The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-12-08
NO. A..

| What is the news from that world
| that world that rebelled, but is COM
| ing back to its allegiance?" If min-
istering spirits, according to the BIZ
bic, are seEt forth to minister to those
, that shall be heirs of Heaven, when
they come down to US to bless us, do
they not take the news back? Do the
ships of light that come out of the CO.
lestial harbor into the earthly harbor.
ladenwith cargoes of blessing. go back
unfreighted? Ministering spirits not
only, but our loved ones leaving lis.
take up the tidings. Suppose you were
in a far city, and had been there a
good while, and you heard that some
one had arrived from your native place
some one who had recently seenyour
family and friends-you would rush
up to that man. and you would ask all
about the old folks at home. And do
you not suppose when your child went
up to God, your glorified kindred i'm
Heaven gathered around and asked
about you, to ascertain as to whether
you were getting along well in the
struggle of life; to find out whether
YOU were in any especial peril, that
with swift and mighty wing they
might come down to intercept your
perils? Oh, yes. Heaven is greater
place for news than itused to be-news
sounded through the streets, news
ringing from the towers, news herald
ed from the palace gate Glad news!
Victorious news!
| Now, ] say these things about the
changes in Heaven, about the new i'm
provements in Heaven, for three stout
| reasons. First, because | find that
some of you are impatient to be gone.
You are tired of this world, and YOU
want to get into that good land about
which you have been thinking, pray
ing and talking so many years. Now
be patient. | could see why you would
want to go to an art gallery if some
OF the best pictures were to be taken
away this week or next week, but if
some one tells you that there are other
beautiful pictures to come-other Ken
sctts, Raphaels and Rubens; other
masterpieces to be added to the gall
lery-you would say: Il can afford to
wait. The place is improving all the
time Now, | want you to apply the
same principle in this matter of reach
ing Heaven and leaving this world.
Not one glory is to be subtracted, but
many glories added. Not one angel
will be gone, not one herarch gone,
not one of your glorified friends gone.
BY the long practicing the music will
be better, the procession will be
longer, the rainbow brighter, the cor
onation grander. Heaven, with mag
nificent addenda! Why will you COM
plain when you are only waiting for
something better?
| enter Heaven one day. 1t is almost
empty. | enter the temples of wor-
ship. and there are no worshipers.
walk down the street, and there arc
no passengers. | go into the orches-
ira. and | find the instruments arc
suspended in the baronial halls Of
Heaven, and the great organs of eter~
nifty, with multitudinOus banks of
keys, are closed. But | see a shining
one at the gate, as though he were
| 3
mel, what does this mean? 1 thought
Heaven was a populous city. Has
there been some great plague sweep
ing off the populations Have you
not heard the news?' says the senti-
mel. There is world burning, there
is a great contlagration out yonder,
and all Heaven has gone out to look at
- @,l, ~.
out of the ruins. This is the day for
which all other days are made. This
is the Judgment. This morning all
the chariots, and the cavalry, and the
mounted infantry rumbled and gal
loped down the sky And after l had
listened to the sentinel, | looked
off over the battlements, and / saw
that the fields of air were bright
with blazing world. / said:
"Yes, yes, this must be the Judg-
mcnt:' and while | stood there / heard
the rumbling Cf wheels and the clat-
tering of hoofs, and the roaring of
many voices, and then | saw the coro-
nets and pIumes and banners, and l
saw all Heaven was coming back again
coming to the wall, coming to the
gate, and the mSltitude that went off
in the morning was augmented by a
vast multitude caught up alive from
) the earth, and vast multitude of the
resurrected bodies of the Christian
5 dead, leaving the cemeteries and the
abbeys and the mausoleums and the
\ graveyards of the earth empty. Pro
5 cession moving in through the gates.
: And then | found out that what was
fiery Judgment day on earth was Jubi-
r lee in Heaven, and ] cried: Door
: keepers of Heaven. shut the gates; all
} Heaven has come in! Doorkeepers
I shut the gates, lest the sorrows
2 and the woes of earth, like bandits
1 should some day come up and try tc
: pIunder the city"