The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-11-11

provements in Heaven, for three stout
reasons. First, because 1 find that
some OF you are impatient to be gone.
You are tired of this world, and you
want to get into that good land about
which you have been thinking, pray
ing and talking so many years. Now
be patient. / could see why you would
want to go to an art gallery if some
of the best pictures were to be taken
away this week or next week, but if
some one tells you that there are other
beautiful pictures to come-other Ken
setts, Raphaels and Rubens; other
masterpieces to be added to the gall
lery-you would say: Il can afford to
wait. The place is improving all the
time" Now, | want you to apply the
| same principle in this matter of reach
ing Heaven and leaving this world.
Not one glory is to be subtracted, but
many glOries added. Not one angel
will be gone, not one hierarch gone,
not one of your glorified friends gone.
BY the long practicing the music wilt
| be better, the procession will be
longer, the rainbow brighter, the cor
OnatiOn grander. Heaven, with mag,
nificent addenda! Why will you COM
plain when you are only waiting for
something better?
/ speak these words on the changes
in Heaven, and the new improvements
in Heaven, also, because | want to
cure some of you of the delusiOn that
your departed Christian friends have
gone into dullness and silence and I'M
consciousness. They are in a stirring,
picturesque, radiant, ever-accumula-
tive scene. When they left their bod
les they only got rid of the last him
drance. They are no more in lakewood,
Laurel Hill or Mount Auburn than
you, in holiday attire, having seated
yourself at a banquet, can be ssid to
be in a dark closet, where you have
left the old apparel that was not fit to
wear to the banquet. A soldier can
not use a sword until he has I'M
sheathed it, and the body of your de-
parted was only the sheath of a
bright and gIittering spirit which God
has lifted and is swaying in the Heav-
emily triumph. According to what I
am telling you at present, your de-
parted Christian friends did not go so
much into the company of the mar
tyrs, and the apostles, and the prOph-
cts, and the pOtent&tes of Heaven, as
into the company of grandfather and
grandmother, and the infant sister
that tarried just long enough to alb
sorb your tenderest affection and all
the home circle. When they landed
it was not as you land in Antwerp, or
Hamburg, or Eavrc, wandering up Il
strange wharf, looking at strange
faces, asking for strange hotel. They
landed amid your glorified relatives,
who were waiting to greet Them.
1 do not think it was superstitions
when, one Wednesday night, | stood
by denthbed within a few blocks of
the church where l preached, and on
the same street, and saw one OF the
aged Christians of the church going
into glory. After l had prayed with
her | said to her: 1--WE have all loved
you very much, and will always cher
ish your memory in the Christian
church. You will see my son before |
see him, and / wish you would give
him our love-" She said: 4 Will. l
WILL" and in 20 minutes she was in
Heaven-the lastWords she ever spoke.
1t was a swift message to the skies. If
YOU had your choice between riding in
Heavenly chariot and occupying the
erandcst palace in Heaven, and sitting
on the throne next highest to the
throne of God, and not seeing your de-
parted loved ones; and on the other
hand, dwelling in the humblest place
in Heaven, without crown or throne.
and without garland, and without
scepter, yet having your loved ones
around you, you would choose the lat
ter. | say these things because |
want to know it is a domestic Heaven,
and consequently it is all the time I'M
proving. Everyone that goes up
makes it a brighter place, and the at
fractions are increasing month by
month and day by day; and Heaven, so
vastly more of a Heaven, a thousand
times more of a Heaven, than it used
to be, will be a better Heaven yet.
Oh, l say this to intensity your antici-
patton!
| enter Heaven one day. 1t is almost
empty. / enter the temples of wor-
ship, and there are no worshipers. l
walk down the street, and there are
no passengers. l go into the orches-
ira, and | find the instruments are
suspended in the baronial halls of
Heaven, and the great organs of eter-
nifty, with multitudinous banks OF
keys, are closed. But | see a shining
one at the gate, as though he were
standing on guard, and l say: "Senti-
mel, what does this mean? | thought
Heaven was Populous city. Has
there been some great plague sweep
ing off the pOpulatiOn?' Have you
not heard the news?" says the senti-
mel. There is a world burning, there
is a great confagratiOn out yonder,
and all Heaven has gone out to look at
the confagratiOn and take the victims
out of the ruins. This is the day for
which all other days are made. This
is the Judgment. This morning all
the chariots, and the cavalry, and the
mounted infantry rumbled and gal
Hoped down the sky" And after l had
listened to the sentinel, | looked
off over the battIcments, and | saw
that the fields of air were bright
with a blazing world. l said:
YES, yes, this must be the Judg-
rient:" and while l stood there l heard
the rumbling of wheels and the clat-
tering of hoofs, and the roaring OF
MANY voices, and then l saw the corO-
nets and plumes and banners, and |
saw all Heaven was coming back again
coming to the wall, coming to the
gate, and the multitude that went eff