The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-02-04

also mounts the pal
ace stairs and bend
ing over the pillow, blows into the face
of young prince the frosts OF pain and
death Tears are wine to the King OF
Terrors. Alas! for David the king.
He can neither sleep nor eat, ana lies
PROSTATE on his face, weeping ana wall
ing until the palace rings with the out
cry of woe.
What are courtly attendants, or vic
torious armies, or conquered provinces.
under such circumstances? What to
any parent is all splendid surroundings
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
whispering about the matter, and Da-
vid hears them and he looks up and
says to them, els the child dead?
'*Yes, he is dead" David rouses him
self up, washes himself, puts on new
apparel, and Its 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 come again
into the possession of that darling
child. No gravedigger'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 hammer would weld the
broken links. In city where the hoofs
of the pale horse never strike the pave
ment he would clasp his lost treasure.
He wipes away the tears from his eyes,
and he clears the choking grief from
his throat, and exclaims, II shall go to
him. a-
Was David right or wrong? If we
part on earth will we meet again in the
next world? WELL says some one,
''that seems to De an impossibility.
Heaven is SO large a place we never
could find our kindred there Going
into some city without having appoint
ed time and place for meeting, you
: might wander around for weeks and for
months. and perhaps for years, and
never see .eacn other, and heaven is
vaster than all earthly cities together.
and how are you going to find your de-
parted friend in that country? It is
SO vast realm. John went up on one
mountain of inspiration, and he looked
off upon the multitude, and he said:
Thousands of thousands" Then he
came upon greater altitude of inspira-
ton and looked off upon it again, and
he said: thousand times ten thou
sand" And then he came on higher
mount of inspiration, and looked off
again and he said: "a hundred and for
ty and four thousand and thousands OF
thousands" And he came on. still
greater height of inspiration, and he
looked off again, and exclaimed: "A
great multitude that no man can num-
her"
NUw ask, how are you going to find
your friends in such throng as that:
Is not this idea we have been enter.
tanning after all a falsity?. Is this doc.
trine of future recognition of friends
in heaven guess, a myth, whim, OF
is it granite foundation upon which
the soul pierced Of all ages may buill
a glorious hope? Intense question
Every heart in this audience throb.
right into it. There is in every sou
here the tomb of at least one dead
Tremendous question:! 1t makes the lii
culver, and the cheek flush, and the en-
tire nature thrill. Shall we know eaci
other there? get letters almost every
ovofh oc1y Sror rs Il
ject. get a letter in bold, scholarl,
hand on gilt-edged paper, asking m,
to discuss this question, and say: "Ah
that is curious man, and he wants :
curious question solved" But I re
another letter. It is written with ;
trembling hand, and on what seems t,
be torn-out leaf of book, and Their
and here is the mark of a tear; and
say: oh, that is broken heart, AM
it wants to be comforted.''
The object Of this sermon is to TAX
this theory out of the region of surmis
and speculation into the region of DOS
tive certainty. People say, ct woul,
be very pleasant if that doctrine wer
true. hope it may be true. Perhap
it is true. I wish it were true Blu
] believe that I can bring an accumu
lation of argument to bear upon thi
matter which will prove the doctrine O
future recognition as plainly as tina
there is any heaven at all, and that tn
kiss Of reunion at the celestial gate will
be as certain as the dying kiss at th
door of the sepulchre.
What does my text imply? Il shall
go to him." What consolation would i
be to David 20 go to his child if b
would not know him? Would Davi
II have been allowed to record this antici
patton for the inspection of all ages j
it were a groundless anticipation? W
read in the first book of the Bible
] Abraham died and was gathered to Iii
! people. Jacob died and was gathere,
to his people. Moses died and wa
gathered to his people. What people
Why, their friends, their comrades, thei
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