Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-11-14


3s: And L saw new Heaven. Rev
Citations, xxi, /.
The sterotyped Heaven does not make
adequate impression upon us. We
need the old story told in new style in
order to arouse our appreciation. I
do not suppose that we are compelled
80 the old phraseoIogy. King James
&ranslators did not exhaust all the
good and graphic words in the English
dictionary. [ suppose if we should
take the idea of Heaven, and translate
3t into modern phrase, we would find
that it's atmosphere is a combination
of early June and of the Indian sum-
mer in October, a place combining the
advantages of city and country, the
streets standing for the one, and the
twelve manner of fruits for the other;
a place of musical entertainments
harpers, pipers, trumpeters, doxolo-
gies; a place of wonderful architecture
behold the temples! place where
there may be the highest forms of ami
NAL life-the beasts which were on
earth beaten, lash-whipped, and CALLED
and unblanketed, and worked to
death, turned out among the white
horses which the Book of Revelation
>desc1i hes as being in Heaven; place of
>stupendous literature-the books open;
"A place of aristocratic and democratic
attractiveness-the kings standing for
the one, all nations for the other; all
botanical, genealogical, ornithological,
.arborescent, Worshipful beauty and
grandeur.
But my idea now is to speak chiefly
of the improved Heaven. People
sometimes talk of Heaven as though it
were an old city, finished centuries
ago, when I have to tell you that no
city on earth, during the last so years,
has had such changes as Heaven. 1t
is not the same place as when Job, and
David, and Paul wrote of it. For hum
,dreds and hundreds of years it has
been going through peaceful revolu-
ton, and year by year, and month by
month, and hour by hour, and mo-
ment by moment, 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 sympathetic heart after
awhile overflowed in other creations,
and there came, all through this vast
country of immensely, inhabited vii
lagos, which grew and enlarged until
they ioined each other, and became one
great central metropolis of the uni
verse, streeted, gated, tempted, wa
tered, inhabited. One angel went forth
with a reed, we are told, and he meas
ured Heaven on the 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.
That brings me to the first thought
of my theme-that Heaven is vastly
IMPROVED in numbers. Noting little
under this head about the multitude
of adults who have gone into glory
during the last 100, or 500, or 1000
years, [ remember there are 100000
600 Of people in the world, and that
the vast majority of people die in in
fancy. How many children must have
gone into Heaven during the last 500
or 1000 years! If New York should
gather in one generation 100000 pop
ulation, if London should gather in
one generation 100000 population,
what a vast increase! But what
mere nothing as compared with the
500, 900, 900, the 100000 ,OOO the ''mul-
titude that no man can number" 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
star; and that is one reason why
Heaven will always be fresh and beau
tiful-the great multitude of children
in it. Put 5OO,OO0,0OO children in
country, it will be a oless ed and lively
country.
But add to this, if you WILL the
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 New Eng
land pulpit, and said that he believed
that the vast majority of the race
would finally be destroyed, and that
not more than one out of 1000 per-
sons would be finally saved. There
happened to be about 1000 people in
the village where he preached. Next
Sabbath two persons were heard dis
cussing the subject, and wondering
which one Of the 1000 people in the
village would finally reach Heaven,
and one thought it would be the min
lister, and the other thought it would
be the old deacon. Now, [ have not
much admiration for a lifeboat which
will go out to a ship sinking with
1000 passengers, and get one off in
safety and let 1899 go to the bottom.
Why Heaven must have been a village
when Abel, the first soul from earth,
entered it, as compared with the pres
eat population of that great city.
Again: l remark that Heaven has
'astly improved in knowledge. Give
A I