Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-05-18

rope. ASIA. Africa. North and South
America pressing into lines: islands of
the sea shoulder 10 shoulder: genera
tons before the flood following gener.
atoms after the flood. and as Jesus
rises at the head Of that great host ant,
waves his sword in signal or victory
all crowns are lifted and all ensigns
swung out anu all chimes rung and all
haneluiahs chanted, and some cry.
GLORY TO God most highr' and some.
"HoSanna 10 the son OF Davidi" and
some. Worthy is the Lamb that was
Slain. till all ordinations of endear.
ment and homage in the vocabulary Of
heaven are exhausted and there comes
up surge after surge of Amen! Amen,
and Amen Eye hath not seen Il;
ear hath not heard it, Skim from the
summer waters the brightest sparkles.
and you will get no idea of the sheen
of the everlasting sea. Pile up the
splendors of earthly cities. and they
would not make stepping stone by
which you might mount TO the city of
God. Every house is palace: every
step is triumph: every covering of the
head coronation; every meal is a ban.
quot; every stroke from the tower rs
wedding bell: every day Is a jubilee.
every hour Il rapture and every mo-
ment an ecstasy. Eye hath not seen
ii; ear hath not heard it,
remark further we can get no idea
of the reunions of heaven. If you have
ever been across the seas and met a
friend, or even an acquaintance. in
some strange land. you remember how
your blood thrilled and how glad YOU
were To see him. What will be our Joy.
after we have passed the seas of death.
to meet in the bright city of the Lord
those from whom We have long been
separated. After we have been away
from our friends 10 or 10 years and we
come upon them we see how different
ly they look. Their hair has turned.
and wrinkles have come In their faces
and we say, How you have changedr'
But. oh. when we stand before the
throne. all cares gone from the face.
all marks of sorrow disappeared. and.
feeling the joy OF that blessed land.
methinks we will say to each other.
with an eXultation we cannot now i'm.
agine, How you have changedw
ln this world we only meet to part.
Ii is goodby, goodby; farewelIs floating
in the air. We hear il at the rail car
window and ut the steamboat wharf
goodby. Children lisp it and old age
answers IL. Sometimes we say IL in n
light way-tgoodby"-an sometimes
with anguish in which the soul breaks
down. Goodbyi All. that is the word
that ends the thanksgiving banuuetsi
That is the word that comes In to close
the Christmas chant. Goodby, goodby,
But not so in heaven. Welcomes In the
air. welcomes at the gates, welcomes
at the house of many mansions. but no
goodby. That group is constantly be-
ing augmented. They are going nm
from our circles OF earth to join Tilt
tie voices TO join the anthem. little
hands 10 take hold i'm the great home
circle. little feet 10 dance in the eternal
glee. little crowns TO be cast down be-
fore the feet of Jesus. Our friends are
in two groups-a group this side of the
river and a,group on the other side of
the river. Now there goes one from
this To that and another from this to
that and soon we will all be gone over.
How many OF your loved ones have al
ready entered upon that blessed place?
III l should take paper and pencil. do
you think | could put them all down?
All. my friends. the waves of Jordan
roar so hoarsely we cannot hear the
JOY on the other side when that group
Is augmented,
A little child's mother had died and
they comforted her. They said: Your
IN 90,
And the next day they went TO the
graveyard. and they laid the body OF
the mother down into the ground. and
the little girl came up To the verge of
the grave and, looking down. said. as
this heavcnT' We have no idea what
heaven is. II is the grave here. Il is
darkness here. but there is merrymak-
ing yonder. Mcthinks when n soul ar
rives some angel takes Il around TO
show IL the wonders OF that blessed
place. The usher angel SAYS TO the
newly arrived: "These are the martyrs
that persisted at Piedmont; these were
torn 10 pieces at the inquIsition; this is
the throne of the great Jehovah; this
Is JESUS" Il am going TO see Jesus"
said dying boy; Il am going TO see
Jesus" The missionary said, You are
sure you will see himY" "Oh. yes.
that's what want TO 20 10 heaven
Tor. But" said the missionary, sup
pose Jesus should so away from heav-
en-what then?' Il should follow him"
said the dying boy. "But If Jesus went
down to hell-what then?" The dying
boy thought for moment and then
said, where Jesus is there can be no
heil!' oh, To stand in his presencel
That Will he heaven. oh, to put our
hand in that hand which was wounded
for us on the cross. To go around amid
the groups of the redeemed and shake
hands with the prophets and apostles
and martyrs and with our own dear.
beloved ones. That will be the great
reunion. We cannot imagine il now.
Our loved ones seem SO faraway. When
we are in trouble and lonesome. they
don't seem TO come to us. We 90 on to
the banks OF the Jordan and call across
TO them, but they do not seem TO hear.
We say, us it well with the child. is il
well with the loved onesY" and we lis
ten to hear if any voice come back
over the waters. None. monet Unbelief
says. They are dead. and they are an
Initiated" but, blessed be God, we
have Bible that tells US different.
We open ii. and we find they are nei-
Their dead nor annihilated. that they
were never so much alive as now, that
they are only waiting for our coming
and that we shall join them on the
o.her side OF the river. Oh glorious
reunion, we cannot grasp il now! Eye
hath not seen nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart OF man, the
things which God hath prepared for
them that love him."
What place of explanation it will
De! see every day profound myster-
les OF providence. There is no question
we ask oftener than why? There are
hundreds of graves in Greenwood and
Laurel Hill that need to be explained.
Hospitals for the blind and lame, asy-
iums for the idiotic and insane, aims.