The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-05-18

what Heaven is. It is the grave here
it is darkness here-but there is mer-
rymaking yonder. Methinks when a
soul arrives some angel takes it around
| to show it the wonders of that blessed
| place The usher angel says to the
newly arrived ''These are the mar
| tyrs that perished at Piedmont; these
were torn to pieces at the inquisition;
| this is the throne of the great Jeho
yah; 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 Him?" ''Oh,
yes; that's what want to go to Heaven
| for But" said the missionary. sup
pose Jesus should go away from
| Heaven-what then?'' Il should fol-
| low him. said the dying boy. But if
! Jesus went down to hell-what then?'
The dying boy thought for molnent
and then said: where Jesus is shere
can be no hell" Oh, to stand in His
presence! That will be 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 re-
prophets and apostles and martyrs
and with our own dear beloved ones.
| That will be the great reunion. We
cannot imagine it now. Our loved ones
seem so far away. When we are in
| trouble and lonesome, they don't seem
to come to us. We go on to the banks
| of the Jordan and call across to them,
but they do not seem to hear. We say:
'Is it well with the child? is it well
with the loved ones?" and we listen to
| hear if any voice come back over the
waters. None. none!
Unbelief says: "They are dead, and
| they are annihilated," but blessed be
! God we have Bible that tells us differ
ent! We open it, and we find they are
neither dead nor annihilated-that
they never were so much alive as now
that they are only waiting for our
coming and that we shall join them on
the other side of the river. Oh, glori-
Gus reunion, we cannot grasp it now!
What place of explanation it will
be! see every day profound mysteries
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,
asylums for the idiotic and insane,
almshouses for the destitute and
world of pain and misfortune that de-
mand more than human solution. God
will clear it all up. In the light that
pours from the throne no dark mys-
IL
scrutable will be illumined as plainly
as though the answer was written on
the jasper wall or sounded in the tenn
pie anthem. Bartimeus will thank
God that he was blind. and Joseph that
he was cast into the pit, and Daniel
that he denned with the lions, and Paul
that he was humpbacked, and David
that he was driven from Jerusalem.
and that invalid, that for 20 years he
could not lift his head from the pillow.
and that widow, that she had such hard
work to earn bread for her children.
The song will be all the grander for
carth's weeping eyes and aching heads
and exhausted hands and scoUrgeG
backs and martyred agOnies. But we
can get no idea of that anthem here.
We appreciate the power of secular
music. but do we appreciate the power
of sacred song? There is nothing more
inspiring to me than whole congrega-
tion lifted on the wave of holy melody.
When we sing some of those dear old
psalms and tunes. they rouse all the
memories of the past. Why, some OF
thcm were cradle songs in our fathers
house! They are all sparkling with the
morning dew of thousand Christian
Sabbaths. They were sung by broth
ers and sisters gone now. by voices that
were aged and broken in the music.
voices none the less sweet because they
did tremble and break.
When ] hear these old songs sung. it
seems as if all the old country meeting
houses Joined in the chorus and city
church and sailors bethel and western
cabins until the whole continent lifts
the doXOlOgy and the scepters of eter-
nifty beat time in the music. Away.
then, with your starveling tunes that
chill the devotions of the sanctuary
and make the people sit silent when
Jesus is marching on to victory. When
generals come back from victorious
wars do we not cheer them and shout:
"Huzza. htlzza?" And when Jesus
passes along in the conquest of the
earth, shall we not have for Him one
loud, ringing cheer?
All hail the power of Jesus name!
Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
But. my friends. if music on earth is
so sweet what will it be in Heaven!
They all know the tune there. All the
best singers of all the ages will join it
-ohoirs of white-robed children, ch oirs
of patriarchs. choirs of apostles. Morn
ing stars. clapping their cymbals.
Harpers with their harps. Great an
thems of God roll on! roll on!-other
empires joining the harmony till the
thrones are all full and the nations
all saved. Anthem shall touch anthem
chorus join chorus, and all the sweet
sounds of earth and Heaven be poured
into the ear of Christ. David of the
harp will be there. Gabriel of the trum-
pet will be there. Germany, redeemed,
will pour its rich bass voice into the
sung, anu AL VIII dOu " lhC III Iuoic
with her matchless voices. l wish in
our closing hymn to-day we might
catch an echo that slips from the gates.
Who knows but that when the heaven
ly door opens to-day to let some soul
through there may come forth the
strain Of the jubilant voices until we
catch it? Oh, that as the song drops
down from Heaven it might meet half
way a song coming up from earth.
They rise for the doxology, all the
multitude of the blestI Let us arise
with them, and so at this hour the joys