Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-04-11

Pray for n regenerated spirit Louis
XIV. while walking in the garden Mt
Versailles. met Mansard. the great ar
chitect, and the architect took on his
hat before the king. Put on your
hat" said the king. "for the evening is
damp and cold" And Mansard, the
architect. the rest OF the evening kept
on his hat The dukes and marquses.
standing with bare heads before the
king. expressed their surprise at Man
sard. but the king said. 81 can make n
duke or a marquis. but only God can
make Mansard." And say to you.
my hearers. only God 10y his convict
ing and converting grace can make a
Christian, but he is ready this very
half hour to accomplish it.
"Eorever md Ever"
Again, my text suggests n way of
studying heaven so that we can better
understand it. The word eternity
that we can handle so much is an i'm
| measurable world. Knowing that we
could not understand that word. the
Bible uses it only once We say "for-
ever and ever" But how long is "for-
ever and ever?" am glad that my
|
thirty minutes. AS when YOU see n
great picture. you put sheet of paper
into a scroll and look through il or join
your forefinger TO your thumb and look
through the circle between. and the
| picture becomes more intense, so this
masterpiece OF heaven Ivy st. John is
more impressive when we take only
thirty minutes OF IL at time. Now,
we have something that we can come
nearer TO grasping. and ii is a quiet
heaven. When we discourse about the
multitudes of heaven, ii must be almost
nervous shock to those who have all
their lives been crowded by many peo-
pie and who want quiet heaven. For
the last thirty-five years | have been
much of the time in crowds and under
public scrutiny and amid excitements,
and have sometimes thought for a
| few weeks after reach heaven I
would like TO so down In some quiet
part OF the realm. with a few friends.
and for little while try comparative
solitude. Then there are those whose
hearing is so delicate that they get no
abstraction when you describe the
crash OF the eternal orchestra, and they
seel like saying. as a good woman In
Hudson. n. Y, said after hearing me
speak of the mighty chorus OF heaven
That must be great heaven, but
what viii become of my poor headY'
Yes, this half hour of my text is q still
experience. There was silence in
heaven for half an hour"
A Glimpse of the Kings Palace.
| You will find the Inhabitants all at
home. Enter the Kings palace and
take only n glimpse, for we have only
thirty minutes for all heaven. us that
JesusT' Yes" Just under the hair
along his forehead is the mark OF a
wound made by a bunch OF twisted
brambles. and his foot on the throne
has on the round Of his instep another
mark of wound made by a spike and
a scar on the palm of the right hand
and scar on the palm of the left
hand. But what a countenaucel What
a smile. What GRANDEUR, What a
loveliness! What an overwhelming
look of kindness and grace! Why, he
looks as il he had redeemed a worldl
But come on, for our time is short. Do
|
the Apostolic row, Do you see that
long reach of architectural glorics?
That is Martyr row. Do you see that
immense structure? That is the big
gest house In heaven; that is ''the
| house OF many mansions.' DO YOU
see that wall? Shade your eyes against
Its burning splendor, for that is the
wall OF heaven. jasper at the bottom
and amethyst at the top. See this riv-
er rolling through the heart of the
| great metropolis? That is the river
concerning which those who once lived
on the banks of the Hudson or the AL
ALBANIA or the Rhine or the Shannon
say. 1--WE never. saw the like of this
Tor clarity and sheen" That Is the
CHIEF river or heaven so bright. so
wide, so deep. But you ask, Where
are the asylums for the oldY" | an
swer, The Inhabitants arc all young"
where are the hospitals for the
lameT They are all agile" "Where
are the intirmaries for the blind and
deafF' They all see and hear"
Where are the almshouses for the
poorF" "They are all multimIllion.
aires. Where ,are the inebriate asy-
lumsT "Why. there are no saloons. !"
Where are the graveyards?" "Why.
they never die" Pass down those
boulevards OF gold and amber and sap.
phire and see those interminable streets
Duilt by the Architect of the universe
into homes, over the threshold of
which sorrow never steps and out of
whose windows faces, once pale with
earthly sickness, now look rubicund
with immortal health.
"Oh, let me go in and see thcmr' YOU
say No. you cannot 20 I'm. There are
those who would never consent TO LET
you come out again. You say, Let me
| stay here III this place where they new
er sin, where they never suffer, where
they never part" No. mol Our time
is short, our thirty minutes are almost
gone. Come onl We must get back TO
| earth before this half hour of heavenly
silence breaks up. for in your mortal
state you cannot endure the pomp and
splendor and resonance when this half
hour or silence is ended. The day will
come when you can see heaven in full
piast. put not now. l am now only
showing you heaven at the dullest half
hour or all the eternities. Come onl
Ihere Is something in the celestial an.
pearance which makes ME think that
the half hour Of silence will soon he
over Yonder are the white horses be-
Ing hitched 10 chariots. and yonder are
seraphs lingering harps as If about to
strike them into symphony. and yonder
are conquerors taking down from the
blue halls OF heaven the trumpets of
victory. Remember we are mortal vet
ana cannot endure the full roll of heay.
only harmonies and cannot endure even
the silent heaven for more than half
an hour. Hark! The clock in the tower
or heaven begins to strike, and the half
hour Is ended Descendl Come backi
Come down till your work is done
Shoulder a little longer your burdens.
Fight little longer your battles. Ween
little longer your griefs. And then