The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-03-19

uHdlly bdVcu, Will 10 uuuului. i
suppose that the few sick people in the
hospital to-day, as compared with the
hundreds of thousands of well people
in the city, would not be smaller
than the number of those who shall
be cast out in suffering, compared
with those who shall have upon them
the health of Heaven. For we are to
remember that we are living in COM
paratively the beginning of the Chris
tian dispensation, and that this world
is to be populated and redeemed, and
that ages of light and love are to Tow
on. II this be so, the multitudes of the
saved will be in vast majority.
Take all the congregations that have
to-day assembled for worship. Put
them together and they would make
but a small audience compared with
the thousands and tens of thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand,
and the hundred and forty and four
thousand that shall stand around the
throne. Those flashed up to Heaven
in martyr fires; those tossed for many
years upon the invalid couch;
those fought in the armies Of
liberty, and rose as they fell;
those tumbled from high scaffoldings,
or slipped from the mast, or were
washed off into the sea. They came up
from Corinth, from Laodicea, from the
Red sea bank and Gennesaret's wave,
from Egyptian brick yards, and Gide-
on's threshing floor. Those, thousands
of years ago, slept the last sleep; AMI
these are this moment having their
eyes closed and their limbs stretched
out for the sepulchre.
general expecting an attack from
the enemy stands on hill and looks
through field-glass, and sees, in the
great distance, multitudes approach
ing, but he has no idea of their num-
bers He says: 81 can not tell any
thing about them. 1 merely know
that there are great humber" And
so John, without attempting to count,
says: "A great multitude that no man
can number"
We are told that Heaven il a place
of happiness; but what do we know
about happiness? Happiness in this
world is only half-fledge thing; a
howery path, with serpent Kissing
across it; broken pitcher, from which
the water has dropped before we could
drink it; thrill of exhilaration, fol-
lowed by disastrous reactions. To help
us understand the joy of Heaven, the
Bible takes us to river. We stand on
the grassy bank. We see the waters
How on with ceaseless wave. But the
filth of the cities are emptied into it;
and the banks are torn; and unhealthy
exhilarations spring up from it; and we
fail to get an idea of the River of Life
in Heaven.
We get very imperfect ideas of the
reunions of Heaven. We think of some
festal day on earth, when father and
mother were yet living, and the chill
dren came home. A good time that!
But it had this drawback-all were not
there. That brother went off to sea,
and never was heard from. That sister
did we not lay her away in the fresh
ness of her young life, never more in
this world to look upon her? All! there
was skeleton at the feast; and tears
mingled with our laughter on that
Christmas day. Not so with Heavens
reunions 1t will be an uninterrupted
gladness. Many a Christian parent
will look around and find all his chill
dren there. 'Ah!" he says, 'can it be
possible that we are all here, life's perils
over? The Jordan passed, and not one
Why, even the prodigal is
here. | almost gave him up. How
long he despised my counsels! but
grace hath triumphcd. All here all
here! Tell the mighty JOY through
the city. Let the bells ring, and the
angels mention it in their song. Wave
it from the top of the walls. ALI
here!"
No more breaking of heart-strings,
but face to face. The orphans that
were left poor, and in mercilcss
world, kicked and cuffed of many hard
ships, shall join their parents, over
whose graves they so long wept
and gaze into their glorited coun-
tenances, forever, face, to face. We
may come up from different parts of
the world, one from the land and an
other from the depths of the sea; from
lives affluent and prosperous, or from
scenes of ragged distress; but we shall
all meet in rapture and jubilee, face to
face.
Many of our friends have entered
upon that joy. A few days ago they
sat with us studying these Gospel
themes; but they only saw through
a glass, darkly-now revelation
hath come. Your time will also com e.
God will not leave you foundering in
the darkness. You stand wonder-struck
and amazed. You feel as If all the
loveliness of life were dashed out. You
stand gazing into the open chasm OF
the grave. Wait a little. In the pres
ence of your departed, and of Him
who carries them in His bosom,
you shall soon stand face to face.
Oh, that our last hour may kindle |
up with this promised joy! May we
be able to say, like the Christian not
long ago, departing: Though pill
grim, walking through the valley, the
mountain tops are cleaning from |
peak to peak" Or, like my dear
friend and brother, Alfred Cook.
nan. who took his flight to the throne
Of God, saying in his last moment that
which has already gone into Christian
classics: Il am sweeping through the