The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-11-11

what is the news from that v,r,a
that world that rebelled, but il
ing back TO its allegiauce?a If M.
istering spirits, according To- the h
BILE, are seLt forth to minister To H.
that shall be heirs Of Heaven NJ,
they come down TO us to bless ~
they not take the news backe Do ~
slips Of light that come out Of tn
lestial harbor into the earthly barb,.
laden with cargoes Of blessing. 90 mi.
unfreighted2 Ministering spirits ~
only, but our loved ones leaving
take up the tidings. Suppose ycu wer
in a far city, and had been there
good while, and you heard that so,rs
one had arrived from your native plaes
some n who had recently seen vo,,.
family and friends-you would rnst
up 10 that man, and you would ask I'M
about the old folks at home. And ~
you not suppose when your child yant
up TO God, your glorified kindred N
Heaven gathered around and asked
about you, to ascertain as to whetbar
you were getting along well in ~
struggle of life; to find out whether
YOU were in any especial peril. that
with swift and mighty wing thew
might come down to intercept vou
perils? Oh. yes! Heaven is a greater
place for news than itused to be-news
sounded through the streets, news
ringing from the towers, news herald
ed from the palace gate. Glad news!
Victorious news!
Now, j say these things about the
changes in Heaven, about the new inn
proyements in Heaven, for three stout
reasons. First, because L find that
some of you are inpatient 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. Nov
be patient. ! could sec why youwoulA
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-othe Ken
sets, Raphaels and Rubens; other
masterpieces 10 be added to the gal
lery-you would say: Il a afford to
wait, The place is improving all the
time" Now, l want you to apply the
same principle in this matter Of reach
ing Heaven ana leaving this world.
Not n glory is to be subtraeted, but
many glories added. Not one angel
will be gone, not one hierarch gone,
not n Of your glorifed friends gone.
by the long practicing the music will
be better, the procession will Be
longer, the rainbow brighter, the cor
onation grander. Heaven, with mag
niicent addenda! Why viii you com
plain when you are only waiting for
something better?
! enter Heaven one day. 1t is almost
empty. / enter the temples of wof-
ship, and there are no worshipers.
walk down the street, and there are
no passengers. 1 go into the orchss
ira, and l 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 say: 'Senti-
mel, what does this mean? / thought
Heaven was a populous city. Has
there been some great plague sweep
ing off the population 2" 'Haye You
not heard the news?' says the senit-
mel. There is a world burning, there
is a great confagration out yonder,
and all Heaven has gone out to look at
the condagratiou 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 gall
Hoped down the sky" And after | bad
listened to the sentinel, I looked
off over the battlements, and / saw
that the fields of air were bright
with a blazing world. / said:
Yes, yes, this must be the Judg-
ment;' andwhile 1 stood there heard
the rumbling Of wheels and the clat-
tering Of hoofs, and the roaring OF
many voices, and then ! saw the corO-
nets and plumes and banners, and I
saw all Heaven was coming back again
coming to the wall, coming to The
gate, and the multitude that went Of
in the morning was augmented by q
vast multitude caught up alive from
the earth, and a vast multitude Of the
]resurrected bodies of the Christian
5 dead, leaving the cemeteries and the
nbbeys and the mausoleums and the
]grayeyards Of the earth empty Pro-
cession moving in through the gates.
And then I found out that what was
fiery Judgment day on earth was Jubi-