Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-11-10
OUR FATHERS HOUSE
DR.. TALMAGE DlSCOURSES on The
HEAVENLY WORLD.

Gods Homestead. BuIIded on the
Hills OF Heaven, Provides Rooms
For AIl-vivid Picture of the Eeav-
emily Home.
copyright. Louis Kopsch. 1901
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-ln unique
way the heavenly world is discoursed
upon by Or. Talmase in this sermon
under the figure Of home; text, John
xiv, 2, "In my Fathers house are many
rooms"
Here Is a bottle of medicine that is a
cure all The disciples were sad, and
Christ offered heaven as an Alternative,
stimulant and a tonic. He shows
them that their sorrows are only a
dark background of bright picture Of
coming felicity. He let's them know
that, though now they live on the low
lands. they shall yet have a house on
the uplands Nearly all the Bible de-
scriptions of heaven may be figurative.
| am not positive that In all heaven
there is a literal crown or harp or
pearly gate or throne or chariot. They
may be only used to illustrate the
glores Of the place. but how well they
do it, The favOrite symbol by which
the Bible presents celestial happiness
is a house. Paul, who never owned n
house, although he hired one for two
years in Italy, speaks Of heaven as
"house not made with hands" and
Christ in our text. the translation of
which is a little changed, so as to give
the more accurate meaning, says. In
my Fathers house are many rooms"
This divinely authorized comparison
of heaven to great homestead or
large accommodations | propose to car
ry out. In some healthy neighborhood
a man builds very commodious hab-
ItatiOn. He must have room for all
his children. The rooms come to be
called after the different members Of
the family. That Is mothers room.
that is Georges room, that is Hcnry's
room. that is Floras room. that is
Mary's room, and the house is all oc-
cupied. But time goes by. and the sons
go out into the world and build their
own homes, and the daughters are
married or have talents enough singly
to 20 out and do Il good work in the
world. After awhile the father and
mother are almost alone in the big
house. and seated by the evening
stand. they say. well our family is
no larger now than when we started
together 40 years ago" But time goes
still farther by. and some Of the chill
dren are unfortunate and return to
the old homestead to live and the
grandchildren come with them and
perhaps great-grandchildren. and again
the house is full
God built on the Hills.
Millennia ago God built on the hills
Of heaven great homestead for a
family innumerablc. yet TO lie. Al first
he lived alone in that great house, but
after awhile 1t was occupied by a
very large family. cherubic. Seraphic.
angelic The eternitieS passed on. and
many Of the Inhabitants became way
ward and left. never to return, and
many of the apartments were vacant.
refer to the fallen angels Now
these apartments are filling up again.
There are arrivals at the old home
stead of Gods children every day. and
the day will come when there will be
no unoccupled room in all the house.
As you and expect to enter ii and
make there eternal residence, | thought
YOU would like to get some more par
ticulars about the many rOomed home
stead. "ln my Fathers house are
many rooms" You see the place is TO
be apportioned off into apartments.
We shall love all who are in heaven,
but there are some very good people
whom we would not want to live with
in the same room. They may be better
than we are, but they are OF a di-
vergent temperament We would like
to meet with them Oh the golden
streets and worship with them in the
temple and walk with them on the
river banks. but am glad to say that
we shall live in different apartments.
"In my Fathers house are many
rooms" You see. heaven will be so
large that If one wants an entire room
to himself or herself it can be af-
forded.
An ingenious statistician. taking the
statement made in Revelation, twenty
first chapter. that the heavenly Jeru-
salem was measured and found To be
10000 furlongs and that the length
and height and breadth Of it are equal.
saws that would make heaven in size
949 sextilllon 9SS quintillion cubic
feet. and then. reserving a certain pOr-
ton for the court Of heaven and the
streets aud estimating that the world
may last a hundred thousand years,
he ciphers out that there are over
5000, ,000,000,0O0 rooms. each room II
feet long, 16 feet wide, 10 feet high
But ! have no faith In the accuracy
Of that calculation. He makes the
rooms too small. From all can read
the rooms will be palatlal, and those
who have not had enough room In this
world will have plenty Of room at the
last The fact Is that most people In
this world are crowded. and. though
out on q vast prairie or In a mountain
district people may have more room
than they want. in most cases II Is
house built close to house. and the
streets are crowded. and the cradle Is
crowded by other cradles, and the
graves crowded in the cemetery by
other graves. and one Of the richest
luxuries OF many people In getting
out OF this world Will be the gaining OF
unhindered and uncramped room. And
| should not wonder If. instead Of the
room that the statlstlcian ciphered out
as only II feet by 16. 1t should be lar
ger than any Of the rooms at Berlin, ST.
James or Winter palace. "In my Fa-
theirs house are many rooms"
A MejestIc Homestead.
Carrying out still further the SYM
bollsm OF the text. let us join hands
and 60 up to this majestic homestead
and see for ourselves. AS we ascend
l