Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-03

a soldier cannot uso a sword until Inc h.
unsheathed It, and tho body of your d
parted was only the sheath of bright an
glittering spirit which God has lifted an
is swaying in the heavenly triumph. Ac
,ordng 70 what am telling you at pre-
mt, your departed Christian friends di
not go so much into the company Of I'll
martyrs, and the apostles, and the proph
OTIS, and the potcntntes Of heaven rs int
tho company of grandfather and grand
mother and the infant sister that tarrct
just long enough to absorb your tendercsi
affection and all the home circle. Whci
they landed, 1t was not as you land H.
Antwerp or Hamburg or Havrc wander
ing up strange wharf, looking Mt strange
faces asking for strange hotel. The!
landed amid your Plorificd relatives, whD
were waiting to greet them.
oh, does not this bring heaven nearer?
Instead Of being far off 1t comes down just
now, al it puts its arms around our
nccks, al.. we feel it's breath on our faces
1t mclts the frigid Splcndor of tho cunvcn-
tional heaven into domestic scene. 1t
comes very close to- us. II we had our
choice in heaven, whom would We first
secg Rather than look ut the great poten-
tatcs Of heaven wo would meet our loved
ones. want to SEQ Moses and Paul and
Joshua, but l would great deal rather
sce my father, who went away 30 years
ago want to sec the great Bible hero.
ines, Deborah and Hannah and Abigail.
but l would rather see my mother than to
sec the archangcl.
lido not think II was supcrstitious when
one Wednesday night | stood by "A death.
bed within a few blocks of the church
where preached, and ON the same street,
and saw ono Of the AGED Christians of the
church going into glory. After | had
prayed with her | said TO her; I'VE have
all loved you very much and will always
cherish your memory in the Christian
church. You will sco my son before | see
him, and ] wish You would give him our
love" She said, Il will. / will. and in
~ minutes SO WAS in hravcn--thc last
words she ever spoke 1t was IA swift ines
sage to the skies. If you had your choice
between riding in heavenly chariot and
occupying the grandost palace in heaven
and sitting on the throne next highest to
the throne of God and not seeing your &c.
parted ones and OH the other hand dwell
ing i'm the humhlest place in heaven. with
ont crown or throne and without garland
and without scopter, yet having your loved
ones around you. you would choose the
latter. l say these things because | want
you to know 1, is a domestic heaven and
consequently it is all the time improving
Every one that goes up makes ii "a bright.
, err place, and the attractions are incrraS-
ing month by month and day by day and
heaven, SD vastly more of Il heaven, q.
/ thousand times more of heaven than it
used to be, will be a better heaven yet
Oh say this TO intensity your anticipa
! ton
At the Final Day.
1 enter heaven one day. 1t is almo>,
empty l enter the temples uf worship.
anu there are no worshipcrs. | walk down
the street, and there are no passengers.
go into the orchestra, and | lind the in.
struments ar suspended in the barunial
halls of heaven. and the great organs uf
eternity, with multitudinuus banks Of
keys are closed. But l see u shining one
, ut tho gate, a> though he Were sjandin z
on guard. and | say: sentinel, what does
this mean: thought heaven was u pop.
ulous city Has there been some great
plague sweeping of the populations:
"llave you no, heard the news: says III,
| sentinel There is world burning
there is IA great cUnilagrat ion out yondcr
and all heaven has gone ont To- look at the
| coniiagration and IKE the victims out col
the ruins. This is the day for which all
other days are made This Is the judy
ment. This morning all the chariuts and
the cavalry and the mounted infantry rum
bled and gallopcd down the sky" After
had listened 10 the sentinel looked oil
over the batJlcmentS, and | saw that the
fields of air were bright with blazin 8
world. l said, Yes, yes, this must bI
the Judgment" and while | stood there
heard the rumblirg OF wheels and III,
Gathering of huuis and the roaring ui
many voices, and then | saw the cornnet,
and plumes and banners and | SAW that
all heaven was coming back again-com
ing 10 the wall, coming IL The gate. AND
the multitude that went OF in the morn
ing was augmented 10y a vast multitud,
caught up alive from the Garth and u vaSr
multitude nj the rrsurrec,rd bodies of tn,
Christian dead, leaving the cemeteries art
the abbcys and the mausolcums and tn,
graveyards OF the earth empty. Process
sion moving in through the gates, Auc
then found out that what was fiery ludg
ment day on earth was jubilee IN heaven
and cried; " Dourkccpers of heaven, shut
the gates; all heaven has come in, Door
keepers, shut the IL gates lest the sorrow'
and the woes of earth, like bandits, shoulC
some Jay come up and try To plumber Tn,
city,