Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-04-12

Washington, April 6.-ln the follow
ing discourse, prepared by DR.. Talmage
before his Illness, vivid glimpse OF
the splendors and glories OF heavenly
life is presented; text, Revelation viii,
/ "There was silence in heaven about
the space Of half an hour"
The busiest place in the universe Is
heaven. 1t is the center from which
all good influences start; 1t Is the goal
at which all good results arrive The
Bible represents It as active with
wheels and wings and Orchestras and
professions mounted or charloted. But
my text describes space when the
wheels ceased to roll and the trumpets
TO sound and the voices to chant. The
riders on the white horses refined in
their charges. The doxologies were
hushed and professions halted. The
hand Of arrest was upon all the splen-
doris. stop, heaven" cried an omnipo
tent voice, and ii stopped. For thirty
minutes everything celestial stood still.
There was silence In heaven about the
space Of half an hour"
From all we can learn 1t Is the only
time heaven ever stopped. 1t does not
stop as other cities for the night. for
there is 10 night there. 1t does not
stop for plague. for the inhaoitant
never says, Il am sick" 1t does not
stop for bankruptcies, for its inhab-
itants never fail. Ii does not stop for
impassable streets. for there are no
fallen SHOWS or sweeping freshets.
What, then, stopped ii for thirty MIN
utes? Grotius and Professor Stuart
think II was at the time OF the destruc-
ton of Jerusalem. Mr. Lord thinks 1t
was in the year 81, between the close
of the Diocletiun persecution ana the
beginning OF the wars by which Con-
stantine gained the throne. But that
was all guess. though learned ana
brilliant guess. DO not know when II
was. and do not care when 1t was.
but of the fact that such m interreg-
mum of sound took place | am certain.
"There was silence in heaven about the
space of half an hour"
And. first of all we learn that Cod
and all heaven then honOrcd silence.
The longest and widest dominion that
ever existed is that over which still
ness was queen. For an eternity there
had not been n sound. World making
was a later day occupation. For un-
imaginable ages Ii was mute ull-
verse. God was the only being. and
as there was no one to speak to there
was no utterance But that silence
has all been broken up into worlds.
and it has become noisy universe.
Worlds in upheaval. worlds in congela-
ton. worlds in conHagration, worlds In
revolution.
The Power of Silence.
II geologists are right-and | believe
they are-there has not been moment
of silence since this world began Its
travels. and the crashing and the split
ting and the uproar and the hubDub
are ever In progress. But when among
the supernals voice cried, "Hush!
and for half an hour heaven was still,
silence was hOnored. The full power
of silence many Of us have yet TO
leorn. We are told that when christ
was arraigned "he answered not a
word" That silence was louder than
any thunder that ever shook the worlu.
Oftentimes when we are assailed ana
misrepresented the mightlest thing 10
say is to say nothing and the mightest
thing to do Is to do nothing. Ihose
neonle who are always rushing into
print to get themselves set right ac-
complIsh nothing but their own cha'
grin. Silence. Do right and leave tne
results with God. Among the granu,
est lessons the world has ever learned
are the lessons OF patience taught py
those who endured uncompainingly
norsonal or domestic or political in1us'
flee Stronger than any bitter or sar'
castle or revengeful answer Is the pa
tient silence.
The famous Dr. Morrison OF Chelsea
achieved as much by his silent patlenc'
rs by his pen and tongue. He had astn
mn that for twenty five years broueh
him ont OF his couch at = o'clock eacl
morninc. His four sons and daughter'
dead the remaining child by sunstroR'
mode insane. the afflicted man onc'
said AT this moment there Is not al
inch of my body that Is not hlIed VIII
agony" Yet be was cheerful. trlum
nhant. silent. Those who were I'D ni
nresence said they felt rs though the.
yvere I'm the gates OF heaven. On. IN
power Of patient silence! Eschylus
the immortal poet, was condemned I
death for writing something that OF
Tended the people. All the pleas IN III
behalf were of no avail until bis orotr
or uncovered the arm Of the prisone
and showed that bis hand had bee
shot of at Salamls. That silent pie
liberated him. The lOudest thing O
earth Is silence If 1t be Of the righ
kind and at the right time. There wa
q quaint old hymn spelled In the oil
style and once sung in the churches:
The race is not forever got
BY him who fastest runs
Nor the Battel by those peopen
That shoot with the longest guns
NV friends, the tossing sea OF Galile
: seemed most to offend Christ by tn
amount of noise it made, for he sal
to il "Be still" Heaven has bee
crovning kings and queens unto 20
for many centuries. yet heaven nev'
stonped a moment for any such occu
renee. but it stopped thirty minute
for the coronation of silence. "Thel
was silence in heaven about the spa'
Of half an hour"
Heaven nn Eventful Place.
Learn also from my text that heave
must be an eventful and active pa(
from the fact that it could afford on
thirty minutes Of recess. There hay
been events on earth and in heavo
that seemed to demand whole day
whole week or whole year for ceiesti
| consideration. If Grotius was rig