The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-23


Into Heaven; Stephen Looking 81 Christ
Stephen Stoned; Stephen IN Eis Dy.ps
Prayer and stephsp Asleep.
The discourse of Dr.. TaI12s9e which
we send out IS q vivid Story Of martyr
dom and rapturous viaw CT the
world to come; text, Acts vli, 50 80.
Behold I see the heavens opened, "
etc.
Stephen had been preaching rous-
ing sermon, and the people could not
stand it. They resolved to do as men
sometimes would like 10 do il this
day, if they dared, with some plain
preacher Of righteoUsness-kill him.
The only way to silence this man was
to knock the breath out OF him. So
they rushed Stephen cut Of the gates
Of the city, and with curse and whoop
and below they brought him to the
cliff, SIS Was the custom when tcey
wanted to take away life by stoni1g.
Having brought him to the edge Of
the cliff. they pushed him off After
he had fallen they came and looked
down, and, seeing that he was not yet
dead, they began to drop stones upon
him, stone after stone. Amid this hor-
rible rain OF missiles Stephen clam-
bers up on his knees snd folds his
hands, while the blood 6rips from his
temples to his cheeks, from his cheeks
to his garments, from his garments to
the ground, and then, looking up, he
makes two prayerS-one for himself
and one for his murders. Lord
Jesus receive my spirit!" That was
for himself. Lord, lay not this sin
to their charge" That was for his
assailants. Then, from pain and loss
blood, he swocned away and fell
asleep.
want to show you today FIVE pict.
ures-Stsphen gazing into heaven i,
Stephen looking at Christ, Stephen
stoned, Stephen in his dying prayer
and Stephen asleep.
First look at Stephen gazing into
heaven Before you take leap you
want to know where you sre going to
land. Before you climb ladder you
want to know to what point the lad
der reaches. And it was right that
Stephen, within 3 few moments of
heaven, should be gazing into it.
We would all do well to be found in
the same posture. There is enough in
heaven to keep US gazing. A man Of
large wealth may have statuary in the
hsl, and paintings in the sitting room
and works Of art In au parts of the
house, but he has the chief pictures in
the art gallery, and there hour after
hour you walk with catalogue and
glass and ever increasing sdniration.
Well, heaven is the gallery where
God has gathered the chief treasures
Of his realm. The whole universe is
his palace. In this lower room where
we stop there are many adornments-
tesselated floor of amethyst, and on
the winding cloud stairs are stretched
out canvases on which coumingle
azure and purple and saffron and
gold. But heaven is the gallery in
which the chief glories ara gathered.
There are the brightest robes. There
are the richest crowns. There are the
highest exhilsrations, John says Of
it, ssThe kings of the earth shall bring
their honor and glory into it." And
I see the procession forming, and in
the line come all empires, and the
stars spring up into an arch for the
hosts to march under. The hosts keep
step to the sound of earthquake and
the pitch of avalanche from the noun.
tains, and they flag the bear is the
fame Of consuming world, and all
heaven turns out with narps and
trumpets and myriad voiced acclsma-
ton OF angelic dominion to welcome
them in, and so the kings of the earth
bring their honor and glory into it.
Do you wonder that good people often
stand, like Stephen, looking into
heaVens We have many friends
there.
There is not man in this house to-
day so isolated in life but there is
some one in heaven with whom he
once shook hands. As 8 man gets
older the number OF his celestial ac-
quaintauces very rapidly multiplies.
We have not had one glimpse of them
since the night we kissed theG good
by, and they went away, but still we
stand gazing at heaven. As when
some of our friends go across the sea
We and on the dock or on the steam
tug and watch them, and after awhile
the hulk of the vessel disappears, and
then there is only 8 patch Of sail on
the sky, and soon that is gone, and
they are all out OF sight, and yet we
stand looking in the same direction,
50 when our friends 60 away from US
into the future world we keep looking
down through the Narrows and gaz-
ing and gazing as though We expected
hat they would come out and stand
on some cloud and give US one
glimpse of their blissful and transfg-
ured faces.
While you long to join their COM
panionship, and the years and the
days go with such tedium that they
break your hesrt, and the viper OF
psin and sorrow and bereavement
keeps gnawing at your vitsis, you
stand still, like Stephen, gazing into
heaven. You wonder if they have
changed since you saw them last.
You wonder if they would recognize
your face now, SO changed has it been
with trouble. You wonder if amid
the myriad delights they have the
care as much for you as they used to
when they gave you helping hand
and put their shoulder under your
burdens. You wonder if they look
any older, and sometimes in the eve
ming tide, when the house is al qaiictt,
you wonder if you should cali them
by their first name if they would not
answer, and perhaps sometimes you
do make the experiment, and when
DO one but God and yourself are there
you distinctly call their names and
listen and sit gazing into heaven.
Pass on now and see Stephen look
ing upon Christ. My text says he saw
the Son OF Man st the risht hand Of
God. Just how Christ looked in this