The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-01-23
REV. DIR. TALllAGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sermon De-
Iivered In Washington.
Subject. Occupation After Death

Subject: "Occupatlon Alter Deata.
TEXT: Snow it came 10 pass in the THIRTEEN
year, in the fourth month, in the NTH gay OF
the month as was among the captlVeS ny
the river Of Chebar, that the heavens were
opened. "-Ezekiel l., l.
Ezekiel, with others, had been 'eSpatri-
ated. and while in foreign slavery, stand
ing ON the banks of the royal canal wnicn
he and other seris had been cohuenhei
to dig by the order OF Nebuehadne5zar-
this royal canal in the text called the hIver
| of Chehar-the illustrious exile nal
visions of heaven. Indeed it is almost al
ways so--that the brightest visions OF
heaven come not TO those who are On
| mountain top of prosperity, but 10 some
John on desoiate Patmos, or TO some Paut
in Mamertine dungeon. or to some Ezekiel
| standing on tho banks of ditch he had
been compelled to dig-yea. to the weary, TO
the heartbroken, TO those whom sorrow mas
banished. The text is very particular to
give us the exact time OF the vision. 1t was
In the thirteenth yea- aud in the fourth
month and in the fifth day OF the month.
SO YOU had visions OF earth you shall never
forget You remember the ye3r, you remem-
Der the month, you remember the DAY, you
remember the hour. Why may we NOT nave
some such vision now and 1t lie IN the
twelfth month and in sixth day OF the
month?
The question Is often silently asked though
perhaps never audibly propounded, "What
are our departed Christian friends DONG
now?" The question is more easily answered
than you might perhaps suppose. Inousn
there has coma no recent intelligence from
the heavenly city, and we seem dependent
upon tho story of eighteen centuries ago,
still think we may from strongest inference
decide what are the present occupations OF
our transferred klnsfolk. After God mas
II Il afa
characteristic OF its temperament. You never
knew a man phlegmaiic in temperament TO
. become sanguine in temperament.
You never knew man san
guine in temperament to become phlegma-
. tic in temperament. Conversion plants new
: principles in the soul, but Paul and John are
. lust as different from each other after con-
Version as they were different from each
q other before conversion. II conversion does
r not eradicate the prominent charact eristIcs
. oftemperament, neither will death eradicate
them. Paul and John are as different from
each other in heaven as they were dineren!
= from each other in Asia Minor
= You have, then, only by sum in sub
traction and sum in addition TO decide
3 what are the employments of Your departed
friends in tho better world. You are Il
. subtract from them ali earthly grossness
and add all earthly goodness, anu tnen YOU
are to come to the conclusion that tney arS
doing now in heaven what in their pes'
moment they did on earth. The reaso!
why SO many people never start Tor neavel
Is because they could not stand 1t II they
10 cot there IL 1t should turn out to be th'
p rigid aud formal place some people photo
y graph it, We like to cone 70 church, bu
we would not want to stay hero till mex
summer We like TO hear the "Halleluial
Chorus" but we would not want TO hea
\ 1t all the time for fifty centuries. 1t mign
be on some great occasion 1t would De posi-
~ nryn n
weighing several pounds, but 1t would De a
affiiction to wear such n crown forever.
:. other words, we run the descriptions OF heaye
=: into the ground while we make that whic'
to was intended as special and celebratiyet
&C. be the exclusive employment in heaven. 70
= might as well. II asked to describe tns Ra1i'
of American society. describe Decorate
Da- or a Fourth of July, or an autumna
il Thanksgiving, as though it were all the tim
q. that way.
lam not going to speculate in regard
the future world, but must, by inevitaoi
re- laws Of inference aud deduction ana commo
CHI sense, conclude that In heaven we Will {
~. lust as different from each other as we 81
- now different, and hence thatthere vii! be
'eI least as many different empioyments In III
celestial world as there are employment
nj here. Christ is to be the great love, the gre
oh Joy, the great rapture, the great worship
- heaven, but will that abolish employment
ed. No more than love on earth-paternal, hliu
rly fraternal, coniugal love-aoolishes earth
occupation.
In the first place, remark that all tho
kes Of our departed Christian friends who
led earth found great Joy in the fine arts are no
xez INDUCING their tastes in the same directio
-. On earth they had their gladdest p.easur
as' amid pictures and statuary and in the stu.
IA of the laws of light and shade and psr5pe
the tive Have you any idea that that afiuen
tch Of faculty at death collapsed and perishe
-, Why so, when there Is more Tor them 70 10,
eSS at and they have keener appreciation OF &
] beautiful aud they stand amid the very loof
ict- where the sunsets and the rainbows and t
a. spring mornings are woven? Are you 50 o
'iu fuse as to suppose, because the painter drc
his easel and the sculptor his chisel and I
ted engraver his knife, that therefore that tas
in which he was charging and inteusfying Il
forty or fifty years is entirely obliterate
These artists, or these friends OF art on cart
. worked in coarse material and with lmpe
feet brain and with frail hanl. Now tn
have carried their art into larger ioerti
~, and into wider circumference. Tnsy are
ly their old business yet, but without I
lily fatigues, without the Limitations, witho
,et. the hindrances of the terrestrial stu iio
e;r Raphael could improve upon his mlst'
piece OF "Mchael the Archangel' now tt
he has seen him, and could improve up
rst his masterpieces of the "Holy Trinity" NJ
ant that he has visited them. Michael Ang
could better present the "Last Judgmei
80 after he had seen its fash and heard
In rumbling battering rams OF its thunder. /
adj quiste coors here, graceful lines here, pc
.ce erfu chiaroscuro here, but am persuad
that the granier studies and the brigh
'ss, galleries are higher up. by the winding m
led BILE stairs OF the sepulcher. an that TurI
eft. and Holman Hunt and Rembrandt and Tit
and Paul yeronese, il they exercised saw
ie'' faith in the Christ whom they portray
to-, upon the canvas, are painting yet. but th
hey strength OF faculty multiplied ten thousaI
fold.
l remark again that all our depart
Christian friends who IN this world W
passionately fond of music ara still RECALL
that taste in the world celestial. This Bi
says so much aboutthe music Of heaven q
nee Ii cannot nil be fgurative. Why all this I
RS about hal!eluiahs and choirs on the glass Q
a. trumpets ami harps and oratorio5 and
gans9 The Bible over and overs again spe
she of the songs Of heaven. II heaven had
and songs of its own. n vast number OF those
INIT earth would have been taken up by
- earthly enigrants. Surely the Christian
'pic death does not lose his memory. Then th
ned must bs millions Of souls in heaven v
know Coronation AMI antioch"
mount Pisgah" and sod Hundred"
SO leader of the eternal orchestra need o
om- once tap his baton, ard al heaven will
,ars ready for the hallelujab.
-: If heaven should ever get out OF mu'
raan Thomas Hastings aud Lowell Mason
sak- Bradbury would start up hundred