The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-08-23
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
Heavenly Recognition.

ORnlIlOn OI Lnelr ITleUQS.
The Patriarchs spoke of being gather
ed to their fathers. Of Abraham it
was said he was gathered unto his peo-
pie, so also was it said of Isaac. Jacob
dying hour was comforted by the
thought that he was going to mingle
with his sainted ancestors and would
participate with them in the joys of the
spirit world.
The Jews spoke of life as being a
pilgrimage and when they had reached
the end of that, or death, they would
be received into the company of their
ancestors who had preceded them.
Evidently David found solace in the
doctrine when bereaved of his son, for
he said, l shall go to him. He expected
to meet his child again. While there is
a ray of hope that he might recover he
used every possible means to attain
that end. but so soon as he died, the
father, with implicit confidence, plants
himself on this doctrine
How often has the Christians heart
found comfort, when called to give up
loved ones, in the confident expectation
of meeting again. At the hour, when
if ever, all false hopes and errors should
be banished, the Christian feels that
the social life is not destroyed, but that
these ties of friendship are only dropp-
ed at death to be taken up in eternity,
and woven into a more beautiful and
everlasting structure.
A very strong argument in favor of
this doctrine is found in the fact that
the lost know each other in the place of
doom. The story of the rich man and
Lazarus is apropos. 1t represents the
same truth which he expresses in Lu
1928 There shall be weaping and
gnashing of teeth when you see Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob and the Prophets
in the kingdom and you Yourself thrust
out"
If the constitution of our nature is
such, that the lost recognize each other
then surely the redeemed may. 1t will
be to them an element of woe as 1t will
be to the redeemed an element of Joy.
To those who occupy the position of
parents, this fact will add to your woe
inasmuch as you are not only making
shipwreck of your own souls by a life
of sin or carelessness about religion,
but whose example is leading your
children along with you in the broad
road to ruin.
When hell, with its awful realities, is
begun how will one feel to meet and
know those of his own household weav-
ing canopy of woe around you and
hear them say, 0 father or mother, why
did you not tell US of this in time, that
we might not have come to this place
of torment. But with what Joy will
you meet in glory, and how happy you
shall be, when together you stand be-
fore the throne of God and the Lamb.
In that bold but beautiful figure of
lisa. IA, where the unseen world is rep
resented as disturbed at the coming of
the fallen tyrant WHO'S met by astonish-
ed kings, this truth is limited at. The
wicked retained their powers of recogni-
ton. We have satisfactory evidence
of the truth of this doctrine IN l Thess.
2:l9. Paul here uses language that i'm
plies this, and what he expected may
be expected by all real Christians in
relation to their pious friends.
He expected reward for his labors
as did all the early Christian teachers,
and he did not deny that reward con-
sisted in the conversion, salvation and
glory of those he had been instrumental
in saving. In view of this he says, I'VE
are our crown of rejoicing Then he
exhorts his Philippian friends 2:l5, to
be blameless and sincere the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation (race)
among whom shine We as lights in the
world, that we may rejoice in the day
of Christ. John urges the elect lady
and her children to perserYe in Christ
ian love, that he might receive a full
reward. He anticipated reward, and
it cannot be separated from the recognl-
cation of those who were the fruits of
his ministry. But one may say there is
no dogimatic statement in scripture that
this is true.
We admit this. but as all is truly i'm
piled, this evidence is conclusive testi-
mony in favor of the doctrine. The
very employments Of heaven. require a
knowledge of each other and therefore
recognition. The mansions which he
has prepared suggests the home life of
heaven. The redeemed are spoken of
as the family of God in heaven, He is
our father and Christ is our elder
brother.
When Jesus referred to the joys of
heaven, He said, many shall come from
the east and from the west and shall
sit down with Abraham, Isaac and