The Washington herald., 1918-07-14
Recognition IN Heaysn. !"
BY REV. !. FRAxl<Liz BRlxk,
Pastor OF Ssrth5 Cared "a Avenu'
Method q Pretesta { Church.


they were talking with Jesus"
This text. and many more In the
Holy Bible. strongly infer that we
who are fortunate enough to reach
Heaven. In the after-a-while." shall
know our loved ones there. This text
really teaches ~Cognition," which
means that we shall know those
whom we did not know here; and
n that is b fact, certainly we will
know those, whom We hsye known
and loved long sincef and lost
awhile, - -.
Noses had been dead for more than
fifteen hundred years. apd buried in
an unknown grave. IND Elias, or
Elijah, as he Is usually called. had
been translated, without seeing death.
more than nine hundred years before
he time of our text: and yet. they
met Jesus, and were known by Peter.
James and John. who were on the
Mount Of TRANSPORTATION with Jesus.
But. though II would seen that this
incident in the life of Jesus alone
would be sufficient TO prove to all
that we shall know one another in
the better world, yet there are those
today, as In the past, who claim that
they do not believe this comforting
doctrine.
"sor1e day that earthly love must die
In heavens distant land;
That friendships cease above the sky
Among the angel band.
But IL that Is a happy shore.
How can we know our own no more
Faithful and true. as our loved ones
be,
Can they fail US by and by?
Shall We pass them on the Crystal
With a dull unseeing eye?
Those realms as strangers shall we
With friends long gone before us
there?
Tt can not be. When. ife's Ions
dreams
Are PAST, and we appear
In angel guise, celestial CLEANS
Will show us faces dear.
For Gods best wItnes here is love:
Beaven-sent, IL must persist above.
Jesus said: 81 go to prepare a
place for you; and IL I go TO prepare
a place for you, I will come again
and receive you unto myself. that
4 where am there you may be also
1t is a queer sort OF thinking which
would conclude that Jesus would
come back for us, and take US to
live with Him. and yet we would moi
be Conscious of the fact that We are
with Him-unable to recognize Hin
at all.
We cannot better introduce thii
subject than by quoting that beauti,
full poem Of Montgomery-words which
have stirred the deepest and warm,
est emotions of the Christians
heart:
Friend after friend departs.
| Who hath not lost a friend?
There Is no union here Of hearts
That finds not here an end.
| Were this frail world our final rest
Living or dying, none were blest.
Beyond the fight OF time.
Beyond the reign Of death.
There surely is some blessed clim'
Where life Is not a breath,
Nor life's affections fire
Whose sparks fly upward and expire
There is q world above.
| Where parting is unknown;
A long eternity of love.
Formed for the good alone:
And faith beholds the dying here,
Translated to. that glorfuns sphere
Thus star by star declines,
Till all are passed away.
As morning high and higher shines
To pure and perfect day;
Nor sink those stars in empty night
But hide themselves in Heavens owl
light"
In advocating the comforting doc
trine OF Heavenly recognition. invit,
you to accompany me into thre,
fields of proof-Conscience. Reason
and Revelation.
I. First, let us look for evidence u
proof OF this glorious doctrine. &
conscience. that eternal principle bg
which we are governed.
Conscience is called by some writer!
The moral sense" and is consideret
an original faculty Of nature. Som,
call it ''The general principle Of mora
| appreciation or disapprobation. ap
piled to ones conduct and affections
But, what / mean. as APPLIED to IN,
subject in hand. Is the general hops
and longing of all mankind. that they
may know and love their friends snC
loved ones in the Heavenly world
This Is a significant and importan
fact in reviewing the history Of thi
doctrine. Such a longing has been tn
universal sentiment among all classe
and all nations. and in all ages Of thu
world. Pagans and Mohammedans
Jews and Gentiles, Roman Catholic:
and Protestants, have all alike enter
tained such a hope.
Hindoo widows, for many. man!
years, more or less willingly. wer
buried on the funeral pyres Of theii
dead husbands, because by this act
they believed that they would joil
their companions in a happier LIANT
than this. Sending messages by the
dying to friends who were Ion g deaC
was a practice long observed by som,
lIeathcn peoples.
Such things excite our pity; but in
Idicate I'm a striking and impressive
manner. the depth and power. OF thil
longing desire of the human soul e
continue on in the future life, the lov'
which has been cherished here. W.
| can not consider such doctrine. -
fun of consolation. and 30 creditabi'
Ito unending friendship as only "th'
Iherald OF a he" - - -. :
We cannot Consider such doc
trine. so full OF hope, unworthy o
our, deepest interest - .-r.z'',
4 Eminent philosophers Of Greco
and Rome, without the light %
iChristianity, embraced this doc
trine and found comfort In the dy
ing hour. Szg - -. :
| Alfred cooknan. ,wheu dying
said: Il am sSsepins. through IN
gates washed in the blood OF tn
Lamb"
The universally OF this hope !
certainly a strong argument in IL
favor.
4 Our Heavenly Father will no