Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-08-29
work withtu' CT on.
Tbe Attainment of Perfection.

over the thought lhul u' Vuh
shall he enlarged and developed and
vet keep ON charging and developing
and never grow tired: We have read
that for over fifty years John Wesley
preached on an average sixteen ser
mons per week, or nearly three ser
mons per day. How vigorous must
have been the constitution that could
perform that task! But in heaven we
shall all have vigorous constitutions.
Oh. the rapture of that better land In
which the services we render VIII
never produce WEAKNESS nor the IN
finite subjects that will engage our at
tention ever cause safety! Our hands
GROW weary, even though they may De
busy In we'll doing. But In that beau
tiful land" we shall never be weary
of well doing. Then our redeemed
bodies shall have perfect eye, per
feet ear. perfect tongue, perfect
foot, a perfect hand clasp. Then all
our faculties shall not only have the
residence of youth. but the alertness
and perfect adjustment of immortality.
We shall live and continue TO i've, BE-
cause decay and corruption shall flee
away when death, the last enemy
shall be destroyed"
Heaven is to be place OF progress
i've enioyments. If the resurrected
brain is to be alert it must have some
thing to feed upon. So some writers
have predicted that in the heavenly
city" we shall have our music halls
and libraries and museums and art
galleries. places for intellectual as well
rs spiritual development. personally
take no exception TO this thought. l
believe the musical desire is God
eiven desire The celestial harp or the
celestial canvas or the celestial statue
is not a degradation Of the word celes-
tial. But. though there may be many
intellectual enjOymcnts of heaven,
believe there shall be two which will
most appeal to the denizens of the
skies. The first is in studying the
wonderful construction Of the celestial
city. ooh" answers some one, 81 know
now what il the formation OF heaven.
1t is a great walled town. And the
length and breadth and the height or
it are all equal. And the city Is made
of pure gold, and the foundations or
the walls of the city are collection or
precious stones. and the twelve gates
of the city are twelve massive pearls.
Why. the book of Revelation describes
the city to its minutest detail"
DO you truly mean what you say!
DO YOU affirm that the streets of heav-
en- are to be literally made out of yell
low bricks and the city to be walled
in town with lot of precious stones
for foundations? Why, the apostle In
the book of Revelation is merely talk
ING in figurative language or in the Ian
guage Of earth. He is giving us de-
scription of heaven in figures which we
can comprehend. He does not mean
that heaven is to have streets of gold
any more than he literally means that
hell is to be a place of fire. Fire is a
symbol Of torture. Gold and precious
stones are the symbols OF unlimited
luxuries. Thus the apostle piles to-
gether a great mass of diamonds and
sapphires and emeraldS and topazes
and amethysts and says: Heaven is
to be like that. Heaven is TO be like
pearls, like mansions Of white, like
golden boulevards. Picture to yourself
the brightest place you possibly can
and heaven is to be multipotently, In
fnitely, transcendently more beauti-
full" Yet when at last we reach heav-
en- all will be so new, so strange, that
our minds through all eternity will
never tire of exploring the grandeur
We shall take wings Of the morning
and fly away as bird, and every place
our eye lights upon shall offer mex
haustible fields of investigation.
But infnitesimal will be the enjoy
ment of studying the physical construc-
ton Of heaven compared with that OF
studying the beautiful characters OF
those immortals who will everywhere
live about us. Old Samuel Johnson,
think it was. once said: THE grandest
Of cathedrals or the most wonderful
poem in stone never impressed me SO
much as the sight of a human being.
The reason am lOath to leave London
Is not on account Of its. ST. Paul's and
Westminster abbey. but because Of the
endless sea Of humanity, every human
being Of which has for me strange
fascination" The study Of the human
character Is the most interesting Of all
studies.
Heaven u Place of Surprises.
Now, the more you live with some
people the more you appreciate thelr
love and devotion and realize their true
worth. When you were little child
you thought you loved your mother
but every year you grew older the
more beauty and tenderness you found
In her life. When she was old and bel
hair silvered and face wrinkled and
form emaciated she thought that heI
work was done and wondered why
God did not come and get her. But
she became dearer to you Then every
day. You said to her just before hel
death: Mother, mother, l cannot get
along without you. l am just now be
ginning to appreciate what your love
means" Yes, it takes some Of US ten
twenty, forty-aye, ffty-years to fully
appreciate the beautiful characters OF
those who have lived by our side. Eaci
month reveals some new sweetness OF
gentleness, each year some new
worth. SO our heaven is to be place
Of continual surprises. We shall al
be hourly and daily discovering some
new manifestation Of purity and love
in the lives of those with whom we are
spending eternity. We shall be con
tinually surprised with their thought
ILLNESSES and sacrifices and tender at
tentions. When they do us the unex