Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-05-23
SERMON
Rev. Or. CaIflae

~
Subject: The splsndors Of Heaven.How.
ever Exalted Our Ideas May He OF the
Home on High. They Arc Far Short
of the Reality What Awaits Us.
ICopyright lsool
WASHINGTON, d. Gin this discourse d.
Talmage lifts the curtain from eternal
felfcities and in an unusual way treats OF
the heavenly world; text, / Corinthians,
H., 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."
The city of Corinth has been called ''the
Paris OF antiquity" Indeed for splendor
the world holds NO such wonder to-day. 1t
stood on an isthmus washed by two seas,
the one sea bringing the commerce OF Eu-
rope, the other sea bringing the commerce
of Asia. From her wharfs. N the con-
struction Of which whole kingdoms had
been absorbed, war galleys with three
! banks OF oars pushed out and confounded
the navy yards of all the world. Huge
handed machinery such as modern inven-
| tion cannot equal lifted ships from the sea
| on one side and transported them on trucks
across the isthmus and set them down in
the sea on the other side.
The revenue officers OF the city went
/ down through the olive groves that lined
the beach to collect tariff from all ma
tions. The mirth of all people sported in
her isthmian games, and the beauty OF all
lands sat in her theatres, walked In her
porticos and threw itself on the altar of
her stupendous designations. Column and
statue and temple bewildered the behold,
er. There we're white marble fountains
into which, from apertures at the side,
| there rushed waters everywherS known
for health giving qualities. Around
these basins, twisted into wreaths OF
stone, there were all the beauties Of
sculpture and architecture, while, stand
ing, as IL to guard the costly display, was
| q statue OF Hercules OF FURNISHED Corinth-
Ian brass. Vases of terra Gotta adorned
the cemeteries OF the dead-vases so cost
ly that Julius Cesar was not satisfied until
he had captured them for Rome. Armed
officials, the COrintharii, paced up and
down to see that no statue was defaced,
no pedestal overthrown, no bas-relief
touched. From the edge OF the city a hill
umns, towers and temples (1O0O slaves
waiting at one shrine), and a citadel so
thoroughly impregnable that Gibraltar Is
a heap Of sand compared with 1t. Amid
all that strength and magnihcence Corinth
stood and defied the world.
Oh, 1t was not to rustics who had never
seen anything grand that Paul uttered this
text. They had heard the best music that
had come from the best instruments in all
the world; they had heard songs floating
from morning porticoes and melting in
evening groves; they had passed their
whole lives among pictures and sculpture
and architecture and Corinthian brass
which had been nodded and shaped until
there was no chariot wheel In which 1t had
not sped, and no tower in which Il had not
glittered, and no gateway that 1t had not
adorned. Ah, 1t was bold thing for Paul
to stand there amid all that and say: Gall
this is nothing. These sounds that come
from the temple OF Neptune are not music
compared with the harmonies of which
speak; these waters rushing In the basin ol
Pyrene are not pure; these statues OF Bac'
4 chus and Mercury are not exquisite; your
citadel OF Acrocorinthus Is not strong com.
pared with that which offer to the poorest
slave that puts down his burden at thai
brazen gate. Your Corinthians think this
Is splendid city; you think you have
full sights, but tell you eye hath not seeI
nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart OF man, the thingas which Goo
hath prepared for them that love Him.
You see my text sets forth the idea that.
however exalted our ideas OF heaven, they
come far short OF the reality. Some wise
men have been calculating how many fur.
longs long and wide Is the new Jerusalem
and they have calculated how many inhab
itants there are on the earth, how Ions
the earth will probably stand, and ther
thew come to this estimate-that after al
l
there will be room for each soul, a room
sixteen feet long and fifteen feet wide. L
would not be large enough for you; i
would not be large enough for me. 1 an
glad to know that no human estimate
sufficient to take the dimensions. "Ey'
hath not seen nor ear heard" or arithmeti
clans calculated.
first remark that we can get no idea o
the health Of heaven. When you we're
child and you went out in the morning
how you bounded along the road or street
You had never felt sorrow or sickness
Perhaps later you felt a glow in your cheel
and a spring In your step and an exuber
J ance OF spirits and clearness Of eye tha
made you thank God you were permitte
to live. The nerves were harp strings, an
the sunlight was doxology, and the rus
tling OF the robes OF great crowd risinl
you knew what 1t was to be well, but ther
; Is no perfect health on earth. The dis
eases OF past generations came down to us
The airs that now float upon the earth ar
not like those which foated above Para
disc They are charged with impuritie
and distempers. The most elastic and ro
: bust health Of earth, compared with tina
, which those experience before whom tn
gates have been opened, is nothing bu
sickness and emaciation. Look at tina
: soul standing before the throne. o
, earth she was lifelong invalid. See he
step now and hear her voice now
Catch, II you can, one breath OF tina
celestial air. Health, in all the pulses
health of vision, health Of spirits-immor
tai health. No racking cough, no shar
pleurisies, NO consuming levers, no 81
hausting pains. ho hospitals OF wounde
. men. Health swinging in the air; healt
l flowing In all the streams; health bloom
, ing on the banks. No head aches, no sid
, aches, no back aches. That child tha
: died in the agonies Of Group. hear he
!, voice now ringing in the anthem; that OF
man that went bowed down with the ir
firmities OF age gee him walk now with th
= step Of an immortal athlete, forever youn
again, That night when the needlewoma
? tainted away In the garret wave OF th
heavenly air resuscitated her forever. FC
everlasting years to have neither ache nc
pain nor weakness, nor fatiguel "Ey
hath not seen It; ear hath not heard It,"
I remark further that we can In tn
world get no just idea OF the splendors
heaven. John tries to describe them. Il
Z says "twelve gates are twelve pearls an
that "the foundations OF the wall are garI
e ished with all manner OF precious stones
As we stand looking through the telescoI
Of st John We see a blaze OF amethyst an
pearl. and emerald and sardonyx an
chrysoprasus AMI sapphire, a mountain
light, a cataract OF color, a sea OF glass ar
q a city like the sun. John bids us look agai
:, and We see thrones-thrones OF the propl
" cts thrones of the patriarchs, thrones
J. the angels, thrones Of the apostles, thron
OF the martyrs, throne Of Jesus, throne
God. And we turn round to see the glor
and 1t 1. thrones, thrones, thronesi
John bids us look again and see Il
a great procession Of the red deemed Passin
,. Jesus. on a white horse, leads the marcl
and all the armies OF heaven follow G
D white horses. Infinite cavalcade passinl
e passing; empires pressing into line; ag
e following ages; dispensation trampii
after dispensatioD; glory In the track
: glory; Europe, Asia, Africa, North al
e South America pressing into lines, islam
d OF the sea shoulder to shoulder; gener
N tfons before the flood following gener
tions after the flood, and as Jesus rises
the head OF that great host and wav
4 His sword In signal OF victory {
10 crowns are lifted and all ensig
swung out and all chimes rung and