Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-08-28
TALMACE
SERMON
81 ~ Rev.
snNA De WITT TAlMAoI. DID,.
rssssr OF Jeifsrss. Parh Pre,by.
~ sariAn CAsseh. Chie>so


oarects Ne to the contemplation
p 'ne sreater Joys Of the "better land. -
me text Is 1 Corinthians Nv, 40. ave
emily"
is heaven? Some people think
tnst we do not know much about II. 1
remember how my father. who loved to
preach about the Celestial city, used
. say he felt when he described it
mat ne was looking through "a glass
oarxiy- Some years ago one or his
dear friends, Judge Nelson. was dying.
He was Brooklyn's most honored ju-
rst-' The last tine my father visited
him the judge asked, "what Dad you
preach upon last Ssbbath2" Upon
heaven" Upon heaven exclaimed
the old judge,~ ..will you send me the
sermon? would like to read IT.
Certainly" said my father. But that
afternoon bis face wore a sad smile ss
he came into the house. asked.
f'what IS the matter, fathery' "Why,"
said he, II have been down TO visit
Judge Nelson. who is dying He asked
me to send him my last Sundays ser
mon on heaven was just thinking
that Within "a few days the old judge
will be in heaven. He viii go there
just after reading my description OF II.
Then all the grandeur and glories OF
that celestial city will so eclipse any
thing that have ever dreamed Of that
he Will laugh at me and my sermon and
say what a poor idea Taimnge had OF
what Christ has prepared for US. For
since the beginning OF the world men
have not heard nor perceived by the
ear, neither hath the eye seen. o God.
besides thee, what he hath prepared for
him that waiteth for him. I guess
will net send Nelson my sermon on
heaven. 1t would make me laughing
stock for him through all eternity"
A Glance Thro.Eh the Gates.
That Is true. No human mind can
conceive. no human voice or pen can
depict. the beauties OF the celestial
Kingdom. There are, however, pas.
sages In Gods word which open the
pesrly gates a little way, so that we
can catch glimpse OF the supernnl
grandeur OF that city of celestial glory.
We can, as IL were, pluck n rose OF
Sharon or n lily OF the valley and learn
In miniature what the fragrance OF the
heavenly gardens shall be, where every
hillside and meadowland is covered
with perpetual isflora. Through the
crsvice of that open gate we can, as IL
were, for moment catch q sight OF
the redeemed, whose garments are as
white as the driven snow and whose
joys are limited only by their own ca
pacity to enjoy the happiness provided
for them by their almighty and all
loving Father. IL ia for such a glimpse
OF this heaven, TO which all Christians
are heading. that would open my b.
BILE today and speak from the text. AS
we have borne the imnge Of the earthly
we shall also bear the image OF the
heavenly"
Heaven Is place OF immortal resi-
dsnce. What does that imply7 Why"
answers some one, shat means we
shall live on millions upon millions of
years. 1t means that long after this
earth as q burning star shall flicker
and SO out our spiritual existence shall
continue. IL means conscious life
extending 30 ages which dwarf into
brevity the longest term even OF the
inanimate relics OF the most remote
past 'Immortal." exclaimed Napoleon
Boneparte, turning TO one OF bis gener-
nis who had applied the cpithet to q
statue or vast sntiquity which had
beenNbronght from Egypt to the Lou
vre In Paris. Immortal! That IL not
immortal What are the three or four
thousand years which that statue has
IN arfs
taHty which goes on for ever and
everr
But the Immortality OF heaven is not
to be measured in years alone. II Is
the Immortality of eternal youth. Old
age implies weakness OF body and of
mind. In heaven there will be such n
perfect renewal OF our powers day by
Gay that the passage OF years leaves no
krace OF decay. r
/ No Need of Rest I'm Heaven.
Perfect adjustment OF the resurrected
body 10 les celestial surroundings
groves there is 60 be no fight for an
Immortal existence. Why dees the
physic3 body grow tired2 Because ii
- not La perfect accord with.its phys
seal surroundings. In order to make
the heart pump must breathe. Yet
every time I inhaic the air that Oxygen
buns up part OF my physical being,
which mnst be replaced by food and
pnEsfeai nourishment. why do the
great clouds OF smoke ascend from the
funnels OF the locomotive and the chin.
peys e the factories? Because those
clouds form component parts OF wasted
enerGiss. Imperfect consumption OF
fuei fmpiies that the coal must be con.
<nuaily sheveied into the furnaces or
else the machinery WIN stop. But tn
that heavenly land there shall be no
need OF sleep, because the redeemed
oooy, perfectly adjusted to its celestial
ourroundings, wiz never know fatigue.
1pere shall be 40 need OF physicians,
because pain, which 10 the warning sis.
nal OF inf1rmity, shall never have any
OF our Joints in it's twist There shall
De no need Ct recreation, because then
Al sungs shall be, once for chi perfect
- created
We marvel at tho perfect adjust
ment In the natural world. We won
Der at the vast resources. OF power
~hleh can swing the stars in their
courses and make whiriing ooustelis.
lions marshal themselves upon the
heavenly plains and yet have no con-
fusion In passing reviews. Once In
awhile we are borrer struck when some
OF the elements seem to baik and the
iiChtnings. as fractions cslts. kick over
the traces and start to smash thinss.
We stand eghast when the dark gar
nents or tornado sweep past US, or
two storm clouds collide and the heav-
ems are ablazs with electricity and
the ear Is startled with the crashing
or the thunder and the freshets come
and the bridges are swept away. Bat
all the time when these elements are
at war we think of the greater power
which holds the moon and the sun OF
from the earth at arms length. We
think Of the greater power OF the laws
OF evaporation, which with golden pull
Seys lifted those water into the clouds.
We think OF the law of cohesion or OF
specific gravity. which holds this old
earth together in compact spnere We