Connecticut western news., 1898-11-03
CHANGES IN HEAVEN.
OR. rAlMAae TELLS OF CELESTIAL
 CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

Great Growth Tn Population md in-
 creased Knowledge - Perfection
 Augmented - Always Bright and
 Joyful.
 Y 'p' ciation.l
 WAsHINGToN, Oct. 30.-All out4 of the usual line of sermonizing is/this story of Dr. Talmage concerning tho next world, and it may do/ good to see things from novel standpoint. The text is Revelation xxi, 1, And I saw a new heaven.
 The stereotyped heaven does not make adequate impression upon us. We need ,he old story told in new style in order to arouse our appreciation. I do not suppose that we are compelled to the old phraseology. King James trans lators did not exhaust all the good and graphic words in the English diotion ary I suppose, if we should take the idea of heaven and translate it into modern phrase, we would find that its atmosphere is a combination of early June and of the Indian summer in Oo- tober-a place combining the advan- tages of city and country, the streets standing for the one, and the 1S manner of fruits for the other; place of music al entertainments - harpers, pipers, trumpeters, doxologies; place of won- derfui architecture-behold the tenn ples, a place where there may be the higher forms of animal life-the beasts which were on earth beaten, lash whip ped and galled and unblanketed and worked to death, turned out among the white horses which the book of Reve- lation describes as being in heaven; a place of stupendous literature-the books open place of aristocratic and democratic attractiveness-the kings standing for the one, all nations for the other; all botanical, pomologioal, or nithologioal, arborescent, worshipful beauty and grandeur.
 But my idea now is to speak chiefly of the improved heaven. People some times talk of heaven as though it were an old city, finished centuries ago, when ! have to- tell you that no city on earth during the last 50 years has had such changes as heaven. It 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 peace ful revolution, and year by year, and month by month, and hour by hour, and moment by moment it is changing and changing for something better. Away hon lxy sy, the universe-the residence of the Al mighty. Heaven had not yet been start ed. Immensity was the park all around about this great residence. but Gods sympathetic heart after awhile over flowed in other creations, and there came all through this vast country of inhabited villages, which grew and enlarged until they joined each other and became one great central metropolis of the universe, streeted, gated, templed, watered, inhabited. One angel went forth with reed, we are told, and he measured heaven on one side, and then he went forth and heaven on the other side, and then St. John tried to take the census of that city, and he became so bewil- dered that he gave it up.
 A Vast Population.
 That brings me to the first thought of my theme-that heaven is vastly inn proved in numbers. Noting little under this head about the multitude of adults who have gone into glory during the last 100 or 500 or 1, 900 years, remem- Der there are 1,600, 900, 900 of people ill the world, and that the vast majority of people die in infancy. How many children must have gone into heaven during the last 800 or 1000 yearsl If New York should gather in one genera ton 1000, 900 population, if London should gather in one generation 4,000, 900 population, what vast increase! But what mere nothing as compared with the 500. 900, 900, the 3, 900, 900, 900, the multitude that no man can num- ber'' that have gone into that cityl Of course all this takes for granted that every child that dies goes as straight into heaven as ever the light sped from a star, and that is one reason why heay- en will always be fresh and beautiful the great multitude of children in it. Put 500, 900, 900 children in 8 country. It will be blessed and lively country.
 But add to this, if you will, the great of adults. who have gone into glory and how the census of heaven must run ppt Many years ago clergy man stood in New England pulpit, and said that he believed that the vast majority of the race would finally be destroyed and that not more than one person out of 2,000 persons would be finally saved. There happened to be about 2,O00 people in the village where he preached. Next Sabbath two persons were heard discussing the subject and wondering which one of the 2,000 peo- pie in the village would finally reach heaven, and one thought it would be the minister, and the other thought it would be the old deacon. Now, have not much admiration for 0 lifeboat with 1000 passengers and get one off in safety and let 1899 go to the bot. tom. Why, heaven must have been a village when Abel, the first soul from earth, entered it, as compared with the present population of that great cityt
 Growth In Knowledge.
 Again, remark that heaven has vast ly improved in knowledge. Give man 40 or 50 years to study one science or all sciences, with all the advantages of laboratories and observatories and phil osopkic apparatus, he will be a marvel of information. Now, into what inteli- gence must heaven mount. angelhood and sainthood, not after studying for 40 or 50 years, but for thousands of God and the soul and immortality and the universel How the intelligence of that world must sweep on and on, with eyesight farther reach ing than telescope, with power of calou lation mightier shan all human mathe- matics, with powers of analysis sur passing all chemical laboratory, with