lions of souls to whom, through the kindness of the printingpress, I am permitted to preach every week in this land and other lands-letters coming from New Zealand and Australia and the uttermost parts of earth, as well as from near nations, telling me of the souls I have helped-I will visit them all. I give them fair notice. OCCUPATION. Plenty of occupation in heaven! I suppose Broadway, New York, in the busiest season of the year, at noonday, is not so busy as heaven is all the time. Grand projects of mercy for other worlds! Victories to be celebrated! The downfall of despotisms on earth to be announced! Great songs to be learned and sung! Great expeditions on which God shall send forth His children! Plenty to do, but no fatigue! NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. After a while our names will be taken off the church books, or there will be a mark in the margin, to indicate that we have gone up to a better church and to a higher communion-a perfect church, where all our preferences will be gratified. Great cathedral of eternity, with arches of amethysts, and pillars of sapphire, and floors of emerald, and windows aglow with the sunrise of heaven! What stupendous towers, with chimes angel-hoisted and angel-rung! What myriads of worshippers, white-robed and coroneted! What an officiator at the altar, even "the great High Priest of our profession"! What walls, hung with the captured shields and flags, by the church militant, passed up to be church triumphant ! Hark! the bell of the cathedral rings—the cathedral bell of heaven. There is going to be a great meeting in the temple. Worshippers all coming through the aisles. Make room for the conqueror. Christ standing in the temple. All heaven gathering around Him. Those who loved the beautiful, come to look at the Rose of Sharon. Those who loved music, come to listen to His voice. Those who were mathematicians, come to count the years of His reign. Those who were explorers, come to discover the breadth of His love. Those who had the military spirit on earth sanctified, and the military spirit in heaven, come to look at the Captain of their salvation. The astronomers come to look at the Morning Star. The men of the law come to look at Him who is the Judge of quick and dead. The men who healed the sick, come to look at Him who was wounded for our transgressions. All different, and different forever in many respects, yet all alike in admiration for Christ, in worship for Christ, and all alike in joining in the doxology: "Unto Him who washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God, to Him be glory in the church throughout all ages, world without end!" MUSIC. The Bible says so much about the music of heaven that it cannot all be figurative. The Bible over and over again. speaks of the songs of heaven. If heaven had no songs of its own, a vast number of those of earth would have been taken up by the earthly emigrants. Surely the Christian at death does not lose his memory. Then there must be millions of souls in heaven who know "Coronation," and "Antioch," and "Mount Pisgah," and "Old Hundred," and they can easily learn the "New Song." And the leader of the eternal orchestra need only once tap his baton, and all heaven will be ready for the hallelujah. Cannot the soul sing? How often we compliment some exquisite singer by saying: "There was so much soul in her music." In heaven it will be all soul, until the body after a while comes up in the resurrection, and then there will be an additional heaven. Cannot the soul hear? If it can hear, then it can hear music. Grand old Haydn, sick and worn out, was carried for the last time into the music hall, and there he heard his own oratorio of the "Creation." History says that as the orchestra came to that famous passage, "Let there be light!" the whole audience rose and cheered, and Haydn waved his hand toward heaven, and said: "It comes from there." Overwhelmed with his own music, he was carried out in his chair, and as he came to the door he spread his hand toward the orchestra as in benediction. Haydn was right when he waved his hand toward heaven and said: "It comes from there." Music was born in heaven, and it will ever have its highest throne in heaven; and I want you to understand that our departed friends who were passionately fond of music here, are now at the headquarters of harmony. I think that the grand old tunes that died when your grandfathers died, have gone with them to heaven. SWEET SABBATH SONG. When the redeemed of the Lord shall come to Zion, then let all the harpers take down their harps, and all the trumpeters take down their trumpets, and all across heaven let there be chorus of morning stars, chorus of white-robed victors, chorus of martyrs from under the throne, chorus of ages, chorus of worlds, and let there be but one song sung, and but one name spoken, and but one throne honoredthat of Jesus only. What doxologies of all nations! Cornet to cornet, cymbal to cymbal, harp to harp, organ to organ! Pull out the tremulant stop to recall the suffering past! Pull out the trumpet stop to celebrate the victory! O song louder than the surf-beat of many waters, yet soft as the whisper of cherubim! [Then shall be heard the great anthem of the ages, rolling out and rolling on, in tones "loud, as of numbers numberless, yet sweet, as of blest spirits uttering joy "—the oratorio of the skies, in full orchestra, swelling the praises of God and the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.-EDITOR.] CHAPTER XXII. Dr. Talmage in Palestine. The following letter from the Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt Talmage was written from the Holy Land to Dr. H. A. Tucker, President of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Tabernacle: HOTEL VICTORIA, DAMAS (SYRIE), To the Officers and Congregation of the Brooklyn Tabernacle: DEAR FRIENDS: I greet you from this distant land. I have accomplished what I came for. Our journey in Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Palestine is completed. We have been blessed and prospered at every step. I will bring home with me for our new church a stone from the Jordan to be sculptured into a baptismal font, and for the corner-stone of our church a stone from Mount Calvary (I rolled it from the Hill Golgotha, or Place of a Skull, with my own hand); and a stone from Mount Sinai. These two will preach the Law and the Gospel from our church wall long after our lips have ceased to preach. The stone from Mount Calvary will of course be put on top of the one from Mount Sinai. I bring also from Mars Hill, Athens, where Paul preached, a stone for a pulpit table. On the way to the Jordan we met an American who expressed the wish to be baptized by immersion in that sacred river. So, with a number of people from different countries standing on the bank and singing the old hymn, “On Jordan's stormy banks I stand," and after I had read of the baptism of old in the river, the candidate and myself waded into the swift stream, and the ordinance was more solemn and suggestive than I can describe. From Damascus we start homeward. We will (D. V.) sail from Liverpool January 22, Wednesday, and arrive home the following Wednesday, and I expect to preach to you the first Sabbath in February.* Asking for a continuance of your prayers in our behalf, I em your pastor, T. DEWITT TALMAGE. On his way from Damascus, Dr. Talmage was honored with receptions by the American Ministers in Constantinople and Paris. * Dr. Talmage took the S. S. Aurania from Liverpool on Saturday, January 25, and arrived in New York on Monday, February 3. A public reception was given to him on Thursday, February 6, at the Armory of the 13th regiment, Brooklyn. |