Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-10-31
CHANGES IN HEAVEN.
DR.. TALMkGE TELLS OF CELESTIAL
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.


Augmented Always bright and
joyful.
copyright. 1898. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30.-All out Of
the usual line of sermonizing is this
story of DR.. Talmage concerning the
next world, and it may do good to see
things from novel standpoint The
text is Revelation xxi, /, "And l saw a
new heaven.
The stereotyped heaven does 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 compelled to the
old phraseology. King James trans
iators did not exhaust all the good and
graphic words in the English diction-
ary / suppose, if we should take the
N of heaven and translate it into
A0dern phrase, we would find that its
Atmosphere is a combination of early
June and of the Indian summer in Oc-
tober-a place combining the advan-
tages of city and country, the streets
standing for the one, and the IL manner
of fruits for the other; place of music
al entertainments - harpers, pipers,
trumpeters, doxologies; place of won
derful behold the tenn
piles, a 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 Reve-
lation describes as being in heaven; q
place of stupendous literature-the
books open !; place of aristocratic and
democratic attractiveness-the kings
standing for the one, all nations for the
other; all botanical, genealogical, Or
astrological, arborescent, worshipful
beauty and grandeur.
But my idea now is to speak chiefly
of the improved heaven. People some
times talk of heaven as though it were
an old city, finished centuries ago, when
/ have to tell you that no city on earth
during the last 80 years has had such
changes as heaven. 1t is not the same
place as when Job and David and Paul
wrote of it. For hundreds and hundreds
of years it has been going through peace
full revolution, and year by year, and
month by month, and hour by hour, and
moment by moment it is changing and
changing for something better. Away
back there was only one residence in
the universe-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, 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 central
metropolis of the universe, streeteG,
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 bewil
dered that he gave it up.
Vast Population.
That brings me to the first thought
of my theme-that heaven is vastly i'm
proved 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, remem
UGT GuGIS dI0 ,OOO, OOO, OOO VI p6Upl6 Ill
the world, and that the vast majority
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 genera
ton 10000 population, if London
should gather in one generation 4,O0O,
900 population, what a vast increase
But what mere nothing as compared
with the 500, 900, 600, the 1900, 900, 900,
the multitude that no man can num-
Der" 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 Zig bit sped from
a star, and that is one reason why heav-
en- will always be fresh and beautiful
the great multitude of children in it.
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 the census of heaven
must run up! Many years ago 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 1900 persons would be
finally saved. There happened to be
about 1900 people in the village where
he preached. Next Sabbath two persons
were heard discussing the subject and
wondering which one of the 1900 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, I have
mot much admiration for q lifebOat
which will go out to a ship sinking
with 1000 passengers and get one Off
in safety and let l, 999 go to the bot