News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1897-01-27

of speculation and Surmise and Carries
1t Into the Region of Positive Certainty.
A Glorious Faith.
MINNEAPoLIs, Jan. 24.-Dr Talmage
mas been for few days preaching and lee
turing in Chicago, Minneapolis and st.
Paul and his sermon is on a theme which
will absorbingly interest all who read it.
He returns this week to Washington. The
subject is Heavenly Recognition" and
the text, II Samuel xii, 23, Il shall go to
him. -
There is a very sick child in the abode
of David the king. Disease, which stalks
up the dark lane of the poor and puts it's
smothering hand on lip and nostril of the
wan and wasted, also mounts the palace
stairs and berding over the pillow blows
into the face Of 4 young prince the frosts
of pain and death Tears are wine to the
king of terFors Alas for David the king
He can neither sleep nor cut and lies pros
trate on his face weeping and wailing I'M
til the palace rings with the cutlery of woe.
What are Courtly attendants, or victori-
Gus 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 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 whisper
ing about the matter, and David hears
them, and he looks up and says to them,
"Is the child dead?" eyes, he is dead. +"
David rouses himself up, washes himself
puts on new apparel and sits 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 como again into the
possession of that darling child. No grave
digger's spade could hide him. The win
try blasts Of death could not put out the
bright light. There would be forge some
where that with silver hammer would weld
the broken links. In city where the
hoofs of the pale horse never strike the
pavement be would clasp his lost treasure.
Hewipcs awaytLo tears from his eyes, and
he clears the choking grief from his throat
and exclains,, 81 sLall go to him."
Tho Heavenly Throng.
Was David right or wrongg If we part
Oh earth, VIII wo meet again in the next
world? "Well," says some one, "that
seems to be an imrossibility, Heaven is so
large a place We never could find our kin
dred there" Going into some city, with
put having appointed 4 time and place for
meeting, you might wander around for
weeks and for months, and perhaps for
yearssaud never see each other and heaven
is vastFr than ell earthly cities together
And hbw are you going to find your de-
PaSted ifriend in that country? 1t is SO
vast S~AAn. John went up on one noun
tain Of h duration, and he locked off upon
the multislde. and be said, thousands of
thousapG Then he came upon a greater
altStr.S6 .hspiEatio aLl looked off upon
Hagain, alrTbe said, "Ten thousand times
Zen thousand And then he came on n
higher mount Of inspiration and looked off
again, and he said "A hundred and FORTY
and four thousand and thousands of thou
sands" And be came on a still greater
height Of inspiration, and he looked off
again and exclaimed "a great multitude
that no man can number"
Now, ask, how are you going to End
your friends in such Il throng as that? Is
not this idea we have been entertaining.
after all, falsity? Is this doctrine of flu
cure recognition of friends in heaven a
guess, myth, a whn, or is it a granitic
foundation upon which the soul pierced of
all ages may build a glorious hope? In
tense question Every heart in this audi
ence throbs right intoi it, There is in every
soul here the tomb of at least one dead
Tremendous question 1t makes the lip
luiver, and the cheek flush, and the entire
nature thrill. Shall we know each other
there? l get letters almost every month
asking me to discuss this subject. / get a
letter in a bold, scholarly hand, on gilt |
edged paper, asking me to discuss this
question, and / say, "Ah, that is a curious
man, and he wants a curious question
solved! But get another letter. 1t is
written with q 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, ooh, that is broken heart, and
1t wants to be comfoTted!'
The object of this sermon is to take this
theory out of the region of surmise and |
speculation into the region of positive GER
tanty. People say: sit would be very
pleasant If that doctrine were true hope
it may be true. Perhaps it is true l wish
it were true" But / believe that | can
bring an accumulation of argument to
bear upon this matter which will prove
the doctrine Of future recognition as plain
ly 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 sepulcher.
Facts For Proof.
Now, when you are going to build n ship
you must get the right kind of timber
You lay the keel ard make the framework
Df the very best materials-the keelson,
stanchions, plank shear, counter timber,
knees, transoms-all iron or solid oak. You
may build ship of lighter material but
when the cyclone comes on it will go down.
Now, we may have great many beautiful
theories about the future world built out
Of our own fancy, and they may do very
well as long as we have smooth sailing in
the world, but when the storms of sorrow
come upon US, and the hurricane of death,
we will lie swampod--we will be founder
ed. We want theory built out Of Gods
e-ernal word. The doctrine Of future rec
ignition is not so often positively stated in
the word Of God rs implied, and you know,
my friends, that that is, after ALL the
strongest mode of affirmation, Your friend
travels in foreign lands. He comes home.
He does not begin by arguing with you to
prove that there are such places as London
and Stockholm and Paris and Dresden and
Berlin, but his conversation implies 1t.
And SO this Bible does not 80 positively
state this theory as, al up and down its
chapters take 10 for granted.
What does my text imply 81 shall go