The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-11
CHANGES In HEAVEN.
DIR. TAEMAGE TELLS OF CELES-
TIAL CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
Great Growth I'm Population and I'm
creased acknowledgements Aug
mented-AIway. Bright and Joyful.

All OhN Vi -
ing is this story of Dr., Talmage con-
corning the next world. and 1t nay do
good to see things from a novel stand
point. The text is Revelation xxi, !,
And 1 saw a new heaven
The stereotyped HEAVIER Goes not
make adequate impression upon US.
We need the old story told in new style
in order to arouse our appreciation. l
do not suppose that we are
to the old p~hraseology. King james
transIators did not exhaust all the
good graphic words in the English
dictionary. / suppose If we should take
the idea of heaven and translate It INTO
modern phrase, we would find that 1ts
ATMOSPHERE is a. combination OF early
June and of the ndian summer In Oc-
-teber-a place combining the adVah-
tapes of. city and country, the sIree's
standing for the one, n the IL mail
ner of fruits for the other; a place OIL
musical observation-disclosures, pip
org rumpeter doxologies; a place OF
wonderful northumberland the
temples a place where there may De
the higher forms of animal hte-tne
beasts which were on earth Deateh'
lash whipped and CALLED and unplanh-
eted and worked to death turned out
among the white horses when the DION
of Revelation describes as being IN
heaven; q place of s~tupendous llterd-
ture-the books open; a place OF airs
tocratic and democratic attractlVeness
the kings standing for the one, all
nations for the other; all BOTANICAL
genealogical. archaeological, arbores-
cent. w%orshipfuI beauty and
But my idea now is to speak cnleliS
of the improved a V People some
times talk of heaven as though II were
an old city, finished centuries ago.
when I have to tell you that no city on
earth during the last fifty years mas
had such changes as heaven. II Is not
the same place as when Job and DaVlo
and Paul wrote it. For hundreds ana
hundreds of years it has been gong
trough peaceful revolution, and year
hv wear, and month by month, ana
hour by hour, and by mo-
ment it is changing and changing for
something better. Away back there
was only one residence in the universe
the residence of the Almighty.
Heaven had not yet been started:
immensely was the park (all around
about this great residence, but Gods
Sy l. ~ hCh "iNCA
flowed in other creations, and there
came all through this vast country of
immensely inhabited villages, which
grew and enlarged until they joined
each other and became one great CEN
trail metropolis of the universe, street.
ed, gated, tempted, watered, inhabited.
One angel went forth with a reed, We
are told, and he measured heaven on
one side, and 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
bewildered that he gave it up.
A VAST POPULATION.
That brings me to the first thought
of my theme-that heaven is vastly i'm
proved in numbers. Nothing little un-
der this head about the multitude of
adults who nave gone INTO glory during
the last 100 or 500 or 1000 years, l re-
member there are 900, 900, 600 of peo-
pie in the world, and that the vast ma
jority of people die in infancy. How
many children must have gone into
heaven during the last 500 or 1000
years! If New York should gather in
one generation 1000, 900 population, if
London should gather in one genera
ton 1900, 900 population, what a vast
increase. But what a mere nothing as
compared with the 500. 600, 900, the O.
UOU, UUU,UUO, liz HlullIluOc liiI lO llloii
can number" that nave 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 heaven will always be fresh
and beautiful-the great multitude of
children in it. Put 500, 900, 900 children
in a country. 1t viii be a blessed and
lively country.
PIT odd tn this If Won will tho
great multitude of adults who have
gone into glory and how the census of
heaven must run up! Many years ago
a clergyman stood in a 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 =. 1000 persons would
be finally saved. There happened to
be about 1000 people in the village
where he preached. Next sabbath two
persons were heard discussing the sub
iect, and wondering which one of the
1000 people in the village would finally
reach eaven 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 a life
boat which will go out TO a ship sink
ing with 1000 passengers and get one
off in safety and let 1899 go to the bot
tom. Why, heaven must have been q
village when Abel, the first soul from
earth. entered it. as compared with the
present population Of that great city.
GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE.
Again, l remark hat heaven has
vastly improved in knowledge. Give q
mar forty or fifty years to study one
science or all sciences, with all the
advantages of laboratories and obser-
atoies and philosophic apparatus. he
will be a marvel of information. Now,
into what intelligence must heaven
mount, angelhood and s~ainthood. noG
after studying for forty or fifty years.
but for thousands of ying
Coo and the soul and immortality n
the universe! How the intelligence OF
tina world must sweep on and on, with
eyesight farther reaching than tele-
scope. with power Of calculation Nigh
tier than all human mathematics. with
powers of analysis suspaSsing all
chemical laboratory, with speed sw1fte~
than biography! What must heaven
Iaarp uyiSh aI.wmaNxme@@~ advantages. In a