The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-12-13
How the World viii Loas &ftar il
RIGHT VIEW OF TIE FUTURE,
We Will Have a New Earth
Wherein viii Dwell
Righteousness.

GOOD; text, II Peter iii, -. a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Down in the struggle to make the
world better and happier we sometimes
get depressed with the obstacles to be
overcome and the work to be accom-
plishe6. Will 1t not be tonic and an
inspiration to look at the world as It
will be when it has been brought back
to paradisaical condition? So let Us
for a few moments transport ourselves
into the future and put ourselves for.
ward in the centuries and see the world
in its rescued and perfected state, as
we Will see it if in those times we are
permitted to revisit this planet, as l
am sure we will We all want to see
the world after it has been thoroughly
gospelized and all wrongs have been
rishted We Will want to come back,
and We will come back to look upon
the refulgent consummatlor toward
which we have been on larger or smaller
scale toiling. Having heard the open
ing Of the orchestra on whose strings
some discords travelled, we will want to
hear the last triumphant bar Of the per
fected oratoria. Having seen the
picture as the painter drew its first out
lines upon canvas, We will want to see
it when it IS as complete as ReIben
Descent From the Cross or Michael
Angeles Last Judgment. Having
seen the world under the gleam OF the
star of Bethlehem, we will want to see
it when, under, the full shining Of the
sun of righteousness, the towers shall
strike II at noon.
There will be nothing in that coming
century of the worlds perfection to him
der our terrestrial visit. Our power
and velocity of locomotion will have
been improved infinitely. 1t will not
take US long to come here, however far
of in Gods universe heaven may be-
The B;sl. declares that such visitation
is going on now. Are they not all
ministering spirits sent forth to minis
ter to those who shall be heirs OF saliva
ton? Surely the gates Of heayen will
not be bolted after the world Is
E6enized so as to hinder the redeemed
from descending. for tour Of inspec-
tion and congratulation and triumph.
You know what interest we look upon
ruins-ruins of Kenilworth castle,
ruins Of Melrose abbey, ruins of Rome,
ruins of Pomreii, So this world in
ruins is an euchantment to look at, but
we want to see it when rebuilt, repil-
Jared, recovered, realtered, rededicate':
The exact date of the worlds moral
restoration l cannot foretell. 1t may
be that through mighty awakenings 1t
will take place in the middle OF the
nearby twentith century 1t may be
at opening Of lie twenty-frst century,
but 1t would not be surprising # It took
more than 100 years to correct the
ravages Of sin which have ragged tor
5000 years. The chief missionary and
eVangelistic enterprises were started II
tits century, and be not dismayed II 1t
takes couple Of centuries to overcome
evils that have had full swing for 90
centuries. ltake no responsibility IN
saying on what page Of the earthly cal
endar it will roll in but Gods eternal
veracity is sworn to it that it will roll
in, and as the redeemed in heaven DO
as they please and have all tie facili-
ties Of transit from world to world
you and l, my hearer or reader,
will come and look at what my text
calls "a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness"
/ imagine that we are descending at
that period Of the worlds complete gos-
pelization. There will be no peril in
such a descent. Great heights and
depths have no alarm for glorihed
spirits. We can come down through
chssns between worlds without growing
dizzy and across the spaces Of half the
universe without losing our way.
Down and father down We come. As
we approach this world we breathe the
perfume Of ilimitable gardens.
Floralization that in centuries past was
here and there walled in lest. reckless
and dishonest hands puck or despoi;
it surges, its billows OF coivr across thr
field and up the hillsides, and ;hat
which was desert blossoms as the rose.
AL the foreheads of crag crowned win
flowers, the feet Of the mountains
slippered with flowers. Oh, this per-
fume Of the continents, this aroma Of
hemispheresl As We approach nearer
and nearer we hea songs aDd laughter
and hosannas, but not one groan of dis
tress, not one sob Of bereavement, not
one claak of chain.
Aighted on the redeemed earth, we
are first accosted by the spirit of the
tWenty-irst century, who proposes to
guide and show US all that we desire to
see. Without his guidance we would
lose our way, for the world is so mach
changed from the time when we lived
init. First of all, he points out to US
group Of abandoned buildings. We
as this spirit oftle twenty-irst century,
What are those structures whose walls
are falling down and whose gates are
rusted on the hinges" Our escort
tell US: Those were once peniten-
tiaries filed with offenders, but the
crime Of the world has died out. Theft
and arson and fraud and violence have
quilted the earth. People have all they
want, and why should they appropriate
the property Of others even if they
had the desire? The marauders, the
assassins, the buccaneers, Of Herods,
the Mana Sahibs, the rufians, the
bandits, are dead or, transformed by
the power Of the Christian religion, are
now upright and benefcent and usefnl.
Hospitals and almshouses must have
been a necessity once, but they would
be useless now. And you see al the
sEamps have been drained, sewerage of
the great towns has been perfected, and
the worlds climate is so improved that
there are no pneumonias to come out OF
the cold, or rheumatisms out OF the