Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-08-17

ty minutes occurred. Its population has
quadrupled, sextuplcd, centupled. Heaven
has more on hand, more OF rapture, more
of knowledge, more of fntercommunica-
ton, more Of worship. There Is not so
much difference between Washington, q
mudhole seventy years ago. and Washing
! ton now, the most beautiful city on earth;
not so much difference between New York
when Canal street was far uptown, and
when Canal street is far downtown, as
there is difference between what heaven
| was when my text was written and what
heaven is now. The most thrilling place
we have ever been in Is stupid compared
with that, and II we now have no time to
spare, we will then have no eternity to
spare. Silence in heaven only half an hour!
NY subject also impresses me with the
Immortality of half hour. That half
hour mentioned in my text is more widely
known than any other period In the cal
endar of heaven. None OF the whole
hours OF heaven are measured off, none
Of the years. none Of the centuries. OF the
millions OF ages past. and the millions OF
ages to come, not one is especially
measured Off in the Bible. The half hour
Of my text Is made immortal. The only
part of eternity that was ever measured by
earthly timepiece was measured by the
minute hand Of my text. Oh, the half
hours! They decide everything. 1 am
not asking what you will do with the years
or months or days Of your life, but what
Of the half hours. Tell me the history Of
your half hours, and 1 will tell you the
story of your whole life on earth and
the story OF your whole life In eternity.
The right or wrong things you can think
In thirty minutes. the right or wrong things
you can say in thirty minutes, the right or
wrong things you can do In thirty minutes
are glorious or baleful, inspiring or desper-
ate.
Look out for the fragments of time.
They are pieces of eternity. 1t was the
half hours between shoeing horses that
made Elihu Burritt the learned black
smith; the half hours between professional
calls PHYSICAL that made Abercrombie
the Christian philosopher; the half hours
between his duties as school master that
made Salmon P. Chase Chief Justice; the
half hours between shoe lasts that made
Henry Wilson Vice-Tresident of the United
States; the half houIS between canal boats
that made James A. Garfield President.
The half hour a day for good books or bad
books; the half hour a day for prayer or
indolence; the half hour day for helping
others or blasting others; the half hour
before you go to business, and the half
hour after your return from business; that
makes the difference between the scholar
and the ignoramus. between the Christian
and the inAdel, between the saint and the
demon, between triumph and catastrophe,
between heaven and hell. The most tre-
mendous things of your life and mine were
certain half hours.
Remember, we are mortal yet, and can
not endure the full roll of heavenly har-
monies, and cannot endure even the silent
heaven for more than half an hour. Hark!
the clock in the tower OF heaven begins TO
strike. and the half hour is ended. De-
scendI Come backl Come down! till your
work is done. Shoulder u little longer your
battles. Weep little longer your griefs.
And then take heaven not In its fullest half
hour. but in its mightiest pomp and instead
OF taking It for thirty minutes, take it world
without end.
But how will you spend the first half hour
OF your heavenly citizenship after you have
gone in to stay? After your prostration
before the throne in worship OF Him who
made 1t possible for you to get there Mt all,
think the rest of your first half hour In
heaven will be passed In receiving your re-
ward If you have been faithful. / have
strangely beautiful book, containing the
pictures Of the medals struck by the Eng
lish Government in honor of great battles;
these medals pinned over the heart of the
returned heroes of tho army, on great oc-
casions, the royal family present, and
the royal bands playing-the Crimean
medal, the Legion OF Honor, the Victoria
Cross, the Waterloo medal. In your first
half hour in heaven in some way you will
be honored for the earthly struggles In
which you won the day. Stand up before
all the royal house of heaven and receive
the insignia while you are announced as
victor over political misfortune, as victor
over the droughts and freshets of the farm
field, victor over the temptations OF the
stock exchange, victor over domestic in
felicities, victor over mechanics shop, VIC
tor over professional allurements, victor
over the storehouse, victor over homo
worriments, victor over physical distress,
victor over hereditary depressions, victor
over sin and death and hell. Take the
badge that celebrates those victories
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Take it in
the presence OF all the galleries, sanity,
angelic, and divine, while all heaven
chants: "These are they who came out Of
great tribulation and had their robes
washed and made white in the blood of the
Lamb"
Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
And seize 1t with their eye.
If heaven is all this while halted, what
will 1t be when on the march? If heaven
Is all this while silent what will 1t be when
in full triumph? Many years ago, at the
CRYSTAL Palace, In New York, Julian gave q
great concert, 5000 voices and 5000 players,
upon instruments. He controlled that
great harmony, beating time with hand and
foot, and to myself, who had never before
heard music on a grand scale, 1t was over
powering. But oh, when they shall come
from the north and the south, and the east
and the west, and sit down in the temple
of God and the Lamb, and Christ shall
rise. and all heaven shall rise with Him, He
shall control that harmony with once
wounded hand and once wounded foot, and
it will be like the voice Of many waters and
the voice of mighty thunderings. Worthy
ing and riches and honor and glory and
mower. Amen and amen!