The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-04-11

hearing is so delicate that they get no
satisfaction when you describe the
crash of the eternal orchestra, and
they feel like saying, as good woman
in Hudson, n. Y, said after hearing me
speak of the mighty chorus of Heaven:
'That must be a great Heaven, but
what will become of my poor head?'
Yes, this half hour of my text is still
experience There was silence in
Heaven for half an hour
You will find the inhabitants all at
home. Enter the Kings palace and
take only glimpse, for we have only
80 minutes for all Heaven. "Is that
Jesus?" Eyes" 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 spike, and
a scar on the palm of the right hand
and scar on the palm of the left
hand. But what a countenancei What
smile! What GRANDEUR What
loveliness! What an overwhelming
look of kindness and gracei Why, He
looks as if He had redeemed world!
But come on, for our time is short. Do
the Apostolic row. Do you see that
long reach of architectural glories?
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 river
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 Ala
bama or the Rhine or the Shannon
say: "We never saw the like of this
for clarity and sheen" That is the
chief river of Heaven-so bright, so
wide. so deep. But you ask: where
are the asylums for the old?" I an
swer: "The inhabitants are all young"
"Where are the hospitals for the
lame?" "They are all agile" 'Where
are the infirmaries for the blind and
deaf?" "They all see and hear"
''Where are the almshouses for the
poor?" "They are all multimillion-
aires" "Where are the inebriate asy-
lums?" "Why, there are no saloons"
"Where are the graveyards ?" 'Why,
they never die" Pass down those
boulevards of gold and amber and
sapphire and see those interminable
streets built by the Architect OF the
Universe into homes, over the thresh-
old of which sorrow never steps and
out of whose windows faces, once pale
with earthly sickness, now look rubi-
fo1 health
"Oh, let me go in and see them!"you
say. No, you cannot go in. There are
those who would never consent to let
you come out again. You say: ''Let me
stay here in this place where they
never sin, where they never suffer,
where they never part" No, no! Our
| time is short, our 80 minutes are al
most gone. Come on! 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 of silence is ended.
The day will come when you can see
Heaven in full blast, but not now.
am now only showing you Heaven at
the dullest half hour of all the eterni-
ties. Come on! There is something
in the celestial appearance which
makes me think that the half hour of
silence will soon be over. Yonder are
the white horses being hitched to
chariots, and yonder are seraphs fin
gering harps as if about to strike them
into symphony, and yonder are con-
uuerors taking down from the blue
halls of Heaven the trumpets of vic
tory. Remember we are mortal yet
and cannot endure the full roll OF
heavenly harmonies and cannot endure
even the silent Heaven for more than
half an hour. Harki The clock in the
tower of Heaven begins to strike, and
the half hour is ended. Descend Come
back! Come down till your work is
done. Shoulder little longer your
burdens. Fight little longer your
| battles Weep a little longer your
eriefs. And then take Heaven not in
its dullest half hour, but in its might
lest pomp, and, instead of taking it for
20 minutes, take it world without end.
But how will you spend the first half
hour of your heavenly citizenship after
YOU have gone in to stay? After your
nrostration before the throne in wor-
shin of Him who made it possible for
"
IF your first half hour in Heaven will
he passed in receiving your reward if
Won have been faithful. I have a
Strangely beautiful book containing
the pictures of the medals struck by
the English government in honor of
GREAT battles. These medals are pinned
over the heart of the returned heroes
of the army on great occasions, the
roval family present and the royal
hands playing-the Crimean medal,
the medal of the mutiny, the Victoria
| cross. the Waterloo medal. In your
frst half hour in Heaven in some way
Won will be honored for the earthly
Struggles in which you won the day.
stand up before all the royal house of
Heaven and receive the insignia while
Won are announced as victor over the
| drafts and freshets of the farm field,
victor over the temptations of the
stock exchange, victor over profession
| al allurements, victor over domestic
infelicities, victor over mechanics
shop. victor over the storehouse, vic
tor over home worriments, victor over
nbvsical distresses, victor over hered-
;tarv depressions, victor over sin and
death and hell. Take the badge that
celebrates those victories through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Take it in the pres
ence of all the galleries, sanity, an
oelic or divine, while all Heaven
chants: "These are they who came out
of great tribulation and had their
| o1,oe washed and made white in the