The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-01

where dissoluteness reigns supreme,
enough in number to go round and
round the earth. Dscouragements,
jealousies, revenges, indebtedness, dis
appointments, swindles, arsons, confia-
grations and cruelties which make con-
tinued existence of the human race
wonderment. Was any valuable bun
die ever so imperiled as this bundle of
life? Oh, look at the address and get
that bundle going in the right wayl
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and soul, and mind, and
strength" Heaven with its IL gates
standing wide open with invitation. All
the forces of the Godhead pledged for
our heavenly arrival if we will do the
right thing. All angeldom ready for
our advance and guidance. All the
lightnings of Heaven so many drawn
swords for our protection. What a
pity, what an everlasting pity, if this
bundle of life, so well bound and so
plainly directed, does not come out at
the right station, but becomes lost
OunolCs vast OuU dullu tAS luUblSu VI
the universal!
Know also that this bundle of life will
be gladly received when it comes to the
door of the mansion for which it was
bound and plainly directed. With what
alacrity and glee we await some pack
age that has been foretold by letter;
some holiday presentation; something
that will enrich and ornament our
home; some testimony of admira tion
and affection! With what glow of ex-
pectation we unite the knot and take of
the cord that holds it together in safe
| ty, and with what glad exclamation we
| unroll the covering and see the gift or
| purchase in all its beauty of color and
proportion. Well, what a day it will
be when your precious bundle of life
shall be opened in the house of many
mansions amid sanity and angelic
and Divine inspection! The bundle may
be spotted with the marks of much ex-
posture. 1t may bear inscription after
inscription to tell through what ordeal
it has passed. Perhaps splashed of wave
and scorched of flame, but all it has
within unchanged of the journey. And
with what shouts of joy the bundle of
life will be greeted by all the voices Of
the heavenly home circle!
In our anxiety at last to reach Heaven
we are apt to lose sight of the glee or
welcome that awaits us if we get in at
all. We all have friends up there. They
will somehow hear that we are coming.
Such close and swift and constant COM
munication is there between those up
lands and these lowlands that we will
not surprise them by sudden arrival.
If loved ones on earth expect our COM
ing visit and are at the depot with car
riage to meet US, surely we will be met
at the shining gate by old friends now
sainted and kindred now glorified. If
there were no angel of God to meet us
and show US the palaces and guide us to
our everlasting residence, these kin
dred would show US the way and point
out the splendors and guide us to our
celestial home, powered and foun tanned
and arched and illumined by a sun that
never sets. Will it not be glorious, the
going in and the settling down after
all the moving about and upsettings Of
earthly experience? We will soon know
all our neighbors, kingly, queenly
prophetic, apostolic, seraphic, archan
gelic. The precious bundle of lif,
opened amid palaces and grand marche
and acclamations. They will all be 81
} glad we have got safely through. The,
saw us down here in the struggle. The,
saw us when we lost our way. The,
knew when we got off the right course
) None of the 80 ships that were overdue
) at New York harbor in the storm O
week before last was greeted so Heart
: lily by friends on the dock or the steam
| tugs that went out to meet them a
: Sandy Hook as we will be greeted in tn
heavenly world if by the pardonin,
| and protecting grace of God we com
to celestial wharfage. We shall hav
to tell them of the many wrecks that W
| have passed on the way across wild sea
and amid Caribbean cyclones. 1t vii
t be like our arrival some years ago fror
New Zealand at Sydney, people SUI
S prised that we got in at all. because w
$ were two days late, and some of tn
2 ships expected had gone to the bottom
e and we had passed derelicts and abar
Y doned crafts all up and down that aw
: full channel-our arrival in Heaven a
S the more rapturously welcomed be
S cause of the doubt as to whether W
: would ever get there at all.
e Once there it will be found that th
: safety of that precious bundle of Ill
e was assured because it was bound u
o with the life of God in Jesus Chris
d Heaven could not afford to have thu
t bundle lost because it had been said /
regard to its transportation and sal
y arrival: Kept by the power of Go
y through faith unto complete salvation
, The veracity of the heavens is involve
e in its arrival. If God should fail to kee
y His promise to just one ransomed so,
/. the pillars of Jehovah's throne woul
It fall, and the foundations of the eterna
Il city would crumble. and infinite pove
e ties would dash down all the chalic,
<, and close all the banqueting halls, an
= the river of life would change its cours
y sweeping everything with desolatio
e and frost would blast all the garden
i 4