Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-08-27

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spiritual beauties, their noble deeds,
their self sacrificing attentions, shall be
as CLEANSING kaleidoscope, ever re
| vcaling to us new natures and wonder
fully new developments Of love.
Heaven is to be a place Of manifested
gratitude, q place where we can thank
those whose self sacrifices helped save
us when we were upon the earth. 1t
will be place where we can lay at the
feet of our benefactors the rich golden
sheaves of our lives which came as n
result of their seed planting. 1t shall
| be place where others may rejoice in
our gospel conquests because their
words of advice and their prayers and
their examples were the means of first
! leading us to the foot Of the cross and
starting us forth as gospel messengers.
Heaven must be such place. Why
Because most Christians never live long
enough on earth to see the full results
of their services for the Master. But
few gospel workers can say, as did
Simeon of old, Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace, according
to thy word, for mine eyes have seen
thy salvation which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people" When
my father was born he was the young
est of thirteen children. My grand
mother was we'll advanced in years.
Soon after his birth she turned to her
husband and said, ooh, David, am SO
sorry that we will not in all probability
live long enough to see little De Witt,
our baby, grow into strong manhood
and consecrate himself as a laborer In
the vineyard of the Lord Jesus Christ"
AS with my grandmother, the regret
which nearly all Christians have is
that in an earthly sense we shall not
live long enough to see the harvestings
of our gospel seed planting. We shall
not live long enough to see our boys
and girls, for whom we have shaved
and worked and prayed. grow up into
Christian men and women and see
them as teachers in Christian Sunday
schools and leaders in evangelistic
meetings and perhaps elders and minis
ters about the communion table Of the
Lords supper. But in heaven we shall
know about the glorious results of our
Christian labors. In heaven the re-
deemed mother shall not only see her
children, but her children's children,
who have been saved through her
prayers and conservation. In heaven
there shall be rejoicing everywhere, be
cause we shall there know that through
the results of our labors the dead are
alive again and the lost are found
with the SANITY Men of Old.
And, oh, how many redeemed i'm
mortalS we shall have to thank in that
heavenly kingdom! John Todd, you
were dead thirty years before l was
born, but / shall in heaven thank thee
for the yellow leaves of that old book
found in my fathers library of
which you were the author. That book
was e of the means used by the
Holy Spirit Of turning my thoughts to-
ward the Christian ministry William
II. MiIburn, twenty years blind chap
lain of the United States senate thou
dldst not, in all probability, ever hear
of my name. With thy sightless eyes
thou dist make me turn many a CRATE
full glance toward the Christ who in
Gus and holy face. | wish to thank
thee, o redeemed spirit, thou who
years ago as a Sunday school teacher
in the old Brooklyn tabernacle didst
shed many an anxious tear over thy
scholars. | would tell thee that today
in the sacred ministry | feel the touch
of thy sainted hand and hear the ear
nest tone of thy pleading voice. Yes
there are many spirits in heaven we
would thank for what they did for us
when upon the earth. We would thank
them that they may rejoice. as we all
rejoice, and that their hosannas of graf
itude might be augmented with our
halleuiahs.
But if heaven is to be a place OF
ma infested gratitude it is also to be
; n place Of glorious "reminiscences. Al
, the camp fires OF the Grand Army re
, unions we have heard the old veterans
talking over the struggles, the defeats
; and triumphs of the civil war We
have heard what comrades at Shilol
did and what comrades at Atlanta did
and what comrades at Petersburg did
10 the old veterans the struggle Of the
/ twill war is never an old story. So il
| the heavenly reunions the gospel vet
,rans will love to talk over the Chris
, IAN struggles of the past.
, AS Christian comrades one will say
= DO you remember that time when W.
started those cottage prayer meetings
= AS a result of those prayer meeting
= what glorious revival we had -
hundred and twenty souls for Christi
Yes" says another, that reminds m,
3 of what hard time we had In startin:
that mission school down In the sfums
t Cynics said it would do no good, but 1
! did, it did" Eyes" viii answer man!
D roices, I'VE were converted and save,
. through those little meetings" The
\ the pastors and the different congrega
! tons will get together, and they Wi
g have their "reminiscences. And tn
\ parents and the children will get &c
e gethor, and they will talk over agai
n the blessings which came from thei
u affairs And the Bible distributors wi
tell how they were scoffed at and ye
blessed as they distributed their tract
@ and sacred leaves. And Francis I
r Clark and the Christian Endeavorer
G will have their separate reunions. W
d shall be in that better land" Twin
= over and over again the Christian JOY
le which we passed through when servin
N Cb,iut imam tho on rtb oh nv friap1