Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-11-04
CHANGES IN HEAVEN.
DR.. TALMAGE TELLS OF CELESTIAL
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

/
Augmented - Always Bright and
Joyful.
copyright, 1898, by American Press Asso-
ciati0nl
WASHINGTON, Oct. sO.-All out Of
the usual line of sermonizing is this
story of DR.. Talmage concerning the
next world, and ii may do good to see
things from a novel standpoint. The
text is Revelation xxi, !, "And saw
new heaven"
The stereOtyped heaven does not make
adequate impression upon us. We need
the old story told in new style in order
to arouse our appreciation. l do not
suppose that we are compelled ito the
old phraseology. King James trans
lators did not exhaust all the good and
graphic words in the English diction-
ary. l suppose, if we should take the
idea Of heaven and translate it into
modern phrase, we would find that its
atmosphere is combination of early
June and Of the Indian summer i'll Oc-
tober-a place combining the adyan-
tages Of city and country, the streets
standing for the one, and the Z manner
Of fruits for the other; place of music
al entertainments - harpers, pipers,
trumpeters, doxologies; place of won
derful architecture-behOld the tenn
ples, place where there may be the
higher forms of animal life-the beasts
which were on earth beaten, lash whip
ped and CALLED and unblanketed and
worked TO death, turned out among the
white horses which the book Of Reve-
laticn describes as being in heaven; a
place of stupendous literature-the
books open; a place Of aristOcratic and
democratic attractiyeness-the kings
standing for the one, all nations for the
other; all botanical, pOmologicali or
astrological, 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 1t were
an old city. finished centuries ago, when
| have to tell you that no city on earth
during the last 80 years has had such
changes as heaven. lt IS not the same
place as when Job and David and Paul
wrote of it. For hundreds End hundreds
Of years it has been going rough peace
full revolution, and year by year, and
month by month, and hooT by hour, and
moment by moment it - changing and
changing for solnethint better. Away
back there was only one residence III
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 God n
, sympathetic heart after awhile over
> flowed in other creations, and there
, came all through this vast country OF
: immensity inhabited villages, which
: grew and enlarged until they 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 measured heaven on
one side, and then he went forth ano
measured heaven on the other side, ano
e then St. John tried TO take the census
of that city. and ne became so bewil
o dered that he gave it up.
{ Vast Population.
That brings mo to the first thought
{ Of nv theme-that heaven Is vastly I'M
{ proved in numbers Noting little undel
1 this head about the multitude Of adults
+ who have gone into glory during th'
f last 100 or 500 or !, 200 years, remem
It Der there are /, 600, 600, coo Of people II
: the world, and that the vast maJorit!
s of people die in infancy. How many
S children must have gone into HEAVIER
y during the last 500 or 1000 years L
New York should gather in one genera
ton LOCO, 600 population, If Londol
should gather in one generation 1000
> 600 population, what a vast increase
II But what a mere nothing as compared
/ with the 500, 600, 600, the =, coo, GOO, 600
n the "multitude that no man can mum
s her" that have gone into that city! y
course all this takes for granted tina
every child that dies goes as stralgn
into heaven as ever the light sped iron
t star. end that is one reason why heav
d on will always be fresh and beautiful
= the great multitude Of children IN 1t
10 put SOC. 900, 600 children in country
1t will bo blessed and lively country.
n But add to this, if you will, the grea
ie multitude of adults who have gone int
Ie glory and how the census Of heayel
u must run upl Many years ago clergy
1t man stood in a New England pulpit
and said that he believed that the vas
y majority of the race would finally b
J. DESTROYED and that not more than ON
y person out Of 1000 persons would b
r finally saved. There happened to b
n about 1000 people in the village wher
'e he preached. Next Sabbath two person
were heard discussing the subject, an
J. wondering which one of the 1000 pee
l. nle in the village would finally reac
T. heaven, and one thought it would be tn
minister, and the other thought
would be the old deacon. Now, hav
not much admiration for llfeboa
which will 90 out to a ship sinkln
n with 1000 passengers and get one o.
y in safely and let 1893 90 to the bot
ID tom. Why, heaven must have been
10 village when Abel, the first soul froi
X earth, entered 1t, as compared with u
present population of that great cityl
Growth In knowledge.
10 Again, remark that heaven has vas
" improved in knowledge. Give q ma
Oh 40 or so years to study one science
10 all sciences, with all the advantages
laboratories and observatories and phi
J, osophic apparatus, he will be mary'
er of information. Now, into what INTEL
10 pence must heaven mount, angelhoc
and sainthood, not after studying L
40 or so years, but for thousands
years-studying God and the souI an
~ immortality and the universel How Il
ID intelligence Of that world must swet
ON and ON, with eyesight farther rei.cl
~ ing than telescope, with power OF caic'
alton mightier than all human ma'n
o matics, with powers Of analysis gu