Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-03

but heaven has added all the apostles.
Suppose Hannah More and Charlotte
Elizabeth were introduced into your So
cial circle on earth; but heaven has added
all the blessed and tho gracious and tho
holy women Of the past ages. Suppose
that Robert McChcyno and John sum
incrilcld should be added to your earthly
circle; but heaven has gathered up all the
faithful and earnest ministry of the past.
There Is not u town, or N city, or village
that has SO improved in society in tho last
100 years as heaven has improved
A Change of Degree Only.
But you say, Hasn't heaven always
been perfectg" Oh, yes, but not In tho
sense that 1t cannot bo augmented 1t
has been rolling on in grandeur. Christ
has been there, and he never ohanges-tho
same yesterday today and forever, glori-
Gus then and glorious now and glorious
forever. But / speak now of attractions
outside of this, and I have to tell you that
no place on earth has improved in society
rs heaven has within tho last 20 years, for
the most of you within 40 years, within
90 years, within years, within year
in other words, by the accessions from
tyour own household. II heaven were
placed in groups an apostolic group, n
bToup, u pluphclp Riphp,
group OF martyrs, group Of angels and
then u group of your own gloritied kin
drcd-whch group would you choose? You
might look around and make comparison,
but IL would hot take you long to choose.
You would say: "Give me buck those
whom | loved on earth; let me enter into
their society-my parents, my children,
my brothers, my sisters. We lived to-
gether on earth; let us live together in
heaven" Oh, is it not a blessed thought
that heaven has been improved by its So
cicty, this colonization from earth to
heaven:
Again, remark that heaven has great
ly improved i'm the good cheer of announce
cd victories. Where heaven rcjuiccd over
ono soul it now rejOiccs over 100 ur 1000.
In tho CJden times, when the events Of
| human life were scattered over four or five
centuries of longevity and the world
moved slowly, there were not SD many
stirring events to be reported in heaven,
but now, l suppose, all the great events
of earth are reported in heaven. If there
is any truth plainly taught in this Bible
it Is that heaven is wrapped up in sym
| pathy with human history, and we look
ut those inventions of the day-at telcg
raphy, at swift communication by steam,
4
seem to- give one almost omnipresencc-
and we SOC only the secular relation, but
spirits before the throne look out and SEQ
the vast and the eternal relation. While
nations rise and fall, while the earth is
shaking with revolution, do you not sup
pose there is arousing intelligence going
up to the throne of God, and that the
question is often asked before thu throne,
what Is tho news from that world-that
world that rcbclled, but Is coming back to
its allegiance Iii ministcring spirits,
according to the Bible, arc sent forth to
minister to- those that shall DO heirs of
heaven, when they come down tn us to
! bless us, do they not take the news back?
, DO the ships of light that come out OF the
celestial harbor into the earthly harbor,
laden with cargocs of blessing, go back
unfrcightcd: Ministcring spirits not only,
but our loved ones leaving us, take up the
tidings. suppose you We're in u far city
and had been there II good while, and you
heard that some one had arrived from
your native placc-some one who had re-
Gently seen your 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 gloriiied kindred in heaven
ascertain as to whether you We're getting
along well in the struggle of life, To iind
out whether you We're in any especial peril,
that with swift and mighty wing they
might come down to intercept your pcrils?
oh, yes, Heaven is greater place for
news than il used to be-news sounded
through the streets, news ringing from the
towers. news heraldcd from the palace
gate. Glad news! Victorious news!
The Future Heaven.
But the vlvacity and sprightliness OF
heaven will be beyond all conception when
the final victories como in, when the church
shall be triumphant everywhere. oh, what
"a day in heaven it will be when the last
throne Of earthly oppression has fallen,
when the last chain of scrf6om is broken,
when tho last wound of earthly pain is
healed, when the last sinner is pardoncd,
when the last nation Is redeemed. What II
time there will be in heaven. You and
will be in the procession, you and will
thrum string in that great orchestra.
That will be the greatest day i'm heaven
since the day when the first block of jas
per was put down for the foundation and
tho first hinged pearl swung. IL there is
difference between heaven now and heav-
en- MS it was. oh, the difference between
heaven rs it shall bo ana heaven us il ID
now Not "a splcndor stuck fast, but roll
ing on and rolling on, and rolling up and
rolling up, forever, forever.
Now, l say these things about the
changes in heaven, about the new i'm
provements in heaven, for three stout rca-
sons. 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, praying and talking SC
many years. Now, be patient. l could see
why you would want To 90 to an art gal
lery il some OF the best pictures Were To be
taken away this week or next week, but II
some one tells you that there are other
beautiful pictures To come-other Ken
sets, Raphaels and Ruhenses, other mas
terpicces to be added to the gallery-you
would say: II can afford to wait. The
| place is improving all the time" Now,
! want you to apply the same principle In
this matter OF reaching heaven and leav-
ing this world. Not one glory is to he
I subtracted, but many glories added. Not
one angel will be gone, not one hierarch
gone, not one of your glorified friends
| gone. BY the long practicng the music
will be better, the procession will be lon
ger, tho rainbow brighter, the coronation
grander. Heaven, with magnificent ad.
, denda Why will you complain when you
are only waiting for something better:
. Another reason why speak in regard
provements In heaven is because l think il
| l.. \.