould fade away
! like an irrsdescent dream before the
. soul enhancing splendOrs of Gods
Holy City.
+ Obeautiful city o wonderful land
of unmarried skies, dazzling throne
and crystal seal Thy beauties who
: can describe2 Artists brush and pen
and poets brain and mind have been
brought into requisition. and still thy
charms are undisclosed.
RI Bryant, charmed with the very
3 thought OF thy beauties said:
S Il saw the city of the skies;
,, And oft, by faith light, gaze
From earth to the great sunrise
2 or everlasting days,
e And ponder mid the glitterine
domes
And spires of our eternal homes"
"It seemed as if on mountain height
walked attent to view
Jerusalem, spread out in light,
And made in all things new
= And holy, for the pure in heart
r To dwell in and no more depart"
"Far off, up in silvery cline,
Che ssinted city lay,
= Blazing in bright worlds, not in time
And not to pass away
Like earth and it's revolving spheres
Corroded and grown dim witt
: years.
r "'Twas founded deep in sacreC
n ground,
vi And walled with Jasper high,
e To shine on heavens remotest bound
Ell And down the sleepy sky
To earth, where man may see tn
e ray,
= And traverse back it's gloriou
W way"
r (a) The size of the city Accordin
r to the measurements of the angel tn
Of city was 10000 furloDgs long A Gree
stadium is 6O6 feet and inches in Ell
glish If these figures are to be take
literally then the length Of the cit
* was 1885 miles. II this means tn
ul entire circuit of the city then it's are
4 in square miles was about lie O5O {
~ about the equal of the states of Ne
ID York, Pennsy lvanis, Maryland. Masst
a chusetts ard Connecticut. If th
$, simply means one side of the city the
he its area was about 1,9l4 400 squal
at miles.
ty A mighty city indeed. Wordsworth
by in his description OF its size and beau
C. THE appearance, instantansously di
of closed
IN Was of mighty city-boldly say
N. A wilderness of buildings, sinking fal
a And self withdrawn into a Wondro
b. depth,
ny Far sinking into splendor without en-
,e, Fabric it seemed of diamond and
by gold,
'sl With alsbaster dOmes and silv
nj spires,