The Progress., 1898-11-12
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THF DIVlNE'S SUN
DAY DISCOURSE.


Society and Knowlcdge-A Great Con
ISOLATION to Good People.
TEXT: "And l saw new heaven, "-Rey
! Xxi, /.
The sterotyped heaven does not make
adequate impression upon as. We neeC
the old story told in the new style in orde,
toaarouse our appreciation. / do not SUD
pose that we are compelled to the old
phraseology. King James's translators
ola not exhaust all the good and graphic
words In the English dictionary. suppose
II we should take the idea of heaven, and
translate 1t into modetn phrase. we would
ma that Its atmosphere is comb inatioD of
early June and OF the Indian summer in
October-a place combining the advantages
OF city and country, the streets standing
fruits Tor the other; place of musical en- .
tertainment-harpers, pipers, trumpeters,
doxologies; a place Of wonderful architec.
ture-behold the temple! a place whsre
there may be the higher forms of ANNA
1he-the beasts which were on earth beaten
Iash-whipped, and CALLED and unblanketed
and worked to death, turned out among
the white horses which the Book of Reveal.
tion describes as being in heaven: n place
OF stupendous literature-the books omen.
a place Of aristocratic and democratic at.
tractiveness-the kings standing for the
one, all nations for the other; all botanical
genealogical, ornithological, arborescent
worshipful beauty and grandeur.
But my idea now Is 10 speak chiefly OF the
improved heaven. People sometimes talk
OF heaven as though 1t were an old civ.
finished centuries ago, when I have to tell
you that no city on earth, during the last
fifty years, has had such changes as heaven.
1t Is not the same place as when Job. and
David, and Paul wrote Of it. For hundreds
and hundreds Of years it has been going
through peaceful revolution, and wear by
year, and month by month, and hour nv
honr, and moment by moment, 1t is chang.
Ing, and changing for something better
Away back there was only one residence in
the universe-the residence of the AL.
mighty. Heaven had not yet been started
immensely was the park all around about
this great residence; but Gods sympathetic
heart after while overlooked In other
creations, and there came, all through this
vast country OF immensely, inhabited VIII
lagos, which grew and enlarged until thew
joined each other, and became one great
central metropolis OF the universe, streeted.
gated, tempted, watered, inhabited. One
angel went forth with reed, we are told.
and he N Measured heaven on one side. and
then he went forth and measured heaven
on the other side; and then st. John tried
to take the census Of that city, and he be-
came 50 bewildered that he gave 1t up.
That brings me to the first thought Of
my theme-tbat heaven Is vastly improved
In numbers. Noting little under this head
ABOUT the multitude Of adults who have
gone into glory during the last hundred
or five hundred, or thousand years. / re-.
member there are sixteen hundred millions
OF people In the world, and that the vast
majority OF people die In infancy. How
many children must have gone into heaven
during the last five hundred or thousand
years. II New York should gather in one
generation q million population, II London
snouid gather In one generation four mil.
Hon population, what a vast increased But
what mere nothing as compared with the
i've hundred million, the two thousand
million, the multitude that no man can
number" that have gone into that cityi
VI course, all this takes for granted that
every child thar dies goes as straight into
heaven as ever the light sped from star:
and that Is one reason why heaven will
always be fresh and beautiful-the great
multitude Of children in 1t. Put five INN.
dred million children in country II will
DO blessed and lively country.
But add to this, II you will, the great
multitude CT adults who have gone into |
glory, and how the census Of heaven must |
run upl Many years ago q clergyman
stood in q New England pulpit. and said
that he believed that the vast majority NJ |
The race would finally be DESTROYED. and
mat not more than one person out OF two |
thousand persons would be finally saved. |
There happened to be about two thousand !
people IN the village where he preached.
Next Sabbath two persons were heard dis
'ussing the subject, and wondering which
,ne OF the two thousand people In the
Tlllage would finally reach heaven. and
,ne thought It would be the minister. ard
he other thought It would be the old
leacon. Now, I have not much admiration
or life-boat which will go out to shin
linking with two thousand passengers
md get one Of In safety, and let nine.
cen hundred and ninety.nine 20 to the
'ottom. Why, heaven must have been a
1llage when Abel. the first soul from
'arth, entered 1t. as compared with the
,resent population OF that great cityl
Again: remark that heaven has yastlv
In knowledge. Give a manN
orty or nifty years to study one science, or
II sciences, with all the advantages OF
laboratories and observatorles and philo-
ophic apparatus, he will BIZ q marvel Of
nformation. Now, into what intelligence
must heaven mount, angelhood and saint.
lood, not after studying for forty or flfty
ears, but for thousands OF years-study.
ng God and the soul and Immortality and
no universal How the intelligence Of
hat world must sweep on and on. with
yesiRht farther reaching than telescope.
nth power of calculation mightier than
u human mathematics, with powers Of
nalysis surprising all chemical labor.
tory, with speed swifter than telegraphyl
That must heaven learn, with oil these
dvantages, In a month, in year. in a
entury, in millennium? The difference
etween the highest university on earth
nd the smallest class in primary school
annot be greater difference than heaven
. It now Is and heaven as 1t once was.
10 you not suppose that when Doctor
amss simpson went up from the hospi-
Als OF Edinburgh into heaven he knew
lore than ever the science of health; and
u