Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-03-17

eyes, and aching heads, and exhausted
hands, and scourged backs, and mar
tyred agonies.
Again: The thought of the text is just
when applied to the enioyments of the
righteous in Heaven. think we have
but little idea of the number of the
righteous in Heaven. lntidels say:
Your Heaven will be very small
place compared with the world OF the
lost; for, according 10 your teaching
the ma jority of men will be destroyed. =
] deny the charge. suppose that
the multitude OF the finally lost, as
compared with the multitude of the
finally saved, will be handful. !
suppose that the few sick people in the
hospital to-day, AS compared with tho
hundreds of thousands of we'll 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
tian dispensation, and that this world
is to be populated and redeemed, and
that ages of light and love are to eow
on. If this be so, tho 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 small audience compared with
the thousands and tens of thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand,
and the hundred and forty aud 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 II p
from Corinth, from Laodices, from the
Red sea bank and Gennesaret's wave,
from Egyptian brick yards, and eide
on's threshing floor. Those, thousands
of years ago, slept the last sleep; and
these are this moment having their
eyes closed and their limbs stretched
out for the sepulchre.
A general expecting an attack from
the enemy stands on hill and looks
through a field-glass, and sees, in the
great distance, multitudes approach.
ing, but he has no idea of their num-
bers. He says: II can not tell any
thing about them. l merely know
that there are great numbsr," And
so John, without attempting to count.
says: "A great multitude that no man
can number"
We are told that Heaven is a place
of happiness; but what do we know
about happiness? Happiness in this
world is only half-ilcdge thing; a
fowery path, with IA serpent kissing
across it; a 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 y river. We stand on
the grassy bank. We see the waters
flow on with ceaseless wave. But the
filth of the cities are emptied into III;
and the banks are torn; and unhealthy
exhilarations spring up from it; and we
fail to get nh 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
drcn came home A good time that
But it had this drawback-a 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 her2 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 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
wanting? Why, even the prodigal is
here. almost gave him up. How
long he despised my counsels! but
grace hath triumphed. 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. All
here!'
No more breaking OF heart-strings
but face to face. The orphans that
were left poor, and in mercilcs;
world, kicked and cuffed Of many hard
ships, shall join their parents, over
whose graves they 80 long wept
and gaze into their glorifed 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 g.
God will not leave you laundering in