The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-11-22
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON,
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE Blythe NOTED
DIVINE,


DIVINE,
Subject: Our Fathers House - God'
Homestead, Builded on the Hills o
Heaven, Provides Rooms For ALL
Vivid Picture OF the Celestial Home.
tCopyright, Louis Klopsch 1891
WASHINGTON, D. Gin IL unique way th,
heavenly world Is dIscoursed upon by DR.
Talmage in this sermon under the figure o.
home; text, John xiv, Q, ''In My Fathers
house are many rooms"
Here is q bottle Of medicine that Is 6
cure all. The disciples we're sad, anc
Christ offered heaven as IN Alternative, {
stimulant and tonic. He shows them
that their sorrows are only dark back
ground OF bright picture OF comine
felicity. He lets them know that, though
now they live on the lowlands, they shal
yet have house on the upands. Nearly
all the Bible descriptions OF heaven may be
fgurative. I an not positive that In nj
heaven there Is literal crown or harp OF
pearly gate or throne or chariot. They
Of the place, but how we'll they do It! The
)avorite symbol by which the Bible pre-.
sents celestial happiness Is house. Paul,
who never owned house, although he
hired one for two years in Italy, speaks oil
heaven as "house not made with hands" !"
aud Christ in our text, the translation oil
which is little changed, so as to give the
more accurate meaning, says: "1n My
| Fathers house are many rooms"
This dirinely authorized comparison OF
heaven to great homestead OF large ac-
commodations propose TO carry out. In
| some healthy nsighborhood a man builds
a very commodious habitation. He must
have room for all his children. The rooms
come to be called after the,different mem
bers OF the family. That ismother's room,
that Is Georges room, that Is Henrv's room,
lhar ls FIora's room, that Is Mary's room,
and the house Is all occupied. But time
goes by, and the sons go out into the
world and build their own homes, and the
daughters nre married or have talents
enough singly to 20 out and do u good
father and mother are almost alone in the
sig, house, and, sented by the evening
stand, they say, "Well. our family is no
larger now than when we started, together
forty years ago." But time goes still
further by, and some OF the children are
unfortunate and return to the old home
stead to live, and the grandchildren come
with them and perhaps great-gran delhi
1ren, and again the house Is full.
heaven great homestead for family In
Vulnerable, yet to be. At first He lived alone
In that great house, but after awhile 1t
was occupied by very large family, cher
uhic, seraphic, angelic. The eternities
passed on, and many Of the Inhabitants
became wayward 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 homestead Of Gods
children every day, and the day will come
when there will be no unoccupied room In
all the house.
As you and expect to enter II and make
.here eternal residence, I thought you
would like TO get some more particulars
about the many roomed homestead. "In
my Fathers house are many rooms" You
sec, the place is to be apportioned off into
apartments. We shall love all who are in
heaven, but there are some very good peo-
pie whom we would not want to live with
In the same room. They may be better
than We are, but they are OF a divergent
temperament. We would like to meet With
them on the golden streets and worship
with them In the temple and walk with
them on the river banks, but am glad to
ments. SIN my Fathers house are many
rooms" You see, heaven will be 80 large
TINT II one wants an entire room to himself
or herself It can be afforded. e.
An ingenious statfstician, taking the
statement made in Revelation, twenty-Arst
chapter, that the heavenly Jerusalem was
meas ured and found to be Il, 600 furlongs
and that the length and height and breadth
of 1t are equal, says that would make
heaven in size 94o se1tilllon 9SS quintlllion
cubic feet, and then, reserving q certain
for ho Of
streets and estimating that the world may
;ast hundred thousand years, he ciphers
,ut that there are over 5000, 900, 600 .000
rooms, each room seventeen feet long, six
:een feet wide, fifteen feet high. But have
40 faith in the accuracy OF that calcula-
:iop. He makes the rooms too small. From
all can read the rooms will be palGtial,
and those who have not had enough room
in this world will have plenty OF room at
the last. should not wonder II, insteud
If the room that the statistician ciphered
out rs only seventeen feet BY sixteen, 1t
should be larger than any of the rooms at
Berlin, st. james or Winter palace. sin
nv Fathers house are many rooms"
NCarrylng out still further the symbolism
81 the text, let US join hands and 60 up to
this majestic homestead and see for our
selves. As We ascend the golden steps an
Invisible guardsmRn swings open the front
door, and We are ushered to the right into
the reception room OF the old homestead.
That Is the place where we first meet the
welcome OF heaven. There must be place
where the departed spirit enters and
place in which 1t confroats the inhabitants
celestial. The reception room Of the new
~ arrived from this world-what scenes 1t
must have witnessed since the first guest
arrived, the victim OF the first fratriclde,
pious Abel! sln that room Christ lovingly
greets all newcomers. He redeemed them,
and He has the right to the first embrace IN
arrival. What a minute when the ascended
spirit first sees the Lord! Better than all
we ever real about Him or talked about
Him or sang about Him in all the churches
and through all our earthly lifetime will
It be, Just for one second to see Him.
The most rapturous idea we ever had OF
Him on sucramental days or at the height
OF some grent revival or under the uplifted
baton OF an oretorio is bankruptcy OF
thought compared with the first lash Of
His appearance in that reception room. At
that moment when you confront each
other, Christ looking upon you and you
looking upon Christ, there will be an &C.
static thrill and surging OF emotion that
beggar all description. Look! They need
no Introduction. Long ago Christ chose
that repentapt sinner, and that repentant
sinner chose Christ. aIightiest moment OF
An imm ortal bistory-tbe first kiss OF
heaven! Jesus und the soul! The soul and
Jesus
But now into that reception room pour
The gIoriAed kinsfolk, enough OF carth ly
retention to let you know them. but with
out their wounds or their sicknesses or
their troubles. See whar heaven has done
for them-so radiant, 80 gleeiul, so
:ransport'ngly lovelyl They call you by
name. 'ey greet you with an ardor pro-
nortioned to the anguish o. your parting
and the length OF your separation.
Father! Mother! There is your child.
Sisters! Brothersl Friends! I Wish you
10Y. For yeurs apart, together again In
the reception room Of the old homestead.
You see, they will know you nre coming.
There are 50 many immortals filling al the