The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-12-08

entered it, as compared with the is es-
ent population of that great city.
Again: l remark that Heaven has
vastly improved in knowledge. Give
man 40 or so years to study one SCI
ence, or all the sciences, with all the
advantages of laboratories and obser-
vatories and philosophic apparatus,
he will be a marvel of information.
Now, into what intelligence must
Heaven mount, angelhcod and saint
hood, not after studying for 40 or so
years, but for thousands of years
studying God and the soul and immor-
tality and the universe! How the in
telligence of that world must sweep
| on and on, with eyesight farther
reaching than telescope, with power
| of calculation mightier than all hui
man mathematics, with powers of
analysis surprising all chemical labor
atory, with speed swifter than teleg-
raphy! What must Heaven learn,
| with all these advantages, i'll a mil
lenium? The difference between the
highest university on earth and the
smallest class in ii primary school can
not be a greater difference than
Heaven as it is now and Heaven as it
once was. DO you not suppose that
when DR.. James Simpson went up
from the hospitals of Edinburgh into
Heaven he knew more than ever the
science of health; and that Joseph
Henry, graduating from the Smith
sonlan institution into Heaven, awoke
into higher realms of philosophy;
and that Sir William Hamilton, lifted
to loftier sphere, understood better
the construction of the human intel
lee; and that John Milton took up
| higher poetry in the actual presence
OF things that on earth he had tried to
| describe?
Again: Heaven is vastly improved
| i'll its society. During your memory
how many exquisite spirits have gone
into it! If you should try to make a
list of all the genial, loving gracious,
blessed souls that you have known, it
would be very long lst-souls that
Fave gone into glory. Now, do you
not suppose they have enriched the
society? Have they not improved
| Heaven? You tell of what Heaven did
for them. They have done nothing for
Heaven? Take all the gracious souls
that have gone out of your acquaint-
anceship, and add to them all the gra-
cious and beautiful souls that for 500
or 1000 years have gone out of all the
cities and all the villages, and all the
countries of this earth into glory.
and how the society of Heaven must
| have been improved. Suppose Paul,
the apostle, were introduced into your
social circle on earth; but Heaven has
added all the apostles. Suppose Han
nah More and Charlotte Elizabeth
were introduced into your social cir
Gle on earth; but Heaven has added all
the blessed and the gracious and the
holy women of the past ages. Sup
pose that Robert MCheyne and John
Summerfield should be added to your
earthly circle! but Heaven has gath
cred up all the faithful and earnest
ministry of the past. There is not a
town, or city, or village that has
so improved in society in the last hun
| dred wears as Heaven has improved.
But you say: Hasn't Heaven al
ways been perfect?" Oh, yes! but not
in the sense that it can not be aug
mented. 1t has been rolling on in
grandeur. Christ has been there, and
| He never changes-the same yester-
day, to-day and forever. But l speak
now of attractions outside of this,
and have to tell you that no place on
earth has improved in society as
Heaven has within the last 20 years;
for most of you within 40 years,
within 90 years, within five years,
within one year; in other words, by
the accessions from your own house
hold. If Heaven were placed in
groups-an apostolic group, a patri-
archal group, prophetic group, group
of martyrs, group of angels, and then
a group of your own glorified kindred
(which group would you choose
You might look around and make com
parison, but it would not take you
long to choose. You would say: Give
me back those whom l loved on earth
let me enter into their society-my
parents, my children, my brothers, my
sisters. We lived together on earth
let us live together i'll Heaven Oh
is it not blessed thought that Heaven
has been improved by its society-this
colonization from earth to Heaven?
Again: | remark that Heaven has
greatly improved in the good cheer OF
announced victories. Where Heaven
rejoiced over one soul, it now rejoices
over hundred or a thousand. In the
olden times, when the events of hu
man life We're scattered over four ol
five centuries of longevity, and the
world moved slowly, there were not Sc
many stirring events to be reported il
Heaven; but now, | suppose, all tn,
great events of earth are reported il
Heaven. If there is any truth plain
ly taught in this Bible it is that Heav
en- is wrapped up in sympathy will
| human history and we look at thOs,