Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-11-05
CHANGES IN HEAVEN.
DR.. TALMAGE TELLS OF CELESTIAL
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

| creased knowledge - Perfection
Augmented - Always Bright and
Joyful.
/, Copyright 1893 by American Press Asso-
clation.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30.-All ont of
the usual line of sermonizing is this
story of DR.. Talmago concerning the
next world, and it may do good to see
things from a novel standpoint. The
text is Revelation xxi, !, "And saw a
new heaven. u
The stereotyred heaven does not make
adequate impression upon us. We need
the old story told in new style in order
to arouse our appreciation. 1 do not
suppose that we are compelled to the
old phraseology. King James trans
lators did not exhaust all the good and
graphic words in the English diction-
airy. suppose, if we should take the
idea of heaven and translate it into
modern phrase, we would find that its
atmosphere is combination of early
June and of the Indian summer in o.
tober-a place combining the advan-
tages of city and country, the streets
standing for the one and the II manner
of fruits for the other; place of music
al entertainments harpers, pipors,
trumpetcrs, doxologies; place of won
derful behold the tenn
piles, place where there may be the
higher forms of animal life-the beasts
which were on earth beaten, lash whip
ped and CALLED and unblanketed and
worked to death, turned out among the
white horses which the book Of Reeve
lation describes as being in heaven; q
place of stupendous literature-tho
books open place of aristocratic and
democratic attractiyeness-tho kings
standing fer t!,c one, all nations for the
other; all botanical, genealogical, or
astrological, arhcrcsccnt, Norshipful
beauty and fr&nIe'-r.
But MY idea new is to speak chiefly
of the improved heaven. Peanlc Scme-
times talk Of beayen rs thcunil it were
an old city, finished centuries ago, when
have to tell y0l rtat 80 cily on earth
during the last - years lis had such
changes as hea@cn. 1t is moi tbs salne
place as when Job and David ana Paul
wrote CT it. For hundreds and hundreds
of years il has been going through peace
full revolution, and year by year, and
month by month, ard hour by hour, and
moment by moment it is changing and
changing for something better Away
back there was only one residence IN
the univcrse-the residence Of the AL
mighty. Heaven had not yet been start
ed. immensely was the park all around
about this great residence, but Gods
sympathetic heart after awhile over
flowed in other creations, aud there
came all through this vast country OF
immensely inhabited villages, which
grew and enlarged until they Joined
each other and became one great central
metropolis Of the universe, streeted,
gated, tempted, watered, inhabited.
One angel went forth with reed, we
are told, and he measured heaven on
one side, aid then he went forth and
measured heaven on the other side, and
then st. John tried to take the census
of that city, and he became so bewll-
dered that he gave it up.
a VAST Population.
That brings me to the first thought
of nv theme-that heaven is vastly I'M
proved in numbers. Noting little under
this head about tho multitude of adults
who have gone into glory during the
last 100 or 500 or l, 1000 years, l relnem-
Der there arc 1, G00 900, 600 of people in
the world, and that the vast majority
of people die in infancy. How many
children must have gone into heaven
during tho last 500 or 1000 years. If
New York should gather i'll one genera
ton 1000, 900 population, if London
should gather in one generation 4, 600,
600 population, what vast increase
But what mere nothing as compared
with the 500 600, 600, the 2, 900, 900, 600,
the multitude that no man can num-
ber" that have gone into that city OF
course all this takes for granted that
every child that dies goes as straight
| into heaven as ever the light sped from
a star, and that is one reason why heav-
EN- will always be fresh and beautiful
the great multitude of children in 1T.
Put 500, 900, 900 children in country.
! 1t will be blessed and lively country.
But add to this, if you will the great
multitude of adults who have gone into
glory and how tho census of heaven
must run up Many years ago a clergy
man stood in New England pulpit,
and said that he believed that the vast
majority of the race would finally be
destroyed and that not more than one
person out of 1000 persons would be
finally saved. There happened to be
about 2 900 people i'll the village where
he preached. Next Sabbath two persons
were heard discussing the subject, and
wondering which one of the 1000 peo-
pie in the village would finally reach
heaven and one thought it would be the
minister, and the other thought it
would be the old deacon. Now, l have
not much admiration for lifeboat
which will go out to a ship sinking
With 2,0OO passengers and get one of
in safety and let 1899 go to the bot
tom. Why, heaven must have been a
village when Abel, the first soul from
earth, entered it, as compared with the
present population of that great city!
Growth In Knowledge.
Again, remark that heaven has vast
" improved in knowledge. Give man
40 or so years to study one science OF
all sciences, with all the advantages OF
laboratories and observatories and phil.
osophic apparatus, he will be marvel
of information. Now, into what intelli-
gence must heaven mount, angelhood
and sainthood, not after studying fo1
40 or so years, but for thousands OF
years-studying God and the soul and