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

I
spirits, immortal health. No racking
cough, no sharp pleurisies, no consum-
ing fevers. no eXhausting pains, no hos
pitfalls of wounded men. Health swing
ing in the air. health flowing in all the
streams. health blooming on the banks.
No headaches. no side aches, no back
aches. That child that died in the
agonies of Group. hear her voice now
ringing in the anthem. That old man
that went bowed down with the infirm-
tiles of age, see him walk now wit
the step of an immortal athlete-for-
ever young again. That night when
the needlewoman tainted away in the
garrPt, wave of the heavenly air re-
suscitated her forever. For everlast-
ing years to have neither ache, nor
pain, nor weakness, nor fatigue. Eye
hath not seen it, ear hath not heard it"
I remark further that we can in this
world get no just idea of the splendors
of Heaven. John tries to describe them.
He says ''the IL gates are II pearls, y
and that ''the foundations of the wall
are garnished with all manner of pre-
cious stones As we stand looking
through the telescope of ST. John we
see blaze of amethyst and pearl and
emerald and sardonyX and chryso-
prasus and sapphire. a mountain of
light. a cataract of color. sea of glass
and city like the sun. John bids us
look again, and we see thrones
thrones of the patriarchs. thrones of
the angels, thrones of the apostles.
thrones of the martyrs. throne of
Jesus-throne of God. And we turn
round to see the glory, andit is thrones,
thrones. thrones!
John bids us look again and see the
great procession of the redeemed pass
ing. Jesus. on a white horse. leads
the march. and all the armies of
Heaven follow OH white horses. In
finite cavalcade passing, passing; en-
pires pressing into line. ages following
ages. Dispensation tramping after
dispensation. Glory in the track of
glory. Europe, Asia, Africa, North
and South America pressing into lines.
Islands of the sea shoulder to shouI-
der. Generations before the food9&ol-
lowing generations after the flood,
and as Jesus rides at the head of that
great host and waves his sword in
signal of victory, all crowns are lifted
and all ensigns swung out and all
chimes rung and all halleluiahs chant
ed. and some cry, GLORY to God most
hight" and some. "Hosanna to the
son of David!" and some. Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain!''-till all ex-
clama tions of endearment and hom-
age III the vocabulary of Heaven are
exhausted, and there comes up surge
after surge of ''Amen! Amen! and
Amen!" Eye hath not seen it. ear
hath not heard it," Skim from the
summer waters the brightest sparlles,
and you will get no idea of the sheen
of tlSe everlasting sea. Pile up the
splendor of earthly cities, and they
would not make a 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 a coronation. Every meal is
a banquet. Every stroke from the
tower is a wedding bell. Every day is
a jubilee, every hour a rapture and
every moment an ecstasy. Eye hath
not seen it. ear hath rot 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 acuuaint-
ance in some strange fand, you re-
member 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 ten
or fifteen years and we come upon
them we see how differently they look
Their hair has turned, and wrinkles
have come in their faces, and we say:
"HOw you have changed!" 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 exuIta-
tion we cannot now imagine: "How
you have changed?"
In this world we only meet to part.
1t is good-by, good-by. Farewells
floating in the air. We hear it at the
rail car window and at the steamboat
wharf-good-b by. Children lisp it, and
old age answers it. Sometimes we say
it in light way-''good-b - and
sometimes with anguish in which the
soul breaks down-goOd-by! All, that
is the word that ends the thanksgiv-
ing banquet; that is the word that
comes in to close the Christmas chant.
Good-by, good-by. But not so in Heav-
en-. Welcomes in the air, welcomes at
the gates, welcomes at the house of
many mansions. but not good-by.
That group is constantly being aug
mented. They are going out from our
circles of earth to join it-little voices
to join the anthem, little hands to
take hold in the great home circle,
little feet to dance in the eternal glee,
little crowns to be cast down before
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 already entered upon that
blessed place? If | should take paper
and pencil, do you think could put
them all down? All, my friends, the
waves of Jordan roar so hoarseIv we
cannot hear the JOY on the other side
when the group is augmented
+. a little child's mother had died. and
they comforted her. They said: Your
mother has gone to Heaven Don't
cry" 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: