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i2X

KitiM^imssm^jm

GLIMPSES OF GLORY;

OR,

INCENTIVES TO HOLY LIVING.

'1^

•z^

AN ANTIDOTE TO WEARINESS IN WELL-DOING, AND

COMBORT FOR THE AFFLICTED AND

BEREAVED.

EDITED BY ZETHAR.

' Faith, Hope, and Love were questioned what they thought
Of future glory, which religioii taught.
Now, Faith believed it firmly to be true ;
And Hope expected so to fintl it too ;
Love ansvc;red, smiling with a conscious glow,
' Helieve I expect I ! I know it to be so.' "

TORONTO:
WIIvKIAM EBRIGOS,

WESLEY UUILDINGS.

Montreal: C. W. COATES. Halifax: S. F. HQESTIS.

Entered according to ihc Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one
t housand eight hundred and ninety , by Richard Stkaciian, i caford,
at the Department of Agriculture.

CONTENTS,

Heavenly Aspirations. Editor

I Shall bcj Satisfied. Anon.

The Soul a Yearning for Home E. T. Bkichwell, M

Heavenly Meditation a Duty. F.W.Robertson

"Seeing as in a glass." Editor

The Interior Sight. Chriatian Advocate -

The Spirit's Insight. Editor - - . .

The Transforming Gaze. Rev. O. A. Page

Beyond. Emily J. Bugbee - ■ . ,

Living in the Beyond. Christian Advocate

The Unseen Land. I^ancy A. W. Priest

A View from Promise Ground. Guide to Holinesa

Foretaste of Heaven. Francis Atterbury

Foretaste and Consummation. Thomas ^Seeker

The Great Hereafter. Otivay Jurry, Esq.

A Glance at the Future. P, P. Daley .

Looking over Jordan. Christian Advocate

Glimpses of Heaven. Inter -Ocean -

The Veil of the Unseen. Rev. Thos. Whitehead

The Future State. Rev. John Gilmour

Faith Changed to Sight. J. Oio<n -

Joy and Gladness. St. Augustine -

The Soul's Soliloquy. Richard Baxter

It is Well. Chambers' Journal

The Negative Glory of Heaven. Anon.

The Land Afar Off. Chambers' Journal

The Happiness of Heaven. Guide to Holiness

What is Heaven ? Truth

" I Shall be Satisfied." Rev. J. C. Seymour

9
13
14
17
18
19
21
22
23
24
26
27
28
29
29
31

CONTENTS.

Heaven's Rewards.
Emblems of Heaven.

««

((

Only a Little Space.
What is in Heaven ?

Truth

Guide to Holiness

H. J. Van Dyke, D.D. -

Dr. Beaumont

Rev. ThoH. Guthrie . . . .

R. Evans

Richard RoUe

Heaven a Place of Activity. Dr. Lyman Beecher -

What is Heaven Like ? Illustrated Visitor . . . .

Heaven all that can be Desired. Bowles

What must the Right Side be ? Anon.

Where is the Spirit's Home ? Emile Pickhardt

Where is Heaven ? Mrs. Phoibe Palmer - - - -

" *« Barton

It May be Very Near. Methodist Recorder . . . .
In the T^'dnkling of an Eye. Recreations of a Country Parson

Reasonable Conjectures. Editor

Heaven is Nearer. Methodist Recorder

What Matter.'-: it ? /. Edgar Jones

Faint Glimpses of Beauty. Mrs. M. E. Page
Which is the Happiest Place ? James Montgomery
Only Waiting for the Summons. /. N. Kanaga

Heavenly Glory. Dr. Dwight

" " Horatius Bonar

Happiness: of the Saints. Robert Leighton . . . .

Happy Home. Anon

The Mountains of Life. James G. Clark . . . .

Picture of Ravishing Beauty. Bishop R. S. Foster, D.
A Vision of Heaven. Rev. J. B. Finley ■
The Hope of Glory. Rev. F. II. Wheeler
Jerusalem which is Above. Peter Damiani

1 Shall see the King in His Beauty. R. Evans
A Mother's Vision. Rev. John E. Edivards, D.D.
A Father's Vision. Rev. Asa Mahan, D.D.
A Sister's Vision. M. H. T. -
A Believer's Vision. Mrs. M. H. Twogood
A Voice of the Departed. B. -
A Letter of Comfort to a Bereaved Mother Anon.

.D.

PAGE

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49
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51
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54
54
55
56
57
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66
67
68
70
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72
72
73
75
76
77
78
82
83
84
85
88
89
91
97
94

CONTENTS.

Vll

I Have a Homo. Anna Shipton ....

Tho Infant's Dreani. Wm. Millar - . . .
The Children arc Safe. Rev. C. H. Yatman -
Land in vSight. J. W. Paul. .....

A Ghuice at Heaven. Guide to Holiness -

The Lights Along the Shore. Jiev. R. S. Storrs, D.D.

*' KmilyJ. Rmjhee

The New Jerusalem. Horatim Bonar, D.D. -
There's Light Abo«^e us. Truth - - . .
Ministering Spirits. John Banyan
A Beulah Song India Wedeyan Watchman -

The Other Side. Anon.

A Glimpse Aeross the Stre- Louisville Journal
The Soul Set Free. St. Augtistine - - . .
Heaven at Last. Rev. H. Bouar, D.D. -
My Home Above. - . ....

A View from Beulah Land. Edward Paysou, D.D.
We Shall see Him. U. L. //astimjs - -

The Beatific Vision. 3Irs. Buhner - - . .
They shall see God. Rev. Henry Burton
(Glorious Culminations. R. S. Foster, D.D. -

The Fulness of Joy. Editor

The Paradise of God. G. Wesley ....

PAUK

97
98
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137

GLIMPSES OF GLORY.

HE A VENL Y ASP IRA TIONS,

*' My thoughts, like palms in exile,
Stretch up to look and pray
For a glimpse of that dear country,
Thac seeing so far away."

NE of the most striking and influential
peculiarities by which man is distin-
guished from all other creatures on earth
is the innate desire for further attain-
ments which dwells in his bosom.

When conjoined with the love of the pure and the
beautiful, and especially with the " hope of priory " in
the heart of the child of God, this active principle
produces intense longings for "glory, honor and immor-
tality." As the needle of a compass trembles till it
stands at the north, as rivers flow to the ocean, as fire
mounts upward towards the sun,

*' So a soul that's born of God

Pants to view His glorious face,
Upward tends to His abode
To rest in His embrace."

The Bible acknowledges this principle within us by

IlKAVENLY ASIMUATIOXS.

its references to the thinfjs which God has prepared
for His people, and hy the precious proinises wliich it
contains. As a jeweller Hashes a diamond before the
eyes of a beholder to show its brilliant lij::!fhts and
sparkling qualities, so do tlie promises Hash out before
the eye of faith the glories of heaven in such glimpses
as serve to incite our desires for fuller knowledge and
greater attainments, and to nerve us to seek it with
all the earnestness of a man searching for goodly pearls.
The promises, and other references of the BiHble, regard-
ing the glorious inheritance of the saints are evidently
designed to incite us to constant endeavor to giorify
God, and to animate our hearts with courage.

"As when the weary traveller gahis

The height of some o'erh)oking hill,
His heart revives if o'er the plain

He views his home, though distant still.
So, when the Christian pilgrim views

By faith his mansion in the skies,
The sight his fainting soul renews,

And wings his speed to reach the prize."

The Bible thus affords us the joy of present bless-
ings, and the hope of greater in reserve for us in hea-
ven. It incites those longings which we all have at
times, in which we desire more light, and all the infor-
mation that we can reasonably gain of the unseen
world. It makes our longing souls fervently cry :

" Oh, for a nearer insight into heaven —

More knowledge of the glory and the joy
Which there unto the happy souls is given —
Their intercourse, their worship, their employ."

HEAVENLY ASPI RATIONS.

Let no ono rudely answer this cry of the heart, for
it gets its inspiration in the Word of God ; and its in-
fluence is animating and ennobling. Oh, with what
heavenly pleasure it thrills the soul to think that God
never implanted this longing in the hearts of His
children without providing for them the desired and
promised good. " He satisfieth the longing soul and
flUeth the hungry soul with goodness." Men of the
world have their portion ia this life, and seek the
gratification of this inborn principle therein. They
look no higher than the grovelling pursuits of earth.
They are enslaved by their love for such, and become
sensual and earthly, and seek but never find satisfac-
tion. The things of earth necessarily require our
attention, but should not engross it, far less take up
our aflfections. We shall find them disappointing if
we do.

" 'Tis vain to seek a heaven beljw the skies,
The world has false, but glittering charms ;

Its distant joys seem big in our esteem.
But lessen still as they draw near the eye ;
In our embrace the vision dies ; we grasp

But airy forms, and lose the pleasing dream."

'* Oh ! be a nobler portion mine." Risen ^th Christ,
we seek the things above as a necessary consequence
of the great change wrought within us. God has con-
ferred upon us the high honor of sonship, and desires
us to seek objects truly worthy of our ambition. He
sets before us a glory which is eternal, and urges us to
seek it. What a pity it is that we do not realize this

HEAVENLY ASPIRATIONS.

more than we do ! Oh, that we could more fully close
our eyes And ears, and the avenues of our affections, to
earthly scenes and things ! Oh, that we were more
spiritually minded, that we might form a better idea
of the glor awaiting us. Let us lift up our eye?, to
that fair heritage, and behold what a noble portion is
ours. Let us consider :ts adaptation to the wants of
our immortal spirits, and fix the aim of our p./nbition on
nothing less than that eternal and fully satisfying por-
tion whicn we have in God. " The Lord is my portion,
saith my soul, therefore will I hope in Him." Reject-
ing all other portions, the child of God seeks and finds
the unutterable bliss of having God as his portion, and
exclaims: "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and
there is none on earth that I desire besides Thee."
" As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness,
I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness."
" Though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." "Arise ye,
and depart, for this is not your rest." Heaven is our
home.

— Editor.

I SHALL BE SATISFIED.

/ SHALL BE SATISFIED.

Not here ! not here ! not where the sparkling waters
Fade into mocking sands as we draw near ;

Where in the wilderness each footstep falters- -
I shall be satisfied — but oh ! not here.

Not here ! where every dream of bliss deceives us,
Where the worn spirit never gains it goal ;

Where, haunted ever by the thoughts that grieve us.
Across us floods of bitter memories roll.

There is a land where every pulse is thrilling
With rapture earth's sojourner may not know ;

Where heaven's repose the weary heart is stilling,
And peacefully life's time-tossed currents flow.

Far out of sight while yet the flesh infolds us
Lies the fair country where our hearts abide ;

And of its bliss is naught more wondrous told us
Than these few words, " I shall be satisfied."

Satisfied ! satisfied ! the spirit's yearning
For sweet companionship with kindred minds —

The silent love that here meets no returning—
The inspiration which no language finds.

Shall they be satisfied ? the soul's vague longings —
The aching void which nothing earthly fills ?

Oh, what desires upon my soul are thronging,
As I look upward to the heavemy hills !

THE SOULS YEARNINGS FOR HOME.

Thither my weak and weary steps are tendin^^ —
Saviour ami Lord ! with Thy frail child abide ;

Guide toward home, where all my wanderings ending,
I then shall see Thee, and be " satisfied."

— Anon.

THE SOULS YEARNINGS FOR HOME.

The house of our earthly pilgrim-, ge, which in
youth we carry so easily, and which we think we
would never wish to lay aside, as age, infirmities, and
disease associate with it, becomes a much less desir-
able residence for the soul, especially for that of the
believer, who is looking with desires more or less ardent
"to be clothed upon with our house which is from
heaven." The soul appears sometimes to chafe with its
earthly environments, and to long to be away to the
place prepared for the waiting disciple. Sometimes
the longing is expressed in such moving language and
with such poetical force that we sympathize with the
ardent writer, and hang with pleasure upon the num-
bers which syllable his earnest faith and fervid desire.
I have been struck while reading the " Prison Song "
of F. B., P.,* with its exquisite beauty and with its
truthfulness to the vision which John saw, " the Holy
Cit , the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of leaven." The full text contrasts with great force

*The letters F. B., P., are supposed to represent Francis Baker,
Priest.— NuTTEii, "Hymn Studies."

THE SOULS YEARNINGS FOR HOME.

and beauty a soul's earthly experience with its ideal
as imagined in "the eye of faith." The first five,
with the seventh, the first being repeated as the clos-
ing one, would, in the writer's view, constitute a hymn
almost unrivalled in this class of sacred poetry.

Jerusalem, my happy home.

When shall I come to thee ?
When shall my sorrows have an end,

Thy joys when shall I see ?

Oh, happy harbor of the saints !

Oh, sweet and pleasant soil !
In thee no sorrow may be found,

No grief, no care, no toil.

r
I

Thore lust and lucre cannot dwell.
There envy bears no sway ;

There is no hunger, heat, nor cold,
But pleasure every way.

Thy walls are made of precious stones,
Thy bulwarks diamonds squares ;

Thy gates are of bright orient pearl
Exceeding rich and rare.

Thy turrets and thy pinnacles
With carbuncles do shine ;

Thy very streets are paved with gold
Surpassing clear and fine.

16 THE soul's yearnings FOR HOME.

Oh, my sweet home, Jerusalem,

Would God I were in thee !
Would God my woes were at an end,

Thy joys that I might see !

Thy saints are crowned with glory great ;

They see God face to face ;
They triumph still, they still rejoice,

Most happy is their case.

We that are here in banishment

Continually do moan,
We sigh, and sob, and weep, and wail,

Perpetually we groan.

Our sweet is mixed with bitter gall.

Our pleasure is but pain.
Oar joys scarce last the looking on.

Our sorrows still remain.

But there they live in such delight.
Such pleasure, and such play.

As that to them a thousand years
Doth seem as yesterday.

Thy gardens and thy gallant walks

Continually are green,
There grow such sweet and pleasant flowers,

As nowhere else are seen.

Quite through the street with silver sound
The flood of life doth flow ;

HEAVENLY MEDITATION A DUTY.

Upon whose banks on every side,
T.he v/ood of life doth grow.

There trees for evermore bear fruit,

And evermore do sprng;
There evermore do angels sit,

And evermore do sing.

Jerusalem, my happy home,
Would God I were in thee !

Would God my woes were at an end,
Thy joys that I might see.

— Dr. Blackwell.

HE A VENL V MED IT A TION A DUTY.

It is a Christian duty to dwell much more on the
thought of future blessedness than most men do. It
is our privilege, if we are on our way to God, to keep
steadily before us the thought of home. Make it a
matter of habit ; force yourself at night, alone, in the
midst of the world's bright sight, to pause to think of
the heaven which is yours. Let it calm you and
ennoble you, and give you cheerfulness to endure.

If we would become heavenly-minded, we must let
the imagination realize the blessedness to which we
are movingr on. Let us think much of rest — the rest
which is not of indolence, but of powers in perfect
equilibrium. The rest which is deep as summer mid-
night, yet full of life and force as summer sunshine,

"SEEING AS IN A GLASS.

the sabbatli of eternity. Let ns think of the love of

God, which we shall feel in its full tide upon our souls.

Let us think of that marvellous career of sublime

occupation which shall belong to the spirits of the

just made perfect ; when we shall fill a higher place in

God's universe, and more consciously, and with more

distinct insight, co-operate with God in the rule over

His creation.

— F. W. Robertson.

''SEEING AS IN A GLASS."

I PRAISE Thee, God, for the promise of rest.
Of glory, and joy in the home oi: the blest ;
The heaven to which my freed spirit will soar.
Where sin, doubt, and fear can afflict me no more.

When wearied with toil how refreshing the view.
Thy promises give of a rest that is true.
Of rest in Thy love when my life's work is done —
When the goal is reached, and the prize has been won.

When grief clouds grow dark, and my heart is opprest,
I read in Thy word of the home of the blest ;
Where sorrow, affliction, and conflicts are o'er,
Forever with Thee ! I shall feel them no more.

Thy Word is my guide to Thy glory and rest.

It comforts my soul, and brings peace to my breast ;

THE INTERIOR SIGHT.

I have by its aid been enabled to see

The ^lory and bliss Thou hast laid up for nie.

How precious the view ! and, although but a gleaui,
It often makes earth like a paradise seem;
It brightens my path with a heavenly light ;
And living by faith, seems like walking by sight.

This is no fable, but a truth most sublime.
It nerves me for toil, and prepares for the time
When hope ends in bliss, and faith closes in sight,
And glimpses are lost in the fulness of light.

— Editor. .

THE INTERIOR SIGHT

It is said that one of the martyrs, while the fires
were being kindled about his person, promised to raise
his hands in token of final victory if he found Divine
grace fully sustaining him in the last trying ordeal. In
that awful moment, when his sufferings must have been
so excruciating, when the quivering fiesh was fast dis-
appearing from every finger, he lifted his hands on
high in the ecstasy of holy triumph. That was super-
human strength ; that was only the repetition of the
experience of Stephen, the first martyr, who, " Being
full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into hea-
ven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at
the right hand of God, and said : Beholo, I see the

THE INTERIOR SIOTIT.

heavens opened, and the Son of man standing? on the
right hand of (iod."

Superhuman power, vsuch as we find in the souls of
the martyrs, is given only to those who possess the
interior spiritual sight. Here do we find the soul's
greatest capacity ; greatest, because this is capable of
revealing the deepest essential truths. This eye with-
in, quickened in its visual energy by the fulness of
the Holy Ghost, is neither slow in its action nor
limited in its field of observation. In that solemn
moment when the soul is about to leave its earthly
tenement, and soar away to its heavenly home, all
truth lies open before it. Illimitable expanse is now
its portion. Whatever the interior sight reveals to us
in such an hour will be associated with the one infinite
name — Jesus. This gives us strength. The fagot and
the flame, the rude missiles of death and the scorn of
an infuriated mob, are as nothing then. Oh, what a
revelation when the Son of man stands forth at the
right hand of God in our behalf !

Isaiah had this interior sight, and cried, " Behold,
God is my salvation ; I will trust and not be afraid,
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song."
Zachariah also saw, and shouted aloud, " Rejoice greatly
O daughter of Zion ; behold thy King cometh." John
the Baptist " seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world." The mighty Lord, the Creator of all flesh,
calls upon His redeemed universe, " Look unto Me, and
be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."

— Christian Advocate.

THE SPIRITS INSIGHT.

"A soul inspired with the warmest aspirations after celestial
beatitudes keeps its powers attentive." — Watts.

Oft as I think about the home above,

Where Jesus ha>i prepared a place for me,

I fain would have the power to pierce the cloud

Which drapes the narrow vale 'twixt earth and heaven

That I mijrht see the glory of the place

Prepared for me as my abiding home.

But I must die ere I can see, and know, >

All I desire of that celestial state.

Yet, with the earnest of its hallowed bliss

Within my heart, how near it seems to be,

Though still to mortal eyes the while unseen.

Here, by the spirit's insight I can catch

Some pleasant glimpses of that glorious place ;

And, though I view as through a darkened glass,

It animates my hope, and helps my soul

To drink the spirit of that blest abode.

I seem to hear its sacred melodies.

And take a part in heaven's pure delight,

Till, filled with rapture, I press on to reach

That heavenly goal. I long to enter there

And mingle with its blood-washed company,

With them to see and praise our blessed Lord.

There, when I gain that beatific sight.

And am transformed before my Saviour's face,

I shall drink in full draughts of endless bliss

And shall for evermore be satisfied.

— Editor.

llM

THE TUANSFOUMING GAZE.

THE TRANSFORMING GAZE.

If Christ, as an object of faith, viewed throui^h the
medium of His Gospel, exerts such a transform in jij
iniiuence now, what will be the effect of clear, full,
and open vision ? Let the beloved John reply : " We
know that, when He shall appear, wo shall be like
Him ; for we shall see Him as He is." The vision of
Christ in His glory will transform us into His own
image. When faith gives place to sight, the assimilat-
ing influence will be more powerful. Dwelling in the
presence of Christ, we must partake more of His
nature.

We know something of how the law of association
operates here. The companionship of those whom we
admire and love has a wonderful, transforming power
upon us now ; and could we always live with some
pre-eminent saint, who was a perfect model of all that
was good, it would tend greatly to reproduce in us his
graces and virtues. Good Mr. Simeon had Henry
Martyn's picture hung over his fireplace. Looking at
it, he would say : " There, see that blessed man !
What an expression of countenance ! No one looks at
me as he does. He never takes his eyes off, and seems
to say, * Be serious ! Be earnest ! Don't trifle ! ' "
Then smiling at the picture, and gently bowing, he
would add, " And I won't trifle."

Perhaps some may think that was making too much
of a good man's picture. But if the portrait of the

BEYOND.

holy and devoted Martyn could produce such an ctt'ect
as that, what will be the result of dwelling constantly
in the presence of our glorified Saviour ? What
assimilating influence will that have ? In Him is all
perfection, and that, too, in an infinite degree. Hero
we have moral beauty and glory without a marring
blemish or a dimming shade. The more closely we
study the model the more we are enamored of its per-
fection, and the more we shall feel its transforming
power ; and the effect will be increased by the fact
that the perfect One in whose presence we dwell, and
on whose glory we gaze, is He whom, above all other
beings in the universe, we adore and love.

— Rev. G. a. Padk.

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BE YOND.

Oh ! depths unknown,

Oh ! wide unfathomed seas,
That circle round His throne.
Who dwellest high and lone.
Where noise and tumult cease.
In the eternal peace.

Insatiate, unrepressed,
Our longings still arise.

Our weariness confessed,

Far reaching after rest.
Where the full ocean lies
Beyond the veiling skies.

I'/

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LIVING IN THE BEYOND.

llow scant the store

Of knowledge gathered here ;
Small pcbble.s on the shore,
The .«oul cries out ior more.
Doth God bend down His ear,
Our longing cry to hear ?

Nearer to Thee,

Great source of life and light,
The child upon our knee,
From pride and doubting frop,

Than man, from boasted height

Of intellectual might.

— Emily J. liuGJiEE.

LI VING IN THE BE YOND.

This is practical religion. The true Christian enjoys
the blood-bought privilege of filling his soul with the
hope of future felicity. To encourage us in the path
of toil, or to strengthen us in the fiery furnace of
affliction, God has opened to the eye of faith the golden
streets of the Celestial City. Far from disturbing
those relations that rightly belong to the present state
of existence, these blessed glimpses serve to prepare us
more fully for our life-work.

Do not suppress these aspirations ; only let us see
to it that they are supported by a living, intelligent
faith. Rev. John Wesley, in his day, was confronted

i^IVINQ IN THE UKYOND.

with that form of error which claimed a certain
unselHshrK ss in Christ's service, disdaininj^ to accept a
reli<(ion t nt has in it the sweetness of heavenly antici-
pations. The consequences that follow such teachincj
are always harmful. The Christian should even " look
for a city " beyond the rann;e of mortal vision. Moses
"had respect unto the recompense of the saved."
David in his saintliest years lived much in the beyond ;
millions since his day have delighted in his rich,
heavenly melodies. His " city of the living God," was
not only Jerusalem, not only the spiritual Church on
earth ; it was the Eternal City as well. Around this
his thoughts gathered, toward this his soul aspired —
oftentimes in prophetic minstrelsy touched by the
Spirit of God, and, therefore, in depth of meaning
beyond his perfect comprehension.

The world will never outjrrow the need of the
heavenly vision. While yet in the thickest conflict of
life, or " passing through the fires " of affliction, let us
cast a frequent glance toward the beyond. It is God's
will that we should sing in every condition :

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*'0 sweet and blessed countiy,
The home of God's elect ;
O sweet and blessed country,

That eager hearts expect !
Jesus, in mercy bring us

To that dear land of rest ;
Who art, with God tlie Father,
And Spirit, ever blest."

— Christian Advocate.

.i|

THE UNSEEN LAND.

Beyond these chilling winds and gloomy skies,
Seyond 'leatli's cloudy portal,

There is a land where beauty never dies,
And love becomes immortal.

We may not know how sweet its balmy air.
How bright and fair its flowers ;

We may not hoar the songs which echo tliero,
Throuixh those enchanted bowers.

The city's shininj^j towers we may not see
With our dim, earthly vision ;

For death, the silent warder, keeps the key
That opes these gates elysian.

But sometimes, when adown the western sky.

The fiery sunset lingers,
Its golden gates swing inward noiselessly.

Unlocked by unseen fingers ;

And while they stand a moment half-ajar,
Gleams from the inner glory

Stream brightly through the azure vault afar,
And half -reveal the story.

1^ «u

A VIEW FROM PROMISE GROUND.

land unknown ! O land of love divine !

Father, all-wise, eternal,
Guide, guide these wandering way-worn feet of mine

Into those pastures vernal.

— Nancy A. W. Piiiest.

A VIEW FROM PROMISE GROUND.

I LOVE to walk through promise ground.

What glorious light ! The whole land glows

With heavenly radiance. . . .

I love to gaze afar, where stand

The mountains, hiding e'en their heads

In clouds of mystery ; for though

My mortal vision cannot view

Their summits, 'tis enough to see

God's glory in the clouds, and to

Adore the Infinite. And there

Are nearer joys. Exultant now,

I pluck and taste delicious fruits

Of precious promise verified

To me ; while, to my brow, there came

Sweet-scented breezes from the bloom

Of promise gardens that shall yet

Be mine. My loving Guide now points

Away, where in the distance far —

A line of light unrivalled bounds

My sight ; and, in soft cadence, says,

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28 FORETASTi; OF HEAVEN„

" Mid the perennial blooms of that

Fair, blissful, boundless land shall be

Thy home." Again I glance o'er all

The landscape. There my every sense

Is pleased ; I ask no higher bliss.

Than, fixed upon this rocky cliff,

To spend my days.

— Guide to Holiness.

FORETASTE OF HE A VEN.

If we really live under the hope of future happiness,
we shall taste it by way of anticipation and fore-
thought; an image of it will meet our minds often,
and stay there, as all pleasing expectations do.

— Francis Atterbury.

A TRUE saint every day takes a turn in heaven, his
thoughts and desires are like cherubims flying up to
paradise.

— Thomas Watson.

We want to lift the mind up, so that we may get a
conception of the possibilities and character higher
than w^e have found them in this world, and we are to
get it by setting our aflections on things above.

— H. W. Beeoher.

THE GREAT HEREAFTER.

FORETASTE AND CONSUMMATION.

If there be so much delight in believing, oh, how
much more in beholding ? What is the wooing-day to
the wedding-day ? What is the sealing of the convey-
ance \>o the enjoyment of the inheritance ? or the fore-
taste of glory to the fulness of glory? The good
things of that life are so great, as not to be measured ;
so many, as not to be enumerated ; ti,nd so precious, as
not to be estimated. If the picture of holiness be so
comely in its rough drafts, how lovely a piece will it
be in all its perfections ? Every grace which is here
seen in its minority, shall be seen there in it maturity.

— Thomas Seeker.

THE GREAT HEREAFTER.

i <

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[The following poem was always a favorite with Bishop D. W.
Clark, and in his dying hours was repeated by him ; quickening
his faith and inspiring his h-^; e of heaven.]

'Tis sweet to think, when struggling

The goal of life to win,
That just beyond the shores of time

The better years begin.

When through the nameless ages

I cast my longing eyes.
Before me, like a boundless sea,

The Great Hereafter lies.

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30 THE GREAT HEREAFTER.

Along its brimming bosom

Perpetual summer smiles,
And gathers like a golden robe

Around the emerald isles.

There, in the blue, long distance,

By lulling breezes fanned,
I seem to see the flowering groves

Of the old Beulah land.

And far beyond the islands.
That gem the waves serene,

The image of the cloudless shore
Of holy heaven is seen.

Unto the Great Hereafter—
Aforetime dim and dark —

I freely now and gladly give
Of life the wand'ring bark.

And in the far-off* haven,

When shadowy seas are passed,

By angel hands its quivering sails
Shall all be furled at last.

— Otway Curry, Esq.

.-aTanrwa

A GLANCE AT THE FUTirilE.

A GLANCE A T THE FUTURE.

I FIND it exceedingly profitable to turn my mind
and heart forward to the future, to the great future,
which will soon be to us an everlasting 'present. If
the past, and present, be so precious to us, the future
must be more so. As much must it exceed them as
does the end attained exceed the means used. If cur
hearts glow with gratitude to God for what He has
done for us already, what will it be when faith is lost
in sight ? Those fadeless crowns which now seem so
distant, and to which we look forward with much
apprehension, lest Satan should, after all, wrest them
from us, will then be fitted to our brows. We shall
then embrace that Saviour in whom we have believed,
and in him find full and perfect rest. O the future !
The blood-bought inheritance of the saints ! How
should its hopes and prospects stimulate our hearts,
filling them with love and gratitude and holy desire.
My poor weak heart needs to feed daily upon this
heavenly manna. Often I send it journeying heaven-
ward; faith leads the way, up through the golden
portals, across the heavenly plain, down beside the
river of the water of life, and underneath the tree of
life — where I am wont to gather strength for the cares
and duties of the day. The rapturous songs of praise
which in that blest clime fill every heart and ennloy
every harp and tongue, leave upon my soul such an

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LOOKING OVER JORDAN.

impress of praise and thanksgiving^ that no earthly

influence can erase.

—P. P. Daley.

LOOKING OVER JORDAN.

As the pastor passed the door of one of his humble
church-members in his daily walks, it was not unusual
for him to receive some cheering word. She lived
near to her Saviour, and she was always alive to
spiritual things. One day as her pastor was passing
she hastened to raise the window, and to his inquiry,
" How are you to-day, auntie ? " she replied, " Oh, look-
ing over Jordan." By faith she could explore the
sweet fields beyond. She had foretastes of the precious
fruits. She drank of the pure river of the water of
life. And such is the privilege of all the children of
God, but one of which, alas ! too few avail themselves.
To most the heavenly Canaan is a dim and shadowy
land, far away. And so, great is their loss. It might
be their blessed experience, as it was of this poor
woman, " rich in faith," that

"The hill of Zion yields

A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets."

GLIMPSES OF HEAVEN.

GLIMPSES OF HE A VEN

Sometimes when the days are dreary,
And the heart's aweary,
A strain of music sweet

Seems to float us to heaven afar,
Where the angels that us greet
The dear longed-for loved ones are.

Sometimes when the days are dreary,
And the heart's aweary,

The distant church-bells pealing

Call our spirits from earth away,
Till at the feet of Jesus kneelinoj
We find the rest for which we pray.

Sometimes when the days are dreary.
And the heart's aweary,

Thoughts of a smile, a clasp of the hand,

Help us the stony path along,
To that far-off happy land,
Where we'll find eternal soncr.

My heart's aweary,
The days are dreary ;

God grant the day'll soon come

When life's battle o'er for me,
Forgiven, God, for Thy dear Son,
And I at rest shall be.

— Chicaco Intbe-Ocean.

.»

f.,

TITE VEIL OF THE UNSEEN,

THE VEIL OF THE UNSEEN.

This world T deem Imfc a beautiful dream
Of shadows that are not what they seem ;
Where visions rise, givinj^ dim surmise
Of that which shall meet our waking eyes.

Arm of the Lord ! Creating Word !
Whose glory the silent skies record,
Where stands Thy name in scrolls of flame,
'Neath the firmament's high-shadowing frame.

I gaze overhead, where Thy hand hath spread

For the waters of heaven their crystal bed ;

And stored the dew in its deeps ot* blue.

Which the fires of the sun come tempered through.

Soft they shine through that pure shrine,
As beneath the veil of Thy flesh divine
Shines forth the liijfht that were else too brisfht

For the feebleness of a sinner's sight.

I gaze aloof on the tissued roof,
Where time and space are the warp and woof,
Which the Kinoj of kinoes as a curtain flintjs
O'er the dreadfulness of eternal things.

A tapestried tent, to shade us meant

From the bare, everlasting firmament ;

Where the glow of the skies comes soft to our eyes,

'Neath a veil of mystical imageries.

—Rev. Thos. Whitehead.

THE FUTURE STATE.

IJ5

THE FUTURE STATE.

It is a graphic description of man's present state,
that " he never is, but always to he bhisscd ; he is made
for the future, he lives in the future, he " is saved by
hope." He who can look on the future with hope has
already tinged his night of sorrow with a ray of the
morning, and expects soon to emerge into the light of
day. Under the influence of Christianity hope puoses
beyond the limits of time, and expatiates on the future
of eternity. There it finds its legitimate range,
moves amidst elements of purity, blessedness, and
glory ; it rises above the disappointments of time and
rests on the certitudes of immortality. Life, as well
as immortality, is brought to light by the Gospel, and
there good hope through grace is entertained.

The certainty of the future is something, and makes
the nature of that future become matter of earnest
inquiry and of greater importance than the future
simply considered ; that I am to be, when I have left
this world, is one thing, but what I am to be is another.
Now, though the future, even of the Christian, is
veiled to some extent, perhaps as Tr.uch from his own
incapacity as any stint of revelation on the subject,
yet enough is made known to awaken inquiry, inspire
hope, and greatly modify conduct ; for though it doth
not yet appear what he shall be, when Christ shall
appear he shall be like Him ; and he who hath this
hope, purifieth himself even as He is pure. . . .

The Spirituality, Responsibility and Immortality of

THE FUTURE STATE.

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man are ultimate facts of his nature — moral impressions
into wliich he does not so much reason liimself as believe
that they are so. On these moral instincts of our nature
revelation has thrown a flood of light, and made them
shine in noontide ray. The hope of the future, of
which the Scriptures speak, seldom touches the present
period of our existence ; it dwells amid the visions of
immortality, it means more than is often thought;
" Hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth,
why doth he yet hope fQr ; " but it expatiates over
that future which commences at death, and extends,
at least, to the redemption of the body, and then
careers over that (jndless life which ensues. . . .

A blink of the sun in a cloudy day has its own value,
besides what it promises. Those vapors which now
shroud his beams, and hide his face, will soon dissipate.
Creation must not parade her analogies before us in
vain. We are now performing the first stage of our
spiritual history, amidst clouds of ignorance, sin, and
grief; yet relieved by many a blink from the Sun of
Righteousness ; but instead of being too much pleased
with such occasional gleams, we hail their prophetic
character, and hasten to behold the King in His glory
in the land which is now afar off. The inhabitants of
heaven are greatly in advance of us in clearness, of the
religious dispensation at any time existing upon earth.
They knew before they left this earthly scene, that the
spirit of a just man was made perfect; yet how dim
that knowledge compared with that which they now
enjoy in the paradise of light — here they mused on

THE FUTUUE STATE.

Kiidi Hul'jcct.s to wearlsonieness, and after all, saw them
only in dim outline ; there, study does not weary,
reason does not err, affections do not p>dl ; " In God's
]i»rht they see li^jht." They comprehend with all
saints, gain the mastery of essential truth, know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowled(i;e. The will
does not there traverse a narrow round, it pursues its
course among unmixed good, and inclines towards the
intinite glory. The moment of introduction into the
inheritance of the saints in light will be an incon-
ceivable advance in our eternal history; yet it is only
like a spring that clears every impediment — every
influence that can lead astray — an entrance on our
history of celestial development, as one has said, with
great power and beauty : " How heaven has grown
and shall grow, heaven out of heaven, it never appear-
ing what shall be, yet taking a permanent form at
last, and all its blessedness proceed in an infinite series.
What has been, and what is, in comparison with what
shall he, is only as the first bar of light in the Orient,
though the harbinger of day — the most partial unhood-
ing of the bud, though a yielding to the out-pressing
flower — the infant lisp, ere it strengthens into manly
speech — the baby curiosity, ere it settles into scientific
reason, anticipating, nevertheless, its proper elements."

— Rev. John Gilmour.

lit j

JOV AND GLADNESS.

FAITH CHANGED TO SIGHT.

The principal notion which the Scripture f^ivcs of tho
state of heavenly blessedness, and which the meanest
believers are capable of improving in daily practice,
is, that faith shall be turned into sight, and grace into
glory. We walk by faith and not by sight, saith tho
apostle. Wherefore, this is the difl'erence between our
present and future state, that sight hereafter shall
supply the room of faith; and if sight come into the
place of faith, then the object of that sight must bo
ihe same with the present object of our faith. So the
the apostle informs us : " We know in part, and wo
prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is
come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
. . . For now we see through a glass, darkly ;
but then face to face." Those things which we now
see darkly, as in a glass, we shall then have an imme-
diate sight and full comprehension of ; for that which
is perfect must come, and do away that which is in

part.

— J. Owen.

JOY AND GLADNESS.

Malignity and the gall of bitterness have no place in
that kingdom, for there is no wicked one, nor is
wickedness found therein. There is no adversary nor
any deceitfulness of sin. There is no want, no disgrace,

M»

THE SOULS SOLILOQUY.

no wranf^ling, no turmoil, no quarrelling^, no fear, no
disquietude, no punishment, no doubtinpr, no violence,
no discord ; but, oh, what sonj^s of praise ! What
sounds of harmonious instruments ! What music rises
there without end ! There sounds continually the
voice of hymns and pleasant chants, which are sung to
God's glory by the heavenly inhabitaiits. There is the
excellency of peace, the fulness of love, praise eternal
and glory to God, peaceful rest without end, and ever-
lasting joy in the Holy Spirit.

— St. Augustine.

THE SOULS SOLILOQUY.

YoNDKii is thy Father's glory; yonder, O my soul,
n<ust thou remove, when thou departest from this
body ; and when the power of thy Lord hath raised it
again, and joined thee to it, yonder must thou live
with God forever. There is the glorious New Jerusa-
lem, the gates of pearl, the foundation of pearl, the
streets and pavements of transparent gold. That sun
which lighteth all this world will be useless there;
even thyself shall be as bright as yonder shining sun.
God wull be the sun, and Christ the light, and in His
light shalt thou have liufht. . . .

Draw yefc nearer, O my soul, with thy miost fervent
love. Here is matter for it to work upon, something
worth thy loving. Oh, see what beauty presents itself !
Is not all the beauty in the world united here ? Is

•i"

THE SOUL S SOLILOQUY.

not all other beauty but deformity ? Dost thou now
neod to be persuaded to love ? Here is a feast for thine
eyes and all the powers of thy soul ; dost thou need
entreaties to feed upon it ? Canst thou love a little
shining earth, a walking piece of clay ? And canst
thou not love that God, that Christ, that glory, which
are so truly and unmeasurably lovely ? Thou canst
love thy friend because he loves thee ; and is the love
of a friend like the love of Christ ? Their weeping or
bleeding for thee does not ease thee, not stay the
course of thy tears or blood ; but the tears and blood
that fell from thy Lord have a sovereign, healing
virtue. O my soul ! If love deserves and should beget
love, what, incomprehensible love is here before thee !
Pour out all the store of thy affections here, and all is
too little. Oh, that it were more 1 Oh, that it were
many thousand times more ! Let him be first served
that served thee first. Let him have the first-born
and strength of thy soul, who parted with strongth
and life and love for thee.

my soul ! dost thou love for excellency 1 Yonder
is the region of light ; this is the land of darkness.
Yonder twinkling stars, that shining moon and radiant
sun, are all but lanterns hung out of thy Father's
hou.se to light thee while thou walkest in this dark
world. But how little dost thou know the glory and
blessedness that are within.

Dost thou love for suitahleness ? What person more
suitable than Christ — His Godhead and humanity, His
filings und freeness, His willingness and constancy.

IT IS WELL.

all proclaim Him thy most suitable friend. What
state more suitable to thy misery than mercy, or to
thy sin and pollution than honor and perfection ?
What place more suitable to thee than heaven ? Does
this world agree with thy desires ? Hast thou not
had a sufficient trial of it, or dost thou love for inter-
est and near relation ? Where hast thou better interest
than in heaven, or nearer relation than there ?

Dost thou love for acquaintance and familiarity ?
Though thine eyes have never seen thy Lord, yet thou
hast heard His voice, received His benefits, and lived
in His bosom. . . . Methinks 1 hear Him still say-
ins: to me :...." What wouldest thou have that
I can give thee ? And what dost thou want that I
can not give thee ? If anything I have will give thee

pleasure, thou shalt have it."

— IIaxter.

< I

IT IS WELL.

Yes, it is well ! The evening shadows lengthen ;

Home's golden gates shine on our ravished sight ;
And though the tender ties we try to strengthen

Break one by one — at evening time 'tis light.

\',i

'Tis well ! The way was often dull and weary ;

The spirit fainted oft beneath its load.
No sunshine came from skies all gray and dreary,

And yet our feet were bound to tread that road.

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IT IS WELL.

'Tis well that not aj^ain our hearts shall shiver
Beneath old sorrows, once so hard to bear ;

That not afxain beside Death's darksome river
Shall we deplore the good, the loved, the fair.

No more with tears, wrought from deep, inner anguish,
Shall we bewail the dear hopes crushed and gone ;

No more need we in doubt or fear to languish ;
So far the day is past, the journey done !

As voyagers, by fierce winds beat and brulr- n,
Come into port, beneath the calmer sky,

So we, still bearing on our brows the token
Of tempest past, draw to our haven nigh.

A sweeter air comes from the shore immortal,
Inviting homeward at the day's decline ;

Almost we see where from the open portal

Fair forms stand beck'ning with their smiles divine.

'Tis well ! The earth with all her myriad voice
Has lost the power our senses to enthral.

We hear, above the tumult and the noises.
Soft tones of music, like an angel's call.

'Tis well, friends ! We would not turn — retracing
The long, vain years, nor call our lost youth back ;

Gladly, with spirits braced, the future facing.
We leave behind the dusty, foot- worn track.

— Chambers' Journal.

TKE NEGATIVE GLORY OF HEAVEN.

THE NEGATIVE GLORY OF HEAVEN.

No sickness there —
No weary wasting of the i'rame away ;

No fearful shrinking from the midnight air,
No dread of summer's bright and fervid ray !

No hidden grief —
No wild and cheerless vision of despair ;

No vain petition for a swift relief —
No tearful eyes, no broken hearts are there.

Care has no home
Within the realm of ceaseless prayer and song ;

Its billows break away and melt in foam,
Far from the mansions of the spirit throng !

The storm's black wing
Is never spread athwart celestial skies !

Its wailings blend not with the voice of spring.
As some too tender floweret fades and dies !

No night distils
Its chilling dews upon the tender frame ;

No moon is needed there ! The light which fills
That land of glory from its Maker came !

No parted friends
O'er mournful recollections have to weep !
No bed of death endurincj love attends
To watch the coming of a pulseless sleep !

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"THE LAND AFAll OFF.

,.i

No blasted flower
Or withered bud celestial gardens know !

No scorching blast or fierce descending shower
Scatters destruction like a ruthless foe !

No battle word
Startles the sacred host with fear and dread !

The song of peace Creation's morning heard
Is runor wherever an^jel minstrels tread !

Let us depart,
If home like this await the weary soul !

Look up, thou stricken one ! Thy wounded heart
Shall bleed no more at sorrow's stern control.

With faith our guide,

White-robed and innocent, to lead the way.

Why fear to plunge in Jordan's rolling tide,

And lind the ocean of eternal day ?

— Anon.

«!:■

" THE LAND AFAR OFF."

A LAND wherein bleak winter doth not reign,

But always summer, sweet unto the core ;
Where broken hearts are knit in love again.

And weary souls shall wander out no more ;

Where bliss is greater for all woe before ;
Where fair flowers blow, without earth's sad decay,

And friendship's happy voices, as of yore —

ill

THE HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN.

But ten-fold dearer — ne'er aj^ain shall say

" Farewell " — but ever, " Welcome to this shore ! "
Or, " Hail, tired pilgrims, to this golden day."
And, "Come, ye blest, to joys which will not pass away!"

A country in whose light our souls shall bask ;

A goodly heritage — where all we sought
Of hope, and love, and every pleasant task

Shall centre gladly — far beyond all thought !

And He, the Lamb — who from all evil bought
His chosen people — shall our eyes behold.

And graciously, as when on earth He taught,
His voice shall speak again — clear, as of old.

But with no ring of sorrow in its tone ;
Glad presence, walking in the streets of gold !

A mighty King, with people all His own !

— Chambers' Journal.

THE HAPPINESS OF HE A VEN.

In heaven no farewell tear is shed, no sigh heaves the
immortal bosom, and the death pang is unknown.
The funeral procession, with its mournful tread, is
never seen ; and there is no open grave to throw its
gloom over the countenances of the living. Its citizens
are all and forever exempt from heart-sickening dis-
appointment, and the pinchings of pitiless poverty.
The heart grieves not under the scornful glances of
contemptuous sinners ; and the hand of persecution
disturbs not the true bliss of God's ransomed ones.

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WHAT IS HEAVEN.

Forever fled are the clouds that darkened the mind's
sky ; and the terrible storm of the mortal conflict is
past ; the war of human passions is over, and eternal
peace reigns. Sin, the great tyrant of misery, is
without throne or sceptre ; and the spell universal is
broken, by which the hearts of all men were estranged
from God. Through grace in Christ Jesus, the heart
has found its grand centre, and revels in the love of
its Creator. Here the glory of God shines forth in
splendor, exceeding the brightness and beauty of ten
thousand suns. The hills are clad in perpetual verdure,
and the valleys resound with sweetest music. The
innumerable hosts of un fallen and redeemed spirits
mingle in purest friendship, while holy and most
elevating employments give exercise and development
to the faculties, and bliss to the soul. Far-distant and
long-parced friends embrace each other again ; and
heavenly recognition is apparent in every face. Con-
scious of immortality, and mansioned with God in the
palace of the skies, hearing blissful sounds, and par-
taking of the fruit of paradise, the soul is content to
know and feel that this is the " rest that remains to

the people of God."

— E. B. G., IN Guide to Holiness.

WHA T IS HE A VEN ?

" What is heaven ?" I asked a little child ;
" All joy !" and in her innocence she smiled.

I asked the aged, with care oppressed ;

" All suffering o'er, oh ! heaven, at last, is rest ! "

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" I SHALL BE SATISFIED.

I asked a maiden, meek and tender-eyed :
" It must be love ! " she modestly replied.

I asked the artist, who adored his art :

" Heaven is all beauty ! " spoke his raptured heart.

I asked the poet, with his sonl afire :

" 'Tis glory — glory ! " and he struck his lyre.

I asked the Christian, waiting her release —
A halo round her, low she murmured, " Peace."

So all may look with hopeful eyes above.

'Tis beauty, glory, joy, rest, peace and love !

— Truth.

"/ SHALL BE SATJSFIEDr

My soul's too vast for earth to fill. Beyond

This narrow sphere my longings soar. I want

To search the stars, and roam through boundless space.

Even then, the universe may fail to tell

Me all I want to know. A universe

That's greater still within me lies. But were

It vaster by ten thousand times, there's One

Can till it all. It is my Saviour — God ;

His light ! His love ! His glorious self ! enough !

— Rev. J. C. Seymour.

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heaven's rewards.

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HE A VEN'S RE II \1 RDS

Light after darkness,

Gain after loss,
Strength after weakness,

Crown after cross ;
Sweet after bitter, •

Song after fears,
Home after wandering.

Joy after tears.

Sheaves after sowiucr.

Sun after rain,

Bright after mystery,

Peace after pain;
Joy after sorrow,

Cahii after blast,

Rest after weariness,

Sweet rest at last.

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Near after distant,

Gleam after fifloom,
Love after loneliness.

Life after tomb ;
After lon<T: ajronv,

Rapture of bliss;
Truth was the pathway

Leading to this.

-Trl'th.

EMBLEMS OF HEAVEN.

41)

EMBLEMS OF HE A VEN.

If emblems can assist you, then join in your imasjina-
tion tlie emblems of heaven. What is the condition
of the people ? That of crowned kinojs. What is the
enjoyment? That of conquerors, triumphant, with
palms of victory in their hands. What tluiir haunts ?
The green pastures beside living wateis. What their
employment ? Losing their spirits in the ecstasies of
melody, making music on their harps to God and the
Jjaud) forever. For guidance? The Lamb that is in
the midst of them shall lead them by rivers of living
water, and wipe away all tears from their eyes. For
knowledge ? They shall be like unto God ; for they
sliall know, even as they are 1 nown. For vision
and understanding ? They shall see face to face,
needinrj no intervention of lang-uage or of sisfn. For
ordinances ? There is no temple in the city of their
habitation ; for the Lord God and the Lamb are the
temple thereof. There shall be no night there ; and
they need no candle, neither light of the sun : for the
Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for
ever and ever.

The very sense hath its gratifications in the city of
God. The building of the wall is of jasper ; the city
of pure gold, like unto clear glass ; the foundation of
the wall garnished with all manner of precious stones;
every one of the twelve gates a pearl.

Oh I what means this wealth of imagery, drawn

from every storehouse of nature, if it be not that the
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EMBLEMS OF HEAVEN.

choicest of all which the eye heliolrls, or the intellect is
ravished with ; that all which makes matter beautiful
and the spirit happy ; that all which wealth values
itself on and beauty delights itself in ; with all the
scenery which charms the taste, and all the employ-
ments which can engage the affections — everything, in
short — shall lend its influence to consummate the feli-
city of the saints in light ?

Oh ! what untried forms of happy beings, what
cycles of revolving bliss await the just! Conception
cannot reach it, nor experience present materials for
the picture of the similitude ; and, though thus figured
out by the choicest of emblems, they do no more repre-
sent it than the name of Shepherd does the guardian-
ship of Christ, or the name of Father the love of

Almighty God.

— Guide to Holiness.

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Every beautiful and precious object on earth is a
type and a shadow of heaven. The whole visible
universe, with its manifold works of divine wisdom
and power, is but a volume of illustrations, leading us
by easy steps to a knowledge of that world of infinite
love above and beyond the stars. The Spirit of all
truth has interpreted these pictures with exquisite
clearness and grace. The book of Revelations, especi-
ally in its closing chapters, is illuminated with a
wealth of imagery beside which all the poets' dreams
of the golden age, and all man's uninspired aspirations

EMHLKMS OF HEAVEN.

of the good time coming arc poor and mean. Here is
the perfection of all beauty, a light ineffable, to which
the sun can add no brightness ; a celestial paradise,
infinitely surpassing the garden which the Creator's
own hand planted eastward in Eden ; an eternal city,
of which God is the builder, the temple and the light.
And the inhabitants of the heavenly world are in har-
mony with their dwelling-place, for "the nations of
them that are saved walk in the light of it." From
the feet that tread those golden streets, or wander in
the sweet fields of everlasting spring, all defilement is
removed and all weariness has departed ; from the
eyes that behold those heaven-built walls and foun-
tains of living water God has wiped all tears away ;
and the voices that flow together in the anthems of
celestial rapture know no note of sadness for evermore.
O blessed vision of unfading glory ! O sweet, seraphic
vision of perfect purity and peace, of eternal rest, of

joy unspeakable !

— H. J. Van Dyke, D.D.

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It is held forth to our view as a banquet, where our
souls shall be satisfied for evermore ; the beauties of
Jehovah's face, the mysteries of divine grace, the riches
of redeeming love, communion with God and the
Lamb, fellowship with the infinite Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, being the heavenly fulness on which we
shall feed. As a |:)rt?'ac^ise, a garden of fruits and

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riMMLEMS OK IIKAVKN.

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flowers, on wliieli our .spiritual natures and gracious
tastes will be regaled througli one evcr-verdant spring
and goldc^n sutniner; a paradise wlierc lurks no ser-
pent to destroy, and where fruits and flowers sliall
never fade and droop, nor die. As an lyihirihtnce, bub
then an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled,
and that fadeth not away — the inheritance of the
saints in liglit. As a kiiifjdom, wliose inmmnities,
felicities, and glories are splendid and vast, permanent
and real, quite overwhelming, indeed, to our present
feeble imaginings. As a country, over whose wide
reGfions we shall traverse in all the min[ht of our un-
tried faculties, and in all the glow of r v and heaven-
born eneriries, discoverino; and ijatheri resh harvests
of intelligence, satisfaction and delight. As a city,
whose walls are burnished gold, whose pavement is
jasper, sardonyx and onyx, through which flows the
river of life ; the inhabitants of which hunger no more,
thirst no more, sicken no more, weep no more, die no
more ; a city where there is no need of the sun by
day, in which there is no night at all, and of which
the Lord God Almighty is the light, and the Lamb the
glory. As a palace, where dwells the Lord our right-
eousness, the King in His beauty displayed — His beauty
of holiest love ; in the eternal sunshine of whose
countenance bask and exult the host that worship at
His feet. As a huilding, that has God for its maker,
immortality for its walls, and eternity for its day. As
a sanctuary, where the thrice-holy divinity, enshrined
in our own nature in the person of Immanuel, is wor-

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EMrU.EMS OF UKAVEN.

shipped and ndored, witliout a sij^h, without an impcr-
tV'ction, and without interniissiou ; where hyiiins of
praise, hallehijahs of salvation, and liosannahs of
redemption, uttered by blest voices witliout nuiiibc^r,
ever sound before the throne. As a temiple, bri^jht with
the divine glory, tilled with the divine presence,
streaming with divine beauty, and peopled with shin-
ing monuments of divine goodness, mercy and grace.

— Dk. Beaumont.

As oppose*^ to sin, and its bitter, baleful conse-
(juences, heaven is set forth in the Bible through the
emblems of everything we cherish as most dear and
long for as most desirable. It is painted in colors that
glow upon the canvas. Raise your eyes to the New
Jerusalem. Gold paves its streets, and around its
secure and blissful homes rise walls of jasper. Earth
holds no such city ; the depths of ocean no such pearls
as form its gates. No storms sweep its glassy sea; no
winter strips its trees ; no thunders shake its serene
and cloudless sky. Day there never darkens into
night. Harps and palms are in their hands, while
crowns of glory flash and blaze upon the heads of its
sinless and white-robed inhabitants. From this dis-
tant and stormy orb, as the dove eyed the ark, faith
gazes on the glorious vision, and, weary of the strife,
longing to be gone, cries, " Oh, that I had wings like a
dove ! for then would I fly away, and be at rest."

—Thomas Guthrie.

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WHAT IS IN HEAVEN ?

ONLY A LITTLE SPACE.

Oh not to me is heaven a land far off,
I feel the presence of its holy calm !
I breathe the fragrance of its hills of balm;

And though the desert way is parched and rough,

The glory in the cloud is more than proof

That just beyond it waves the victor's palm,
And that within it breathes the seraph's psalm,

Whose higher notes in heaven aro clear enough.

Oh, could I hear them warbling through the light,
As I have heard the lark from out the blue ;

Not far we mount to gain the glorious sight —
Only a little space my Lord withdrew.

Till glorj^ wrapt Him in its viewless cloud.

And there methinks He dwells within its shroud.

— R. Evans.

WHA T IS IN HEA VEN ?

Ther is lyf withoute ony deth,
And ther is youthe withoute ony elde,
And ther is alle manner welthe to welde ;
And there is rest without ony travaille ;
And ther is pees withoute ony strife,
And ther is alle manner lykinge of lyi ;
And ther is brioht somer ever to see.
And I er is never wynter in that countrie.

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HEAVEN A PLACE OF ACTIVITY.

And ther is more worshipe and honour

Than ever had kinge or than emperour.

And ther is great melodie of aungele song,

And ther is preysing him amonge.

And ther is alle manner fryendship that may be.

And ther is every perfect love and charite ;

And ther is wisdom withoute folye,

And ther is honeste withoute vileneye ;

Alle these a man may joyes of heavene call ;

And the most sovereygn joy of alle

Is the sighte of Godde's bright face,

In whom resteth alle manner of grace.

— Richard Rolle, 1350.

BE A VEN A PLACE OF ACTIVITY.

Except freedom from sin, intense, vigorous, untiring
action, is the mind's highest pleasure. I would not
wish to go to heaven, did I believe that its inhabitants
were to sit inactive by purling streams, to be fanned
into indolent slumbers by balmy breezes. Heaven, to
be a place of happiness, must be a place of activity.
Has the far-reaching mind of Newton rested from his
profound investigations ? Have IJavid and Isaiah
hung up their harps, useless as the dusty arms in
Westminster Abbey 'i Has Paul, glowing with God-
like enthusiasm, ceased itinerating the universe of
God ? Are Peter, and Cyprian, and Leather, and Ed-
wards, idling away eternity in mere psalm-singing ?
Heaven is a place of activity, and never- tiring thought.

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WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE ?

David and Isaiah will sweep noble and lofty strains in
eternity, and the niinds of saints uncloii^iTed by cum-
brous clay, forever feast on a banquet of thou^^ht —
rich, glorious thought. Young gentlemen, press on,
you will never get through. An eternity of untiring
thought is before you, and the universe of thought
your field.

—Dr. Lyman Beecher, to his class.

WHA T IS HE A VEN LIKE ?

Heaven ! we have given thee no appointed place,
We look up to the azure si^ies and dream

Thou art above them, yet we cannot trace
The rainbow, or the sun's refuljxent beam:

They tell us not what region they have crossed,

If they have seen our loved, and found our lost.

Heaven ! we've asked often what thy thrcmgsare like;

If rainu'nt white be theirs, and a bright crown,
If moon-lit clouds can hear the wires they strike.

And stars theloopholes whence the light streamsdown;
And oft we wonder if thy glorious throne
Shines like the ruby ray, or diamond stone.

Heaven ! this we know, thou art the promised land.
Where shades of peace and love are ever found ;

Thou art where rest the saved and glorious band ;
Where songs which angels love forever sound ;

God's chosen dwell there ; have they not calm rest ?

'Tis His own dwelling — must it not ))e blest?

— Illustrated Visitor.

HEAVExN ALL THAT CAN IJE DESIRED.

HE A VEN ALL THA T CAN BE DESIRED.

Oh, talk to me of heaven ! I love

To hear about my home above ;

For there doth many a loved one dwell

In light and joy ineffable.

Oh ! tell me how they shine and sinnf,

While every harp rin<^s echoing ;

And every glad and tearless eye

Beams like the bright sun gloiiously :

Tell mc of that victorious palm

Each hand in glory beareth ;
Tell me of that celestial calm

Each face in glory weareth.

Oh, happy, hnppy country ! where

There entereth not a sin ;
And death who keeps its povtals fair,

May nevei- once come in.
No grief can change their day to night ;
The darkness of that land is light ;
Sorrow and sighing God hath sent
Far thence to endless banishment ;
And never more mny one dark tear

Bedim their burning eyes ;
For every one they shed while here,

In fearful agonies,
Glitters a bright and dazzlinir wm

In their immortal diadem.

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HEAVEN ALL THAT CAN BE DESIRED.

Oh, lovely, blooming country ! there
Flourishes all that we deem fair.
And though no fields nor forests green,
Nor lovely gardens there are seen,

For perfumes load the breeze,
Nor hears the ear material sound, —
Yet joys at God's right hand are found.

The archetypes of these.
There is the home, the land of birth
Of all we highest prize on earth.
The storms that rack the world beneath

Must here forever cease ;
The only air the blessed breathe

Is purity and peace.

Oh ! happy, happy land, in thee

Shines the unveiled Divinity ;

Shedding through each adoring breast

A holy calm, a halcyon rest.

And those blest souls whom death did sever

Have met to mingle joys forever.

Oh ! soon may heaven unclose to me !

Oh ! may I soon that glory see !

And my faint, v/eary spirit stand

Within that happy, happy land.

— Bowles.

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" WHAT MUST THE RIGHT SIDE BE ? "

" WHA T MUST THE RIGHT SIDE BE ?"

A little girl, gazing on the starry heavens, said, " I was
thinking if the wrong side of heaven is so glorious, ivliat must
the right side he ? "

Since o'er thy footstool, here below,

Such radiant gems are strewn.
Oh ! what magnificence must glow,

My God, about Thy throne !
So brilliant here those drops of light —
There the full ocean rolls, how bright !

If night's blue curtain of the sky.
With thousand stars enwrought.

Hung like a royal canopy,

With brilliant diamonds fraught.

Be, Lord, thy temple's outer veil,

What splendor at the shrine must dwell.

The dazzling sun at noontide hour,

Forth from his flaming vase.
Flinging o'er earth the golden shower

Till vale and mountain blaze,
But shows, O Lord ! one beam of Thine,
What, then, the day where Thou dost shine ?

Oh ! how shall these dim eyes endure

That noon of living rays ?
Or, how my spirit, so impure.

Upon Thy glory gaze ?
Anoint, O Lord, anoint my sight,
And robe me for tho,t world of light.

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WHERE TS THE SPIRIT's HOME?

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WHERE IS THE SPIRIT'S HOME?

Where is the spirit's home, where shine its portals ?
And has it ever yet been seen by mortals ?
Where is that place called heaven, where the yearning
Of bruised and bleeding hearts is ever turning ?

Is there some grand arcadia unexplored,
Where untold c-lories for the soul are stored ?
Or have men souc^ht in vain with strainin^: vision
At last to view those wondrous scenes elysian ?
Have they explored the realm of stars and sun.
Yet overlooked the simple words of One
Whose teachinijs are as clear as morninij lio'ht
That rolls away the curtains of the night ?

"The kingdom is within" the souls of men ;
There shall He dwell when He shall come again.
Within that shrine where dwells the consciousness,
Where dwells the power to curse, to love and bless.
There sits the New Jerusalem enshrined —
The Holy Place. When from the inner mind
All evil, false and hate are cast away.
There in their stead are born in bright array
The fair Beatitudes and Love Divine,
Whose glow doth from that city's portals shine.

Then know, man ! the New Jerusalem,
Whose walls are gold, whose every gate a gem,
Will not appear to thee with outward show ;
Yet surely will its walls and temples grow

WHERE IS HEAVEN? fU

Ten tlionsand-fold more fair than mortal hand
Has ever built, or mind has ever planned,
Upon the eternal hills of Love and Truth Divine,
If thou wilt but remove the evil w^orld of thine.

— Emile Pickharut.

WHERE IS HEAVEN?

Where is the unseen world ? oh ! where

The undyini[( spirit's home of rest ;
There is a world of light ; and it is there,

In bliss supreme, forever, dwell the blest.

And where this world of lifrht ? and what its bound ?

'Tis where the Eternal dwells. Where doth He dwell ?
He fills all space, beneath, above, around ;

Where He dwells not, wilt thou, O questioner, tell?

Mks. Phoebe Palmer.

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Surely, yon heaven, where an![^els see God s face,

Is not so distant as we deem
From this low earth ! 'Tis but a little space,

The narrow crossing of a slender stream ;
'Tis but a veil which winds might blow aside ;
Yes, these are all that us of earth divide
From the bright dwelling of the glorified —

The land of which we dream !

IT MAY BE VERY NEAR.

Those peaks are nearer heaven than earth below,

Those hills are higher than they seem ;

'Tis not the clouds they touch, nor the soft brow

Of the o'erbending a.^ure, as we deem.

'Tis the blue floor of heaven that they upbear.

And like some old and wildly rugged stair,

They lift us to the land where all is fair —

The land of which we dream.

— Barton.

IT MA y BE VER Y NEAR.

Where is Heaven ? Who can tell ? It may be very
near us. The veil that separates the visible from the
invisible may be very thin. The moment the dying
saint closes his eyes on earth, he may open them in
glory. Absent from the body, present with the Lord,
appears to have been the apostle's conception of the
transition from earth to heaven. To Stephen, even
before his spirit took its exit, the heavens were opened,
and he saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
The intervening veil was parted, and a glimpse of the
inner glory was revealed to him. Are there not other
instances in which dying saints, while yet they linger
in the flesh, are favored with visions of their heavenly
home ? Is there any good reason why we should
doubt this ? May not the Christian sometimes from
Pisgah's top be permitted to view the Promised Land ?

— Methodist Recorder.

REASON ABLE CONJECTUIIES.

ViV THE TWINKLING OF AN EYEr

One moment, the sick-room, the scaffold, the stake ;
the next, the paradisiacal glory. One moment, the sob
of parting anguish ; the next, the great deep swell of
the angels' song. Never think that the dear ones you
have seen die had far to go to meet God after they
parted from you. Never think, parents, who have
seen your children die, that after they left you they
had to traverse a dark solitary way, along which you
would have liked, if it had been possible, to lead them
l)y the hand, and bear them company till they came
into the presence of God. You did so if you stood by
them till the last breath was drawn. You did bear
them company into God's very presence if you only
staid beside them till they died. The moment they
left you they were with Him. The slight pressure of
the cold fingers lingered with you yet, but the little
child was with his Saviour.

— Recreations of a Country Parson.

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REASONABLE CONJECTURES.

A Child, speaking of his home to a friend, was
asked : " Where is your home ? " Looking with loving
eyes at his mother, he replied, " Where mother is."
Heaven, the Christian's home, is where God is. But
when we ask, " Where is God ? " we are no nearer the
answer, for God is everywhere. Yet, whilst He is

REASONABLE CON.IECTUUKS.

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cvorywlioro, there is a place hoyond this veil of tears
specially called the " ilDUscoi:' Clod" — the peculiar and,
favo^'ed place where those special manifestations of
Hispi'esence,and character, and ^dory are given, which
He is pleased to make. Present in every place. He is
peculiarly present there. There, with Him, in a state
of pure, boundless, and unminL,ded delight — a state of
purity, of peace, of joy, of glory — the saints of God
dwell forever. But as to the locality, we must plead
ignorance. We may conjecture within reasonable
limits. There is some ground for supposing that it is
somewhere above us. We read of Elijah when he
was translated, he " went up by a whirlwind into
heaven." When the Saviour left His disciples they
saw Him ascend, and a cloud received Him from their
flight. Yetin what part of the universe heaven is located
no one can say. Some have supposed that it must be
beyond this system of ours, away into space, perhaps
in some mighty sphere that God has created for the
purpose. Dr. Dick supposed that there might be some
great central sun in the universe, around which all
suns and systems revolve. It is, no doubt, a grand
conception. If it should be so, we know not of its
whereabouts. Another opinion that is held might
possibly be nearer the truth. That is. Heaven may
be much nearer to us than we mortals generally think
it is. Perhaps if we had the spiritual sense, that will
some day be given us, we would tind that heaven is
not so distant as we suppose. When Elisha's servant's
eyes were opened to see them, " behold the mountain

•

REASON A RLE CONJECTURES.

was full of horses, and cb .riots of firo round about
Elisha." If our eyes were similarly opened, we nii«;ht
see the heavenly host in all directions. They were
there before the eyes of Elisha's servant were opened.
They may be around us though, as yet, we do not per-
ceive them. " An» they not all ministerinfjf spirits sent
to minister unto them who shall be heirs of salvation."
This, of itself, does not prove that heaven is near us,
for they might come with the velocity of the light
from the most distant place. But we have another
instance even more remarkable. When Stephen was
about to suffer martyrdom the heavens were opened,
and he " looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right
hand of God." This would lead us to conjecture that
heaven is nearer than we think. This idea of heaven's
nearness is also suggested by the word " veil." Jesus,
as our forerunner, has entered " within the veil." To
faith and hope there is but a veil hiding heaven from
us. It may be as one has said, that "the veil that
conceals heaven from us is onlv our embodied existence;

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and, though "fearfully and wonderfully made," it is
only made out of our frail mortality, so slight, indeed,
that the smallest thing may rend it, and at a bound —
in the twinkling of an eye, in the throb of a pulse,
in the Hash of a thought — we may start into dis-
embodied spirits, and pass into the light of eternity
and know the great secret, and gaze on splendors
which to flesh and blood would be unendurable, and

which no words that man can utter could describe."
6 — Editor.

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GO IIKAVEN IS NEAIlKll.

HE A VEN IS NEARER.

Oh, heaven is nearer tlian mortals think,

When they look with trenihling dread
At the misty future that stretches on

From the silent homes of the dead.
'Tis no lone isle in the brilliant main,

No distant but briUiant shore,
Where the loved ones, when called away,

Must go to return no more.

No, heaven is near us ; the misty veil

Of mortality blinds the eye,
That we see not the hovering band

On the shores of eternity.
Yet oft, in the hour of holy thought,

To the thirsting soul is given
The power to oierce through the veil of sense

To the beauteous scenes of heaven.

Then very near seem its pearly gates,

And sweetly its har pings fall ;
The soul is restless to soar away,

And longs for the angel's call.
I know when the silver cord is loosed.

And the veil is rent awav.
Not long nor dark w411 the passing be

To the realms of endless day.

The eye that shuts in a dying hour
Will open in endless bliss ;

WHAT MATTKHS IT?

The welcome will sound in a heavenly world
Ere the farewell is hushed in this.

We pass from the clasp of mourning friends
To the arms of the loved and lost ;

And the smiling faces will greet us there
Which on earth we valued most.

— Mkthodlst Recorder.

WHAT MATTERS IT?

What matters it, my curious friend, where lies

Our heavenly land of rest ?
Whether it be beyond the azure skies

Or in some other world, God knoweth best.
It offers safety from our cares, and so
What matters whether it be high or low ?
It offers rest ; what more should mortals know !

Rest from the weariness of burdened days,

Of bitter longings and of evil hours ;
Of duties leading us through darkened ways

And into efforts far beyond our powers ;
Of dark temptations into secret sin.
Of constant labor, earth's poor gods to win,
Of spirits deafened by the strife and din.

In matters nothing as to when or where
We find the haven and the welcome home ;

Let curious doubt give place to trusting prayer.
And no weak soul through speculation roam.

1 •

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< •

!!,

t • '

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* •

' !

I ',

( .!

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68 FAINT GLIMPSES OF IJEAUTY.

We seek for sealed -up secrets, hidden things ;

Enough for us, if on eternal wings

We reach the country of those better things.

Vex not thy spirit, aspiring man !

But live thy days as earnest workers must ;
Nor try to pierce through God's mysterious plan,

Which obligates thee to a life of trust.
Some day, somewhere, while countless ages roll,
Thy hungry heart shall comprehend the whole,
The veil be parted for thy thankful soul.

— I. Edgar Jones.

FAINT GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY.

" Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth
is Mount Zion." " A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
And, oh, what joy thrilled the soul as we thought God
never implanted this intense longing, this love of the
pure, the beautiful, in the heart of one child of His,
without providing for that child the desired gift ! for
our Father satisfieth the longing soul, and lilloth the .
hungry soul with goodness." Long, weary years of
pilgrimage we spent, travelling over thorny paths in
search of the hidden "joy forever." We expected it
on earth. . . . Disappointed in our search on
earth, upward we turned our longing gaze. One *
bright star fixed the eye, and in its steady beauteous
light we read : " Unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given ; and His name shall be called Wonderful,

FAINT GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY.

Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlastinpj Father,
the Prince of Peace ; " and " thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."
" Emmanuel, God with us."

Earth no longer fettering the soul, f' V in the
unseen brought us near " unto Mount Zio' , " jt; i " unto
the city of the Living God, the heaveul}' J.^rusalenj,
and to an innumerable company of angels, the general
assembly and Church of the First-born," ' and to the
spirits of just men made perfect ; and to Jesus, the
Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling;" and, forgetting the graves of broken
household bands, we behold in this Mediator the con-
necting ladder betwixt earth and heaven.

" Ah ! methinks there is a unison."

E^3

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} .

And on its golden rounds we climb, until

" E'en now by faith we jo.n our hands
With those tliat went before,
And greet the blood-besprinkled bands
On the eternal shore."

And now, beholding this ladder everywhere, " Christ
our Anointed," " the same yesterday, to-day, and for-
ever," whether with head pillowed upon down or
stone, steps travelling over rough and thorny paths or
beside "still waters" and in " green pastures," satisfied
with our secure resting-place in the Church below,
Christ Himself, with Israel's sweet singer we exclaim :
" One thing have I desired of the Lord — that I may

WHICH IS THE HAPPIEST PLACE IN HEAVEN ?

r I
V

dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in
His temple." Thank God we may here by faith drink
of the "pure river of life, clear as crystal, proceeding
out of the throne of God; and of the Lamb."

" See the streams of living waters
Springing from eternal love,
Still supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fears of want remove."

We may eat of " the tree of life," sit under its shadow,
the leaves of which are " for the healing of the nations ; "
walk in light which hath no need of the help of the
sun, " for the Lord God giveth them light," and in this
light joyfully go forth glorying in the cross ; and by-
and-by; with the Church triumphant above, we'll lay
our trophies at the feet of Jesus, and crown Him Lord
of all ; and forever behold the King in His beauty,
where concentrated shall eternally be all the glory,
honor, and beauty of earth and heaven.

—Mrs. M. E. Page.

11'!

WHICH IS THE HAPPIEST PLACE IN

HE A VEN ?

" Which is the happiest ? " if you ask,
To answer seems no easy task ;
And vet niethinks 'tis not too hard,
Where all is grace, although reward.

ONLY WAITING FOR THE SUMMONS.

That, must to each the happiest be
Which each has gained through mercy free ;
Nor need the lowliest lost in love,
Envy the highest saint above.
The dew-drop is as full of light
As the great sun which lends it light.
Where self must into nothing fall,
There God in each is all in all.
jUeader ! whoe'er thou art, to thee be iriven
The bliss to find the happiest place in heaven.

— James Montgomery.

ONLY WAITING FOR THE SUMMONS.

Here we are waiting the welcome summons to go up
with the shin'*ng company over yonder upon that ever-
green shore. Heavenly light already falls resplendent
upon our pathway, and the bright visions of immortal
life and glory beckon us on and away to our Father's
mansions above :

" There is light on the hills, and the valley is past,
Ascend, happy pilgrim ! thy labors are o'er !
The sunshine of heaven around thee is cast,

And thy weak, doubting footsteps can falter no more.

*' On, pilgrim ! that hill richlj circled with rays
Is Zion ! Lo, there is the city of saints !
And the beauties, the glories that region displays,
Insi)iration'8 own language imperfectly paints."

Hallelujah ' We soon shall be there, resting at home.

W
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HEAVENLY GLORY.

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and enjoying the fruitions of that better land — walkinj^^

by the waters of life, and ranging with kindred

spirits o'er the Delectable Mountains of a blesscil

immortality.

— J. N. Kanaga.

NBA VENL V GL OR V.

To the eye of man the sun appears a pure light, a mass
of unmingled glory. Were we to ascend with a con-
tinual flight towards this luminary, and could we, like
the eagle, gaze upon its lustre, we should in our pro-
gress behold its splendor become avery moment more
intense. As we rose through the heavens, we should
see a little orb changing gradually into a great world ;
and as we advanced nearer and nearer, should behold
it expanding every w^ay, until all that was before us
became an universe of excessive and immeasurable
glory. Thus the heavenly inhabitant will, at the com-
mencement of his happy existence, see the divine sys-
tem tilled with magnificence and splendor and arrayed
in beauty ; and, as he advances onwards through the
successive periods of duration, will behold all things
more and more luminous, transporting, and sun-like
forever.

— Dr. Dwioht.

All that awaits us is glorious. There is " a rest," a
Sal)bath-keeping in store for us (Heb. iv. 6), and this
" rest shall be glorious " (Isa. xi. 10). The kingdom

\iu

^-.'MAiMl^LiiLiiLAi

fegfi!£li^^ie£i^^^ u- -.j^i,: -.

happinj*:ss of the saints.

that we claim is a glorious kingdom, the crown which
we are to wear is a glorious crown. The city C/^ our
habitation is a glorious city. The garments which
shall clothe us are garments "for glory and beauty."
Our bodies shall be glorious bodies, fashioned after the
likeness of Christ's " glorious body." Our society shall
be that of the glorified. Our songs shall be songs of
glory. And of the region ^.vhich we are to inhabit it
is said, " the glory of God doth lighten it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof." "That they may behold
my glory," the Lord pleaded for His own. This is the
sum of all. It is the very utmost that even " the
Lord of Glory " could ask for them.

— HOUATIUS BONAR.

HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.

Heaven is a treasure that can neither fail nor be
carried away by force or fraud. It is an inheritance
uncorrupted and undefiled ; a crown that fadeth not
away ; a never- failing stream of joy and delight. It
is a marriage feast, and of all others, the most joyous
and most sumptuous ; one that always satisfies and
never cloys the appetite. It is an eternal spring and
an everlasting light; a day without an evening. It is
a paradise, where the lilies are always white and in
full bloom, the saffron bloomincj, the trees ffivinir out
their balsams, and the tree of life in the midst thereof.
It is a city where the houses are built of living pearls.

HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.

K) I

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the gates of precious stones, and the streets paved with
the purest gold.

Yet all these are nothing but veils of the happiness
to be revealed on that most blessed day ; nay, the light
itself, which we have mentioned among the rest,
though it be the most beautiful ornament in this visi-
ble world, is at best but a shadow of that heavenly
glory ; and how small soever that portion of this inac-
cessible brightness may be which, in the Sacred Scrip-
tures, shines upon us through these veils, it certainly
very well deserves that we should of ten turn our eyes
toward it, and view it with the closest attention.

Now, the first thii)g that necessarily occurs in the
constitution of happiness, is a full and complete deliv-
erance from every evil and every grievance, which we
may as certainly expect to meet with in that heavenl}/'
life, as it is impossible to be attained while we sojourn
here below. All tears shall be wiped away from our
eyes, and every cause and occasion of tears forever
removed from our sight. There, there are no tumults,
no wars, no poverty, no death, nor disease ; there,
there is neither mourning, nor fear, nor sin, which is
the source and fountain of all other evils ; there is
neither violence within doors nor without, nor any
complaint in the streets of that blessed city ; there no
friend goes out, nor enemy comes in. There, there is
full vigor of body and mind, health, beauty, purity,
and perfect tranquillity. Also the most delightful
society of angels, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and all
the saints, auiong whom there are no reproaches, con-

O HAPPY home! 75

tentions, controversies, nor party spirit, because there
are there none of the sources whence they can spring,
nor anything to encourage their growth ; for there
is there particularly, no ignorance, no blind self-love, no
vain-glory, nor envy, which is quite excluded from
those divine regions ; but, on the contrary, perfect
charity, whereby every one, together with his own
felicity, enjoys that of his neighbors, and is happy in
one as well as the other. Hence there is among them
a kind of infinite reflection and multiplication of
happiness, like that of a spacious hall adorned with
gold and precious stones, dignified with a full assembly
of kings and potentates, and having its walls quite
covered with the brightest looking-glasses.

But what infinitely exceeds and eclipses all the rest
is that boundless ocean of happiness which results from
the beatific vision of the ever-blessed God, without
which neither the tranquillity they enjoy, nor the
society of saints, nor the possession of any particular
finite good, nor, indeed, of all such taken together, can

satisfy the soul or make it completely happy."

— Robert Leighton.

I»

O HAPPY HOME!

O HAPPY home ! O happy children there !

O blissful mansions of their Father's house !

O walks surpassing Eden for delight !

Here are the harvests reap'd, once sown in tears ;

Here is the rest by ministry enhanced ;

THE MOUNTAIN-' OF LIFE.

II t

Here is the banquet of the wine of heaven ;

Kiches of glory incorruptible ;

Crowns, amaranthine crowns^ of victory ;

The voice of harpers harping on their harps ;

The anthems of the holy cherubim ;

The crystal river of the Spirit's joy ;

The bridal palace of the Prince of Peace ;

The holiest of holies ; God is there.

— Anon.

1 1'

THE MOUNTAINS OF LIFE.

Tuehe's a land far away 'mid the stars, we are told,
Where they know not the sorrows of time ;

Where the pure waters wander through valleys of gold,
And life is a pleasure sublime.

*Tis the land of our God, 'tis the home of the soul.

Where ages of splendor eternally roll,

Where the way-weary traveller reaches his goal,
On the evergreen mountains of life.

Our gaze cannot soar to that beautiful land,

' But our visions have told of its bliss.

And our souls by the gale from its gardens are fanned,

When we faint in the deserts of this.
And we sometime have longed for its holy repose,
When our spirits were torn with temptations and woes,
And we've drank from the tide of the river that flows

From the evergreen mountains of life.

*'»;

PICTURE OF llAVISHINO BEAUTY.

Oh ! the stars never tread the Hue heavens at nicrht,

But we think where the ransomed have trod ;
And the day never smiles from his palace of light,

But we feel the bright smile of our God.
We are travelling homeward through changes and gloom,
To a kingdom where pleasures unchangeably bloom,
And our guide is the glory that shines through the tomb,
From the evergreen mountains of life.

— James G. Clark.

PICTURE OF RAVISHING BEAUTY.

To my own mind, when I look in the direction of the
future, one picture always rises — a picture of ravishing
beauty. Its essence I believe to be true. Its accidents
will be more glorious than all that my imagination
puts into it. It is that of a soul forever growing in
knowledge, in love, in holy endeavor ; that of a vast
community of spirits, moving along a pathway of light,
of ever-expanding excellence and glory ; brightening
as they ascend; becoming more and more like the
unpicturable pattern of infinite perfection ; loving
with an ever-deepening love ; glowing with an ever-
increasing fervor ; rejoicing in ever-advancing know-
ledge ; growing in glory and power. They are all
immortal. There are no failures or reverses to any of
them. Ages fly away; they soar on with tireless
wing. iEons and cycles advance toward them and
retire behind them; still they soar, and shout and
unfold !

A VISION OF HEAVEN.

I am one of that immortal host. Death cannot
destroy me. I shall live when stars j^row dim with
ajje. The advancincf and retreating {eons shall not
fade my immortal youth. Thou, Gal)riel, that standest
near the throne, bright with a brightness that dazzles
my earth-born vision, rich with the experience of
uncounted ages, first-born of the sons of God, noblest
of the archangelic retinue, far on I shall stand where
thou standest now, rich with an equal experience,
great with an equal growth, thou wilt have passed on.
and, from higher summits, wilt gaze back on a still
more glorious progress.

Beyond the grave As the vision rises how this side
dwindles into nothing — a speck, a moment — and its
glory and pomp shrink up into the trinkets and
baubles that amuse an infant for a day. Only those
things, in the glory of this light, which lay liold of
immortality seem to have any value. The treasures
that consume away or burn up with this perishing
world are not treasures. Those only that we carry
beyond are worth the saving.

— Bishop R. S. Foster, D.D.

A VISION OF HE A VEN.

" Worn down with fatigue in winding up the labors
of a toilsome year, I was most violently attacked with
bilious fever. The disease had taken so violent a hold
on my system, that I sank rapidly under its power,
and my life was despaired of.

frt

A VISION OF HEAVEN.

"On the seventh ni<,']it, in a state of entire insensi-
bility to all around me, wlien the last ray of hop<^ had
(h'parted, and my weepinj^ i'auiiiy and friends were
standinf^ around my couch, waiting to see me breathe
my last, it seemed to me that a heavenly visitant
entered my room. It came to my side and, in the soft-
est and most silvery tones, which fell like music on my
ear, it said, 'I have come to conduct you to another
state and place of existence.' In an instant I seemed
to lise, and, gently borne by my angel guide, I floated
out upon the ambient air. Soon earth was lost in the
distance, and around us, on every side, were worlds of
light and glory. On, on, away, away from the world
to luminous worlds afar, we sped with tlie velocity of
thought.

" At length we rear;hed the gates of paradise ; and
oh ! the transporting scenes that fell upon my vision
as the emerald portals, wide and high, rolled back
upon their golden hinges ! Then, in its fullest extent,
did I realize the invocation of the poet.

" ' Burst, ye eTiierald gates, and bring
To my raptured vision,
All the ecstatic joys that spring
Hound the bright Elysian. '

" Language, however, is inadequate to describe
what then with unveiled eyes I saw. The vision is
indelibly pictured on my heart. Before me, spread
out in beauty, was a broad sheet of water, clear as
crystal, not a single ripple on its surface, and its purity
and clearness indescribable. On each side of this lake.

A VISION OK HEAVEN.

or river, rose up the most bill and b(^autifiil trees,
covered with all manner of fruits and Howers, the
brilliant hues of which were rellected in the bosom of
the placid river.

" While I stood gazing with joy and rapture at the
scene, a convoy of angels was seen in the pure ether of
that world. They all had long wings, and although
they went with the greatest rapidity, yet their wings
were folded by their side. While 1 gazed, I asked my
guide who they wore, and what their mission ? To
this he responded, ' They are angels despatched to the
world whence you come, on an errand uf mercy.' I
could hear strains of the most entrancing melody all
around me, but no one was discoverable but my guide.

" At length I said, ' Will it be possible for me to
have a sight of the just made perfect in glory? ' Just
then there came before us three perstms ; one had the
appearance of a male, the other of a female, and the
third of an infant. The appearance of the first two
was somewhat similar to the angels I saw, with the
exception that they had crowns upon their heads of
the purest yellow, and harps in their hands. Their
robes, which were full and flowing, were of the purest
white. Their countenances were lighted up with a
heavenly radiance, and they smiled upon me with
ineffable sweetness.

" There was nothing with which the blessed babe, or
child, could be compared. It seemed to be about three
feet high. Its wings which were long and most beau-
tiful, were tinged with all the colors of the rainbow.
Its dress seemed to be of the whitest silk, covered with

I*: I

A VISION OF HEAVEN.

the softest white down. The driven snow could not
exceed it for whiteness or purity. Its face was all
radiant with ^lory ; its very smile now plays around
my heart. I <^azed and gazed with wonder upon this
lieavenly child.

" At length I said, ' If I have to return to earth,
from whence I came, I would love to take this child
with me, and show it to the weeping mothers of earth.
Methinks when they see it, they will never shed an-
other tear over their children when they die.' So
anxious was I to carry out the desire of my heart that
I made a grasp at the bright and beautiful one, desir-
ing to clasp it in my arms, but it eluded my grasp^
and plunged into the river of life. Soon it rose from
the waters, and as the drops fell from its expanding
wings, they seemed like diamonds, so brightly did they
sparkle. Directing its course to the other shore, it
flew up to one of the topmost branches of one of life's
fair trees. Wjth a look of most seraphic sweetness it
gazed upon me, and then commenced singing in
heaven's own strains, * To Him that hath loved me,
and washed me from my sins in His own blood, to Him
be glory both now and forever. Amen.'

" At that moment the power of the eternal God
came upon me, and I began to shout ; and clapping my
hands, I sprang from my bed and was as instantly
healed as the lame man in the beautiful porch of the
temple who went ' walking and leaping and praising
God.' Overwhelmed with the glory I saw and felt, 1
could not cease praising God."

6 —Rev. J. B. Finley.

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THE HOPE OF GLORY.

THE HOPE OF GLORY,

rr,

Ou, wliat a joy ! to think tliat, from this prison-house
of clay, sliall one day burst a wini^ed spirit — soaring
to the skies. Is it not enough to cheer us even in the
darkest hour, to know that, though " sorrow may
endure for a night," such joy as this " cometh in the
morning ? " A joy " unspeakable and full of glory ! "
A joy which makes the very heart bound within us to
think of. . . . Let us for a moment think of what
we shall enjoy in roaming the bright plains of para-
dise foT- evermore. Wherever we move, new beauties
greet our astonished eyes (like a glorious vision, whose
grand and glowing scenes are ever changing and for-
ever nev;), while soul-stirring harmonies from angel-
choirs are wafted on every gale. As we behold these
glorious sights, and hear these ravishing sounds, we
remember the faint imaginings of mortal poets, whose
wild, unearthly fancies were derided as the offspring
of a frantic brain ; and see how infinitely short they fell
of the glorious realities of the heavenly world. And
as we wander on, bathed in the sunlight of eternal
day, we shall meet departed friends and the good and
great of every age and clime. There we shall see
Paul, the grand apostle to the Gentiles, who, when
about to plunge into the untried ocean of eternity, ex-
claimed, '* 1 have fought a good fight. I have kept the
faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown,
which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give to me
in that day. And not to me only, but to all them that

; U

JERUSALEM WHICH IS AROVE.

love His appearinj^." Ob, what a glorious diadeni is
that before whose radiance the stars of heaven shall
pale their ineffectual fires, and which shall shine on
with undiminished lustre when these j^iowing fires
shall have l)een quenched forever in eternal night.

— Rev. F. H, Wheeleu.

JERUSALEM WHICH IS ABOVE.

Who can utter wliat the pleasures and the peace unbroken

are,
Where arise the pearly mansions, shedding silvery light

afar,
Sacred seats and golden roofs, which glitter lik3 the ever ing

star?

There the saints like suns are radiant, like the sun at dawn

they glow ;
Crowned victors after conllict, all their joys together flow;
And secure they count the battles where they fought the

prostrate foe.

Putting off their mortal vesture, in their Source their souls

they steep ;
Truth by actual vision beaming, on its form their gaze they

keep,
Drinking from the living Fountain draughts of living waters

deep.

There all being is eternal ; things that cease have ceased to

be ;
All corruption there has perished — there they flourish strong

and free ;
Thus mortality is swallowed up of life eternally.

I'';

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84 I SHALL SEE THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY.

Diverse as their varied labors the rewards to each that fall ;
But love what she loves in others evermore her own doth

call ;
Thus the several joys of each become the common joy of all.

Blessed who the King of Heaven in His beauty thus

b"hold ;
And beneath His throne rejoicing see the universe unfold —
Sun and moon, and stars and planets radiant in His light

unrolled !

Christ, the palm of faithful victors ! of that city make me

free ;
When my warfare shall be ended, to its mansions lead Thou

me !

Grant me, with its happy inmates, sharer of thy gifts to

be!

From the Latin Hymn of Peter Damiani.

/ SHALL SEE THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY.

When the dark veil of time is backward rolled,
Eternal glory overshadowing,
A light divine shall to my vision bring

The excellence that doth itself unfold,

The splendors of the Christ I shall behold ;
The radiant face, the beauty of the King,
That evermore the veiled seraphs sing ;

The true Immanuel's, for of earthly mould,

A MOTHERS VISION.

8.5

I for myself shall know, mine eyes shall see ;

Hail, glorious vision of that far-off land,
So very far, when wilt thou come to me ;

The thorn- wreathed brow of Christ, the pierced hand,
The vision of that eye whose love, whose light

Shall flood the soul with infinite delight.

— II. Evans.

A MOTHER'S VISION.

Mrs. M , a lady of more than ordinary intellicjence,

was the mother of four children at the time of the
occurrence of the incident here relate*!, as received
from her own lips. She died at an advanced age,
having adorned her Christian profession by a life of
exemplary piety.

Martha, her eldest child, was a beautiful girl at the
time referred to, being about fourteen years of age.
She was her mother's idol, and occupied the supreme
place in her affections, though her mother was uncon-
scious of that fact. Having taken ill, notwithstanding
the mother's care and a skilful physician's constant
attention, Martha died. The mother was positively
inconsolable. Her pastor prayed, counselled, and
admonished in vain. Nothing could allay the bitter
anguish of her broken heart. In this state of mind,
late one night, she fell asleep. Her sleep was fitful for
awhile, and then she fell into a profound slumber,
and sleeping, she dreamed. Suddenly a bright and
beautiful angel, clothed in habiliments of light,

81 •

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A MOTHERS VISION.

appeared tc her, and, in a sweet, winning voice,
tenderly asked, " Would you see Martha ? "

Instantly she responded, "Yes; above all thinors in
the universe I would see her." " Then follow me,"
said the heavenly visitant.

She arose and followed her guide without a word
of further inquiry. Presently a stately and magnifi-
cent edifice greeted her wondering and half -bewildered
gaze. The door > r entrance was open. She ascended
the steps and entered the resounding hall, following
closely behind the angel, not knowing whither he
would lead her. Without even casting a glance behind,
or saying a word, suddenly the angel paused, and with
his ethereal tingi'r touched a secret spring. Noiselessly
a door swung wide open and revealed the inmates to
her astonished gaze. There was a throng of excited
revellers in the midst of bacchanalian excesses, flushed
with wine, and presenting a revolting scene of debau-
ery and worldly dissipation. The angel pointed his
white index finger at the most conspicuous figure in
the groap, the one who led the dance, and was most
boisterous in the mirth and festive glee, and then
turning his eye on the mother said, " There is Martha ;
behold her."

The mother passionately exclaimed, " No, no ! that
is not Martha ! I was raising her for God and for His
Church and for heaven. That is not Martha."

" So you thought," responded the angel in tenderest
accents ; " but she w^as your idol. You e j t i ^^ny hc3r
nothing. That is what she would iic4,\ .. been. '

A mother's vision.

.S7

The door closer!.

" Follow me," said the anirel.

She followed with a palpitating heart. Her mind
was filled with anxious and painful thought. The
angel paused, and again touched a secret spring, and
the (loor flew open as if on golden hinges. Before her
enraptured eyes there was displayed a vast multitude
of the most resplendent forms she had ever conceived
of in human mould. Brows of lustrous beauty, faces
radiant with supernal light, voices sweetly modulated,
and all enrobed in spotless white. Not a trace of
•sorrow was on any face. It was heaven, and the angel,
pointing to the brightest and most beautiful of the
joyous and happy throng, said, turning his glad eye on
the mother, " There is Martha as she is."

The dreamer awoke, but awoke from that dream in

unutterable ecstasy — she awoke praising God. In

relating this dream she said to the writer, " Dream

though it was, to me it was an apocalypse. I brushed

away my tears. My heart was relieved of its sorrow,

and now I believe, and I have long believed, that

Martha's death was best for her and best for her

mother."

— Rev. .Iohn E. EmvAiiDs, D.D.

.:ki

A FATHERS VISION.

A FATHER'S VISION.

I! II

I! I

Some fifteen or sixteen years after the death of our

infant son, " I had a vision in my sleep" — a vision the

remembrance of which no earthly considerations would

induce me to part with. I supposed myself to have

left the body, and to be in the precincts of the celestial

city. I was slowly advancinpj towards the eternal

throne, which was just visible in the distance. If the

blessedness of the soul in heaven can be more perfect

than mine was then, I can form no conception of what

that blessedness can be. " The glory of the Lord did

lighten the place, and the Lamb was the light thereof."

Infinite quietude and bliss was all about me, and every

capacity of my nature was filled with the light and

peace, and blessedness of God. As I was thus slowly

advancing towards the throne, there appeared dirtctly

before me a youth in all the freshness and bloom of

immortality— a youth who approached very near, and,

with intense inquiry, looked me in the face. Suddenly

his whole countenance lighted up with a smile of joyful

recognition, " It is my father come at last." Thus

may we expect to meet our little ones who have gone

before us, provided we ourselves shall be permitted to

" pass through the gates into the city." The effect of

that smile of recognition upon me was such that I

suddenly awoke. Since I had the vision, however,

heaven has appeared more like lK)me to me than it

could otherwise have done.

— Rev. Asa Mahan, D.I).

A sister's vision.

A SISTER'S VISION.

During months of anxiety I watched by the bedside
of a precious sister, and read and talked much of
heaven, until at times it seemed as though yon pearly
gates would move aside, wliile to our enraptured gaze,
faith would be lost in sight. While I beheld the pro-
gress of disease, and knew that soon those lustrous
eyes would be glazed in death, I was not prepared to
say : " It is the Lord, let Him do as seemeth Him
good." Yet I believed grace might be received to
enable me not only to say : " Thy will be done," but
in the fulness of heart rejoice in the will of God. With
this faith I resolved to plead the promise, " It' ye shall
ask anything in My name I will do it." Long and
earnestly did I plead upon that memorable night, until
" Be it unto thee according to thy faith," assured me I
had prevailed. I inunediately retired to rest, as the
clock had struck tlie hour of eleven, and fell into a
sweet sleep. Soon in my sleep I saw the front door of
my room slightly open, am' ■'.■ beautiful dove enter the
room. I called it a dove, nn I could think of nothing
else so emblematic of perfect purity. In form and
color it surpassed anything f ever saw. It vas not
tinged with the colors of the rainlK)w, nor robed in the
purest white <lown, for earth has nothing with which
to compare it — no language adeijuate to the description.
It was beautiful, inexpressibly beautiful and glorious.
As it entered the room it took a circle around it (the

■L .

SS3S

A SISTERS VISION.

room beinp^ full, while sadness rested upon each coun-
tenance), and came directly to me, lightinj:^ upon my
left shoulder, with its beak against my face. Every
eye rested upon it with wonder and amazement, when
suddenly it began to sing. Suchvuisic! would I could
describe it ! I almost wondered whether I was an
inhabitant of earth or heaven ; my very soul seemed
bounding with deliixht as heaven's own strains burst
forth upon my ear ; the loftiest imagination can con-
ceive of nothing in the least to compare with it.
While thus enraptured with delight, my father was
the lirst to speak. Said he: "How beautifully it
sings!" 'Yes," I replied,"! never heard anything of the
like before ;" upon which my heavenly visitant spoke,
and said, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
My soul was full ; I could not speak ; but while I
gazed upon it in silent adoration I th">ught: May not
this resemble the dove which descended upon the
Saviour at baptism, and is it not sent as a comforter
in these repeated bereavements, assuring me, though
all my earthly friends depart, yet I shall never bu for-
saken. While such were my thoughts, with the most
inexpressible joy, I awoke; and was afterward
informed by the watchers, that at that same hour of
the night my sister was struck with deith. While
passing through the valley her voice broke forth in
rapturous strains of which the key-note was ''Glory to

Jesus"

— M. H. T., IN Guide to Holiness.

A BELIEVER S VISION.

A BELIEVER'S VISION.

While engaged in a series of meetings, worn in body,
almost fainting in spirit, far from home, apparently
alone among strangers, after renewing my covenant
with God, and paying that I had vowed, I retired to
rest, was soon lost in sleep, and dreamed of witnessing
a vast multitude of people, which no man could num-
ber, all moved by some intense excitement. Some, in
confusion, seemed going here and there, with no
definite object in view ; while others, with myself,
were journeying towards the sun-rising, and were soon
removed out of a strait into a broad place where there
was no straitness. A strange pure light shone upon
us, and permeated our very beings. My heart was
peculiarly warmed, —

"While grief, and fear, and care did fly
/\b clouds before the mid-day sun."

Tliero were no rapturous emotions, and yet I was
consciouH of deop, holy joy. M)^ strength was very
much renewed ; and, while in this upward course, the
I'lch, mellow light so wonderfully increased, that it
appeared like a broad, gently rolling river, upon which
was borne the New Jerusalem, "coming down from
God out of heaven," to my very feet. The wall of the
city, its gates of pearl, its mansions, domes and spires,
with the holiness of its atmosphere, the glory of its
light, as presented to my mind, beggars description.
I saw the tree of life, and in the distance seemed to

^W— I

A BELIEVEIIS VISION.

I
I

)

II \

catch a glimpRo of the spotless robes of the pure in
heart, and was assured that " the tabernacle of God is
with men." I saw multitudes tiocking to this city,
while joy inexpressible was beaminj]j from each
countenance. In all that throng, I saw not one with
saddened brow. I awaited an invitation to enter ;
when I was assured that the view was presented to
my mental vision to encourage me in the work of soul-
saving, that I might lead many to " bring their glory
and honor into it." In sweet submission my will
blended with the divine will, and I awoke strong to
labor, and saw the divine power wonderfully mani-
fested in the salvation of nany souls during that
meeting. But what seems remarkable is the fact, that
Mrs. M. E. Page, with whom at the time I had never
met, at the same time, in a dream in all points exactly
the same, was in like manner strengthened to labor in
the cause of Christ.

" By faith we already behold

That lovely Jerusalem hero.
Her walls are of jasper and gold ;

As crystal her buildings are clear ;
Immovably founded in grace,

She stands as she ever hath stood,
And brightly her builder displays,

And flames with the glory of God."

—Mrs. M. H. Twogood.

A VOICE OF THE DEl'ARTED.

A VOICE OF THE DEPARTED.

I SHINE in tic light of God ;

His likeness stamps my brow ;
Through the valley of death my feet have trod,

And 1 reign in glory now.

No breaking heart is here,

No keen and thrilling pair
No wasted cheek, where Jie frequent tear

Hath rolled, and left its stain.

I have readied the joys of heaven ;

I am one of the sainted band ;
To my head a crown of gold is given,

And a harp is \\\ my hand.

I have learned the song they sing

Whom Jesus hath set free.
And the glorious walls of heaven still ring

With my new-born melody.

No sin, no grief, no pain.

Safe in my happy home,
My fears all fled, my doubts all slain.

My hour of triumph's come.

O friends of mortal years,

The trusted and the true.
Ye are waiting still in the valley of tears,

But I wait to welcome you.

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WEBSTER, NY. 14580

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COMFORT TO A BEREAVED MOTHER.

Do I forget ? Oh, no !

For memory's golden chain
Shall bind my heart to hearts below,

Till they meet to touch again.

Each link is strong and bright ;

And love's electric flame
Flows freely down, like a river of light.

To the world from whence it came.

Do jou mourn when another star
Shines out in the glittering sky ?

Do you weep when the raging voice of war
And the storms of conflict die ?

Then why do your tears run down,
Why your hearts so sorely riven,

For another gem in the Saviour's crown,
And another soul in heaven ?

— B.

A LETTER OF COMFORT TO A BE RE A VED

MOTHER,

The following communication has been placed in our
hands, but without any thought on the part of the
writer of publication. It is so full of sweetness and
genuine purity, however, that we will not withhold it,
especially from those who have experienced like
sorrow : —

COMFORT TO A P.E HEAVED MOTHER.

" My dear Friend, — Though I carnot realize the
extent of yor.r affliction, . feel for you the heartiest
sympathy. 1 have no desire to make j'our loss ap-
pear lij^hter, or ycur sorrow to be without suflPtcient
reason ; but if the gate of heaven could be held open
a moment so that you could catch a glimpse of the
love and felicity your boy enjoys to-day, you would
for his sake be willing to endure the anguish of your
heart — though it would be none the less anguish.
Our heavenly Father has written, for the comfort of
the homeless and the orphaned, * When thy father
and thy mother forsake thee, the Lord will take thee
up/ and He certainly will not neglect the everlasting
comfort of the little darlings who to their own help-
lessness have all the added attractions that spring
from parental love. He knew that you were making,
and would continue to make, great exertions for the
boy's advantage, and He saw that He could do better
for him than your best He saw that you would in-
defatigably do your utmost to clothe and educate the
child ; would conserve his health, introduce him on
the highest attainable plane into society and business,
and make him as eminent and influential as possible;
that you hoped to guide him through the dangers of
early life, and, having trudged yourself along the
weary road, at last to wait for him in heaven — I say,
God, who is very pitiful and of tender mercy, saw all
this ; but He saw much more. He did not ask you
to choose ; He gave you what He knew you would
choose if you could see things from a heavenly stand-

i' t

COMFORT TO A BEREAVED MOTHER.

if!

m i

point — what yoii will be grateful for when you know
all. Instead' of the clothing you would have provided
our Father has given him the white raiment of para-
dise ; for his education, instead of the limited school
privileges you could command, God has given His
angels charge over him; for his society Jesus will con-
fess him before His Father and the holy angels ; for
business activity, he is to become one of the minister-
ing spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salva-
tion, of whom, thank God ! you are one ; for His com-
fort, God will wipe all tears from his eyes, and he shall
never again feel sorrow or pain ; and for his greatness,
hear what the Bible says, ' The disciples came unto
Oesus saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven ? And Jesus called a little child, and set him
in the midst.'

" Ah, my dear friend, instead of you leading your
child to heaven, the child, so much wiser already in
heavenly knowledge than you, may have the holy
pleasure of drawing you with * cords of love that never
can be broke ' to the God of love. I am sure that, great
as is your sorrow, it is a comfort that your boy has
thus early been given the happiness thus far denied to
you. You perhaps feel that he is very far away ; be
assured that he feels near to you, although you can no
longer see his form or listen to his childish prattle.
You know that the Lord Jesus loved the children, took
them in His arms, put His hands upon them, and
blessed them. Your child to-day experiences this
caressing love, and is blessed by the comfort of Christ?

I HAVE A HOME.

the man of sorrows and acquainted with ^rief. Fix
your faith firmly on God's luisdom, which never makes
an error, and His sympathy, which never allows an
avoidable affliction. And may His tenderest blessings
attend you until your family is reunited in

" 'Jerusalem the golden !

There all our birds that flew,
Our flowers but half unfolden,

Our pearls that turned to dew,
And all the glad life-musi"

Now heard no longer here,
Shall come again to greet us

As we are drawing near.'"

"/ HA VE A home:'

I HAVE a home, a home so bright, its beauties none

can know ;
Its sapphire pavements, and such palms — none ever

saw below ;
Its golden streets resound with joy, its pearly gates

with praise ;
A temple standeth in the midst no human hand could

raise ;

And there unfailing fountains flow, and pleasures

never end.
Who makes that home so glorious ? It is rny lovino"

Friend.

— Anna Shipton.
7

.;t

THE infant's dream.

THE INFANTS DREAM.

On, cradle me on thy knee, mamma,

And sing me the holy strain
That soothed me last, as you fondly pressed
My glowing cheek to your soft white breast,
For I saw a scene when I slumbered last

That I fain would see again.

And smile as you then did smile, mamma,

And weep as you then did weep ;
Then fix on me thy glistening eye
And gaze, and gaze, till the tear be dry ;
Then rock me gently, and sing and sigh.

Till you lull me fast asleep.

For I dreamed a heavenly di ?am, mamma,

While slumbering on thy knee ;
And I lived in a land where forms divine
In kingdoms of glory eternally shine ;
And the world I'd give, if the world were mine,

Again that land to see.

I fancied we roamed in a wood, mamma,

And we rested, as under a bough ;
Then near me a butterfly flaunted in pride,
And I chased it away through the forest wide,
Till the night came on, and I lost my guide,
And I knew not what to do.

My heart was sick with fear, mamma,
And I loudly wept for thee ;

THE infant's dream. 91)

But a white-robed maiden appeared in the air,
And she flung back tlio curls of her golden h;iir,
Then she kissed nie softly ere I was aware,
Saying, "Come, pretty babe, with me!"

My tears and fears she guiled, mamma,

And she led mr far away ;
We entered the door of the dark, dark tomb.
We passed through a long, long vault of gloom ;
Then opened our eyes on a land of bloom ;

And a sky of endless day.

And heavenly forms were there, mamma,

Such lovely cherubs bright ;
They smiled when they saw me, but I was amazed.
And wondering, around me I gazed, and gazed ;
And songs I heard, and sunny beams blazed,

All glorious in the land of light.

But soon came a shining throng, mamma,

Of white-v.'^.nged babes to me ;
Their eyes looked love, and their sweet lips smiled.
And they marvelled to meet with an earth-born child,
Then they gloried that I from the earth was exiled,

Saying, " Here, love, blest shalt thou be."

Then I mixed with the heavenly throng, mamma,

With cherub, and seraphim fair ;
And saw, as I roam'd the regions of peace.
The spirits which came from this world of distress ;
And there was the joy no tongue can express.

For they know no sorrow there.

McMASTER UNIVERSITY LIBRAR1I

100

THE INFANTS DREAM.

Do you mind when sister Jane, mamma,

Lay dead a sliort time agone 1
Oh, you gazed on the sad, but lovely wreck.
With a full ilood of woe you could not check ;
And your heart was so sore, and you thought it would brea'

But it loved, and you aye sobbed on.

But oh ! had you been with me, mamma,

In the realms of unknown care,
And had seen what I saw, you ne'er had sighed,
Though they laid pretty Jane in the grave when she died
For shining with the blessed, and adorned like a bride.

My sweet sister Jane was there !

Do you mind that silly old man, mamma.

Who lately came to our door.
When the night was dark, and the tempest loud.
And his heart was weak, but his soul was proud.
And his ragged old mantle served for his shroud,

Ere the midnight watch was o'er ?

And think what a weight of woe, mamma,

Made heavy each long-drawn sigh.
As the good man sat in papa's old chair
While the rain dripped down from his thin gray hair,
And fast as the big tear of speechless care

Ran down from his glaring eye.

And think what a heavenward look, mamma.

Flashed through each trembling eye.
As he told how he went to the baron's stronghold,
Saying, " Oh ! let me in, for the nigiil is so cold ;"
But the rich man cried, " Go sleep in the wold,

For we shield no beggars here."

THE CIIILDllEN ARE SAFE. ]01

Well ! he was in glory, too, mamma.

As happy as the best can be ;
He needs no alms in the mansions of liirht.

For he sat with the patriarchs cloth 'd in white

There was not a seraph had a crown more bri^^ht,

Nor a costlier robe than he.

Now sing, for I fain would sleep, mamma,

And dream, as I dream'd before ;
For sound was my slumber and sweet was my n^st,
While my spirit 'n the kingdom of life was a guest—
And the heart Unit has throbbed in the climes of tho blest

Can love this world no more.

— Wm. Millar, Dumfkies.

THE CHILDREN ARE SAFE.

I DREAMED, and in my vision I saw the City of
Destruction which John Bunyan beheld two centuries
ago. But all was changed. Nob one of the inhabi-
tants of his day was there. I made diligent inquiry
about them, and found that some, having heard of
Christian's triumphant entrance into Mount Zion, had
left the city with their faces set like flint, determined
to find the New Jerusalem which John saw (Rev. xxi.
2) ; but the greater portion remained and perished in
their sins (Matt. xx. 16).

I met one, Destiny ; he told me chis. I asked him
about the children, and he opened to me a book and
read, " Suffer tkein^ to come unto i/e."

lij

102

THE CHILDREN AllE SAFE.

,, I

S i

" Are they safe ? " I asked.

His answer came with joy, for as he spoke, the
morning Sun of Righteousness broke over the eastern
hills, and lit up every feature of his countenance.

*' Yes, they are safe," said he, " for out of the mouths
of babes and sucklings God hath perfected praise"
(Matt. xxi. 16).

At this he touched my ears with his hands, and bade
me hearken. Oh ! what music was that I heard ! Ten
thousand times ten thousand voices were singing a new
song (Rev. v. 9-x*l):

" Hosauna to our Lord and King,
Hoaanna to His name wo sing ;
Redeemed by blood and saved by grace,
We fall before Thy blessed face
And give Thee praise."

Then I heard as it were " every creature which is in
heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such
as are in the sea, saying. Blessing and honor and glory
and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." But above the
voice of all the rest, I could hear the mighty chorus of
the children. I begged him to open my eyes, that I
might catch at least one glimpse of the countless
throng.

" Thou canst not see and live," said he.

I plead, and not in vain. " Thou shall see as through
a glass darkly" (1 Cor. xiii. ^2), and then he touched
mine eyes, and behold ! what wonders ! Truly is it
written, 'Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither

THE CIIILDUEN AllE SAFE.

103

hath it entered into the heart of man the thin^^s God
liath prepared for them that love Him" (Lsa. Ixiv. 4).
It was but a peep he gave me through the jasper walla
of " that city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God " (Heb. xi. 10).

I saw a gathering, the like of which one never dreams.
The children of all lands and of every clime and of
every age, from the beginning of the world, were
marching to the martial music of a million harps.
They were passing the throne whereon sat " the Lion
of the Tribe of Judah" (Rev. v. 5). They bore in
tlieir hands a palm ; every head wore a tiny crown ;
their faces gleamed with a light that mortals never
see. Without a leader, for every heart seemed to
know just when and what and how to sing, they made
the very walls join in their songs of praise to the one
who was born a babe in Bethlehem. "The twelve
gates" of the city could not be shut (Rev. xxi. 12),
for the musio of their hymns went ringing out through
the universe, till star after star caught the echo, and
sang together. As quick as thought I searched amid
the multitude for little Amy that had been taken from
our home and buried beneath the sod, and lo ! she was
there, living and not dead. Not silent in the grave,
but singing in heaven. In that moment of rapture I
had one great, longing desire, and plead with Destiny
to grant it ; but he would not. I wanted to bring
those who wept over the loss of their little ones to see
what I saw. I knew their tears of sorrow would be
turned into tears of joy.

104

LAND IN SrOHT.

The children are with God. Amid the weeping and
wailing in Tophet there is never heard the cry of a
single babe or child. ** Hell has no children. Heaven
has them all." Destiny spoke thus to me.

—Rev. C. H. Yatman.

Newarky N. J.

1 i

LAND IN SIGHT.

Land in sight, land in sight,

The glorious land of light,
E'en now its pearly gates my eyes behold,

Adorned with jewels rare ;

Oh, sight most wondrous fair.
And streets with pavements all of shining gold.

E'en now its happy sainted throng I see.

And on my eager ear.

Full, sweet, and rising clear,
Swells the glad tide of holy harmony.

There sits the Holy One, once crucified.

Who all our sufferings bore,

When human form He wore.
And shed for us His blood, a crimson tide.

Abiding place of those from earth released,

Arrayed in spotless white,

Who conquered in the fight —
I hear their songs around the marriage feast.

—J. W. Paul.

A GLANCE AT IIKAVEN.

10 ■

A GLANCE A T HE A VEN.

Being wea^3^ in consequence of the labor and anxiety
of life, I have chosen, for a solace, to wander into the
field at eventide, like Isaac of old, to meditate ; and all
at onco, as quick as thought, I find my mind trans-
ported from this world of disappointment, sorrow,
sickness, pain and death, to a land of living verdure
and captivating delights, in the midst of a shoreless
sea of bliss, surrounded by myriads of o])jccts of
admiration and wonder, where the inhabitants enjoy
perpetual health and eternal youth.

The reigning joy of that heavenly land is that
Jehovah keeps His royal court in person. There His
dwelling-place is enriched with the richest profusion
of His love. There His saints rejoice to behold the
adorable displays of His perfection, the manifestations
of His goodness, and the outletings of His love. There
the intercourse between Him and His redeemed ones
carries Him to the utmost extent of communicable
glory. The buildings that are there are the palaces of
the great King, in which are man.^ ons prepared for
His loved ones. These mansions "e magni^cent,
founded in grace, and furnished wiih glory. Ao-e
shall never enter there, and nothing shall decay.
What a beautiful city is the New Jerusalem ! Its gates
are al! gloriously set in pearls, and there the attributes
of God blaze divinely bright. There also is our Em-
manuel, titting up mansions for His forthcoming

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106

A GLANCE AT HEAVEN.

saints. The trophies of eternal victory already there,
bow fit His feet. He is our elder brother, our near
kinsman; from this relation our grandeur springs, our
being connected with the high and honorable family
of hea xi. A great blessing, indeed, to be a brother
to the Son of God, and to hear Him, in that capacity,
declare to us His ^''ather's name. We shall see Him,
and be like Him, and then we shall be eternally
happy.

O happy land of God, where the rivers of pleasure
overflow their banks forever ! O rapture, ecstatic
joys, everlasting heaven ! Thy joys are too great
{'or our iiiorcal frames ; none but glorified bodies can
bear the transports of thine eternal day. The:e the
general afisembly of the saints will be on the holy
Mount Zion, to dwell forever in the royal pavilion of
glory, and have most intimate communion with the
King eternal. What rapturous notes will then sound
through the sweet groves of bliss. All heaven will be
melody — angels will accent the aong. There we shall
drink at life's immortalizing stream, and draw water
out of the wells of salvation. There we shall have
life beyond the reach of death, health secured from
sickness, and pleasure without pain. Our bodies will
be immortal, our souls immaculate, our senses sancti-
fied, our faculties enlarged, and our whole soul filled

with divinity.

—Guide to Holiness.

THE LIGHTS ALONG THE SHORE.

107

THE LIGHTS ALONG THE SHORE.

That system of religion of which God is the centre
and head, which has its grandest trophy and symbol
in the cross of Christ, opens the vast and near eternity
. . . to the desiring and exulting hope of every
soul that has found rest in Christ.

I remember, when a lad, coming for the first time
into this beautiful Portland harbor from Boston by
the boat. The night was windy and rough. The
cabin was confined, the boat was small ; and very early
in the morning I went up on deck. There was nothing
but the blue waste around, dark and threatening, and
the clouded heavens above. At last suddenly on the
horizon flashed a light, and then after a little while
another, and then a little later another still, from the
lighthouses along the coast ; and at last the light at
the entrance of the harbor became visible just as " the
fingers of the dawn " were rushing up into the sky.
As we swept around into the harbor, the sun-rise gun
was fired from the cutter lying in the harbor, the band
struck up a martial and inspiring air, the great splen-
dor of the rising sun flooded the whole view, and every
windov/ pane on these hills, as seen from the boat,
seemed to be a plate of burnished gold let down from
the celestial realms.

We are drawing nearer to the glory of the latter
day. I have thought of that vision often. I thought
of it then as representing what might be conceived of
the entrance into heaven. 1 have thought of it as I

108

THE NEW JERUSALEM.

liave stood by the bed of the dying and seen their
faces flush and flash in a radiance that I could not
apprehend. I think of it still. The lights are
brightening along the coast ; the darkness is disappear-
ing ; the harbor is not far off"; the Sun of Righteous-
ness is to arise in all the earth, and the golden ghjry
of the New Jerusalem is to be established here.

— Rev. R. S. Storrs, D.D.

<)i »:

Come out from the gloom,
And open your heart to the light
That is flooding God's world with delight,

And unfolding its bloom.

His kingdom of grace

Is symbolized in all that we see,

In budding and leafing of tree,

And fruit in its place.

— Emily J. Bdgbee.

THE NEW JERUSALEM.

Bathed in unfallen sunlight,

Itself a sun-born g3m,
Fair gleams the glorious city,
The New Jerusalem !
City fairest,
Splendor rarest.

Let me gaze on thee !

THE NEW JERUSALEM.

Calm in her queenly glory,

She sits all joy and light ;
Pure in her bridal beauty,
Her raiment festal-white !
Home of gladness,
Free from sadness,
Let me dwell in thee !

Shading her golden pavement,

The tree of life is seen.
Its fruit-rich branches waving.
Celestial evergreen.
Tree of wonder,
Let me under

Thee forever rest !

Fresh from the throne of Godhead,

Bright in its crystal gleam.
Bursts out the living fountain.
Swells on the living stream.
Blessed river.
Let me ever,

Feast my eye on thee !

Streams of true life and gladness,
Spring of all health and peace ;
No harps by thee hang silent,
Nor happy voices cease.
Tranquil river,
Let me ever

Sit and sing by thee !

109

110

THERE S LIGHT ABOVE US.

River of God, I greet thee,
Not now afar, but near ;
My soul, to thy still waters,
Hastes in its thirstings here.
Holy river,
Let me ever

Drink of only thee !

— HORATIUS BONAR, D.D.

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hi ? i

THERE S LIGHT ABOVE US.

When the light of day departing

Draws the curtain of the skies.
And the gloomy clouds of autumn

Hide the star-light from our eyes ;
Then, in sympathy with creature

Oft our hearts grow gloomy too.
Till some angel lifts the curtain,

And the light comes pouring through.

So, in times of deep bereavement,

When our household sun has set,
Oft our spirits mourn in darkness

O'er the joys we can't forget,
Till an angel lifts the curtain

That enshrouds our hearts in gloom ;
Then we raise our eyes in wonder,

For there's light above the tomb.

fi^

THERE 8 LIGir ABOVE US.

Yes, oh yes, there's light above us,

And the clouds that check our view
Shall be (jilt with gulden edges

When that glo. ious light comes through ;
And the bright and radiant faces

Of the " loved ones gone before,"
Will be sweetly smiling on us

From the banks of yomler shore.

Upward, therefore, ever upward

Tiet us lift our hopeful eyes,
And we oft shall catch sweet glimpses

Of the upper paradise ;
And our dear ones, looking downward

From the fragrant fields above,
Oft shall drop us flowers of Eden

As mementoes of their love.

Ill

Yes, and when our pilgrim footsteps

Shall approach the final goal ;
And the shades of death shall gather

Like a mist around the soul ;
Then, on angel-pinions flying,

Thoy shall meet us on our way.
And conduct us safely homeward

To the blessed realms of day.

— From Truth.

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112

MINISTERING SPIRITS,

MINISTERING SPIRITS.

Now, upon the bank of the river, on the other side,
they saw the two shining men again, who there waited
for them. Therefore, being come out of the river,
they saluted them, saying : " We are ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of
salvation." Thus they went toward the gate.

Now, you must note that the city stood upon a
Uiighty hill ; but the pilgrims went up that hill with
ease, because they had these two men to lead them up
by the arms ; they had likewise left their mortal
garments behind them in tha river ; for though they
went in with them, thej came out without them.
They, therefore, went up here with much agility and
speed, though the foundation upon which the city was
framed was highe^ than the clouds, they, therefore,
went up through the regions of the air, sweetly talking
as they went, being comforted, because they safely got
over the river, and had such glorious companions to
attend them.

The talk that they had with the shining men was
about the glory of the place ; who told them that the
beauty and glory of it was inexpressible. " There," said
they, is " the Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the
innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just
men made perfect." You are going now, said they,
to the paradise of God, wherein you shall see the tree
of life, and eat of the never-fading fruits thereof ; and.

MINISTERINO SPIRITS.

113

when you come there, you shall have white robes
given you, and your walk and talk shall be every day
with the kings even all the days of eternity. There
you shall not see again such things as when you were
in the lower region, upon the earth, to wit : sorrow,
sickness, affliction and death ; " for the former things
are passed away." You are going now to Abraham,
to Isaac, and to the prophets, men that God hath taken
away from the evil to come, and that are now resting
upon their beds, each one walking in his righteousness.
The men then asked, " What must we do in the holy
place ? " To whom it was answered : " You must there
receive the comfort of all your toil, and have joy
for all your sorrow ; you must reap what you have
sown,, even the fruit of all your prayers, and tears,
and sufferings for the King by the way. In that place
you must wear crowns of gold, and enjoy the perpetual
sight and visions of the Holy One : for there you shall
see Him as He is. There also you shall serve Him
continually with praise, with shouting and thanks-
giving, whom you desired to serve in the world, though
with much difficulty, because of the infirmity of your
flesh. There you shall enjoy your friends again that
are gone thither before you, and there you shall with
joy receive even every one that follows into the holy
place after you. There also you shall be clothed with
glory and majesty, and put into an equipage fit to
ride out with the King of Glory."

—From Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress."

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114

A BEULATI SONG.

A BEULAH SONG.

" For the Lord, Thy (Jod, bringcth thee into a good land, a
land of brooks of water, of fountains and doptlis that spring out
of the valleys and hills." — Deut. viii. 7.

"And 1 will give her the valley of Achor for a door of h'>pe ;
and she shall sing there." — Hos. ii. 15.

God has given me a song,

A song of trust ;
And I sing it all day long,

For sinjj I must :
Every hour it sweeter grows,
Keeps my soul in blest repose.
Just how restful no one knows

But those who trust.

Oh, I sing it on the mountain,

In the light ;
Where the radiance of God's sunshine

Makes all bright ;
All my path seems bright and clear,
Heavenly land seems very near.
And I almost do appear j

To walk by sight.

And I sing it in the valley.

Dark and low ;
When my heart is crushed with sorrow,

Pain and woe ;
Then the shadows flee away
Like the night when dawns the day ;
Trust in God brings light alway,

I find it so.

THE OTHER SIDE. 115

When I sing it in the desert,

Parched and dry,
Living streams begin to flow

A rich supply;
Verdure in abundance grows,
D'^scrts blossom like a rose,
And my heart with gladness <rlows

At God's reply.

For I've crossed the River Jordan,

And I stand
In the blessed land of promise —

Beulah land !
Trusting is like breathing here,
Just as easy ; doubt and fear
Vanish in this atmosphere,

And life is grand.

—India Wesleyan Watchman.

THE OTHER SIDE.

We dwell this side of Jordan's stream,
Yet oft there comes a shining beam

Across from yonder shore ;
While visions of a holy throng,
And sound of harp and seraph song,

Seem gently wafted o'er.

The Other Side, ah ! there's the place
Where saints in joy past times retrace
And think of trials gone;

IIG THE OTHER SIDE.

The veil withdrawn they clearly sec
That all on earth had need to be,
To bring them safely home.

The Other Side ! no sin is there

To stain the robes that blest ones wear,

Made white in Jesus* blood ;
No cry of grief, no voice of woe,
To mar the peace their spirits know,

There constant peace with God.

The Other Side ! its shore so bright
Is radiant with the golden light

Of Zion's city fair ;
And many dear ones gone before
Already tread the happy shore ;

I seem to see them there.

The Other Side ! oh, charming sight !
Upon its banks arrayed in white,

For me a loved one waits.
Over the stream he calls to me,
" Fear not, I am thy guide to be

Up to the pearly gates."

The Other Side ! his well known voice
And dear bright face will me rejoice;

We'll meet in fond embrace.
He'll lead me on until we stand,
Each with a palm branch in our hand.

Before the Saviour's face.

A GLIMPSE ACROSS THE STREAM.

The Other Side ! The Other Side !
Who would not brave the swelling tide

Of earthly toil and care;
To wake one day when life is past,
Over the stream and home at last,

With all the blest ones there?

117

-Anon.

A GLIMPSE ACROSS THE STREAM.

I CAUGHT a radiant glimpse to-night
Of the golden city out of sight,
Throned on the purple hills of light —

Over the river.

I saw the dazzling sea of glass,
And shining shapes that o'er it pass,
I saw their golden cymbals flash,

Over the river.

I saw them there, that martyr band.
Whom patriotic fires had fanned.
To perish for their native land, —

Over the river.

There phalanxed 'mid the sons of light,
In stainless uniform of white.
They stood in armor dazzling bright, —

Over the river.

Ill

118

A GLIMPSE ACROSS THE STllEAM.

I heard the roll-call, loud and clear,
And each new angel answered, here,
Then triumph pa3ans swept my ear, —

Over the river.

Oh ! the rarest country ever known,
In any clime or any zone —
Native to angel feet alone, —

Over the river.

You have lotus vales, where the weary rest,
You have isles of balm for the distrest.
And groves of spice for the early blest, —

Over the river.

I saw my fair dead mother go.
Through fields where milk-white roses blow,
And strike her golden cymbal low, —

Over the river.

My heart beat wild, but tenderly.
She fixed her mild blue eye on me,
And drew me in sweet ecstacy.

Over the river.

I walked the gardens of the blest,
My weary head upon her breast.
And felt the touch of her caress, —

Over the river.

Oh ! groves of spice, oh ! isles of balm.
Oh ! soul-life passing grand and calm,
As the flowing of an organ-psalm,

Over the river.

— Louisville Journal.

THE 80UL SET FUEE.

119

THE SOUL SET FREE.

Haim'Y is that soul which, freed from its earthly
prison, at liberty, seeks the sky ; which sees Thee, its
Lord, face to face ; which is touched hy no fear of
death, but rejoices in the incorruption of eternal glory.
At rest and secure, it no longer dreads death and the
eneujy. Now, Lord, it possesses Thee, whom it has
long sought and always loved. Now it is joined to
the company of those who sing to Thy praise ; and for-
ever it sings to Thy glory the sweet sounds of never-
ending blessedness. For of the fatness of Thy house,
and the rivers of Thy pleasure Thou givest it to drink.
Happy is the band of the heavenly citizens, and glori-
ous the solemnity of all who are coming back to Thee
from the sad toil of this our pilgrimage to the joy of
beauty, and the loveliness of universal splendor, and
the majesty of all grace. There shall the eyes of Thy
people see Thee face to face ; there nothing at all that
can trouble the mind is permitted to the ears.

Oh, how blessed shall I be if ever I hear those sweet
choirs of Thy citizens, those mellifluous songs ascrib-
ing the honor that is due to the Holy Trinity. But,
oh ! how exceedingly blessed shall I be if I shall be
found amonor those who sing to our Lord Jesus Christ
the sweet songs of Zion !

— St. Augustine's "Manual of Devotion."

120

HEAVEN AT LAST.

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BEAVEN AT LAST,

What a city ! what a glory !
Far beyond the brightest story
Of the ages old and hoary.
A h ! 'tis heaven at last !

Not a tear-drop ever falleth,

Not a pleasure ever palleth ;

Song to song forever calleth.

Ah ! 'tis heaven at last !

Christ Himself the living Splendor,
Christ the sunlight mild and tender ;
Praises to the Lamb ^e render.
Ah ! 'tis heaven at last !

Now at length the veil is rended,
Now the pilgrimage is ended,
And the saints their thrones ascended.
Ah ! 'tis heaven at last !

" I

Broken death's dread bands that bound us.
Life and victory around us ;
Christ the King Himself hath crowned "s.
Ah ! 'tis heaven at last !

— Rev. H. Bonar, D.D.

A VIEW FROM BEULAH LAND.

121

MY HOME ABOVE.

Though earth has full many a beautiful spot,

As painter and poet may show,
Yet more lovely and beautiful, holy and bright,
To the hopes of the heart and the spirit's glad sight,

Is the land which no mortal may know.

Th<3re the crystalline stream, bursting forth from the
throne,

Flows on, and forever will flow :
Its waves, as they roll, are with melody rife.
And its waters are sparkling with beauty and life,

In the land which no mortal may know.

Oh ! who but must pine in this dark vale of tears,

From its clouds and its shadows to go.
To walk in the light of the glory above.
And to share in the peace and the joy and the love
Of the land which no mortal may know ?

— Selected.

A VIEW FROM BEULAH LAND.

Were I to adopt the figurative language of
Bunyan, I might date this letter from the land of
Beulah, of which I have been for some weeks the
happy inhabitant. The celestial city is full in my
view. Its glories beam upon me ; its breezes fan me ;
its odors are wafted to me ; its sounds strike upon my

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122

WE SHALL SEE HIM.

ears ; and its spirit is breathed into my heart. Nothing
separates me from it but the river of death, which now
appears but as an insignificant rill that may be crossed
at a single step whenever God shall give permission.
The Sun of Righteousness has been gradually drawing
nearer and nearer, appearing larger and brighter as H'
approached, and now He fills the whole Lemisphere,
pouring forth a flood of glory in which I seem to float
like an insect in the beams of the sun ; exulting, yet
almost trembling, while I gaze on this excessive bright-
ness, and wondering, with unutterable wonder, why
God should deign thus to shine upon a sinful worm.
A single heart and a single tongue seem altogether
inadequate to my wants ; I want a whole heart for
everj'^ separate emotion, and a whole tongue to express
that emotion. But why do I speak of myself and my
feeling ? Why not speak only of c^ur God and
Redeemer ? It is because I know not what to say.
When I would speak of Him my words are all
swallowed up.

— Dr. Edward Payson, in a Letter to his
Sister when on his Death-bed.

WE SHALL SEE HIM.

There are thousands on thousands of men who walk
the earth, and many thousands more who sleep within
its bosom, in whose hearts have burned a desire to see
their Saviour's face. For centuries Christians have
loved an unseen Saviour, followed an unseen Leader,

WE SHAL SEE HIM.

123

trusted in an unseen Deliverer, worshipped an unseen
Lord. " Whom having not seen, ye love ; and in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." They have
not believed because they have seen, but they have
that blessing which is pronounced on those who have
not seen and yet have believed.

They have scanned with strange curiosity the
records of their Saviour's life and death, but among all
the particulars there laid down they have not been
able to fxud one nint or token that would inform them
concerning the personal appearance of Him who is
dearest to their hearts. Thus they know Him not
after the flesh, but He images to them the glory of the
invisible God.

It is not a vain curiosity that leads Christians to
desire to see their Lord. Their loving gratitude causes
them to long to behold the face that was marred and
spit upon, the brow that was wreathed with thorns,
the form that was pierced and torn and mangled for
their sins. And t'^^y have a strong assurance that at
last their desire shall be granted. " They shall see
His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads."
They shall be like Him, for they " shall see Him as
He is." Their "eyes shall see the King in His
beauty ; " they shall behold Him whom their souls
have loved with unuttered and unutterable desire.

And when that beatific vision shall salute our eves
we shall have looked our last look on sorrows, and
afflictions, and foes ; we shall have witnessed the last

124

THE BEATIFIC VISION.

I 1 •

parting, and shall have beheld the last death-bed scene ;

we shall have gazed on the lest grave, and have read

the last monumental inscription. Henceforth our

eyes shall be turned to brighter scenes ; in gazing on

Him in His glory we shall be like Him, for we shall

see Him as He is, and shall be satisfied when we

awake in His likeness.

" There we shall see His face,
And never, never sin :
There from the rivers of His grace
Drink endless pleasures in."

— H. L. Hastings.

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THE BE A TIFIC VISION.

* ' The nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light
of it." — Rev. xxi. 24.

" Not the glitter and glory ; not the diamond and topaz ; no,
it is God ; He is all in all." — Richard Watson.

" Walk in that light ! " — oh ! who are they
Whose feet shall tread that shining way ?
Whose sight, undazzled, shall behold
That pavement of transparent gold ?
By angels welcomed, who, oh ! who
Shall pass those pearly portals through.
And brighten in the glorious blaze
Of that gemm'd city's sparkling rays ?

There walk the saved ; but not in light
Of suns in sevenfold lustre bright ;
Nor peerless moonbeams' silent sheen,
Reposing soft, on velvet green ;

THE BEATIFIC VISION.

125

No ! where the hallowed radiance spreads
From golden lamps, o'er sainted heads,
Within the temple ceaseless found.
While walk the hours their silent round.

There walk the saved ; yes ! they who bore,
While traversing life's stormy shore,
Through tears of blood, the hallowed cross ;
Who, purged from earth's terrestrial dross,
Received the Saviour's form impressed ;
Whose signet, on each hallowed breast,
Enstamped the mystic name, unknown
To all but those around the throne.

Who, calm 'midst earth's tumultuous strife,
Drew from himself that inward life
Which spirits breathe, from sense apart ;
While deep in each devoted heart.
The formless glory dwelt serene,
Of old, in cherub splendor seen,
Preludes of bliss reserved above,
In perfect light for perfect love.

Now, all is heaven ! no temple there
Unfolds its gates, no voice of prayer
From that bright multitude ascends ;
But holy rapture, reverent, bends
Before the mediatorial throne ;
Before the Lamb ! whose beams alone
Irradiate that eternal sky ;
The bursting blaze of Deity !

126 THE BEATIFIC VISION.

Soft is the voice of golden lutes ;
Soft bloom heaven's ambrosial fruits ;
Bright beams the dazzlincj lustre shed
From radiant gems in orde** spread,
From golden streets, from emerald floors,
From crystal floods, and pearly doors,
From rainbow tints, from angels' wings,
And all unuttered glorious things.

Yet, not that city's dazzling glow.
Nor limped waters' crystal flow.
Nor dulcet harmony that springs
From golden lyres, nor angels' wings,
Though glistening with intensest dyes,
Reflected from immortal skies,
Completes the palmy bliss of those
On whom heaven's p6c\rly portals close.

No ! 'tis with unflimed eyes to see

The once incarnate Deity ;

Who still, in lamb-like meekness, bears.

Imprinted deep, those glorious scars,

Whence issued wide that crimson flow,

In which their robes were washed below,

Which bought that crown, whose splendor bright,

Now spheres them in a world of light.

No ! 'tis not all that heaven can show
Of great, or fair, unglimpsed below,
Nor converse deep with spirits high.
Who saw these volleyed lightnings fly.

ill

THEY SHALL SEE ClOD.

127

Which scathed their bright compeers in bliss,
And hurled them down to hell's abyss ;
Who marked creation rise sublime,
And hymned the early birth of time.

No ! not with minds like these to blend,
And feel each angel form a friend ;
But God, their fount, to know and see ;
From all-pervading Deity,
To catch the nearer burst of light ;
To gain the beatific sight ;
Entranced in glory's peerless blaze,
Conformed to Him, on Hvin to gaze.

— Mrs. Bulmer.

;ht,

" THEY SHALL SEE GOUr

" They shall see God." O heaven's benediction !

Falling like music from the upper spheres ;
To you it comes, laden with sin's affliction —

Promise of joy for sorrow, songs for tears.

Sometimes our hearts are dull, our eyes are holden,
Earth's shadows press around and dim our sight ;

It seems so far away, that city golden.
We see it not, frail children of the night.

But " blessed are the pure ; " with vision clearer
They gaze on things eternal, things unseen ;

The land far off comes ever near and nearer,
Until there seems but little left between.

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128

THEY SHALL SEE GOD.

Earth wears for them the ever-bright reflection,
The softened glory of the tearless land ;

While all the treasures of a pure affection,
They daily pour within the nail-pierced hand.

No longer is it Chance 'hat smites them blindly,
Or drives them here and there in wanton play ;

'Tis He, Eternal Love, who smites them kindly.
And leads them by a right, though winding way.

Far out upon the desert hot and burning.
They see the common bushes all aflame ;

And from the flocks a little moment turning,
A voice speaks forth the unutterable Name.

The changing seasons, ever coming, going.
Like four evangelists. His praise record ;

Nature herself is but a verger, showing
The silent, glorious temple of the Lord.

And when the heavenly life on earth is ended.
And Death shall touch the lingering film away —

Thrice blessed now, by angel-guards attended,
" They shall see God," through one eternal day.

—Rev. Henry Burton, B.A.

aLORIOlTS CULMINATIONS,

129

GLORIOUS CULMINATIONS.

The whole order and society of heaven will be ad-
justed for the social comfort and complete develop-
ment of all the glorified spirits v/ho shall compose it.
Whatever separates will be taken down and abolished
forever, and perfect love and friendship reign to all
eternity. Blessed state! Let tis not doubt that in
measure more than we can conceive, and an order of
felicity greater than we can imagine, all glorified souls
will forever progress along the enlarging and ascend-
ing experiences of immortal life. All that was useless
in acquirement in their inferior earthly life, or only
useful for the earth, will perish with the earthly ; all
needless and false learnings; all imperfect and un-
worthy ideas and affections ; all that were arrange-
ments for physical production and growth and disci-
pline ; all impediments and hindrances : and those
things only will be retained that ennoble and aggran-
dize our existence. Unalloyed life will remain — the
life of perfect love ; the life of ceaseless acquisition of
knowledge ; the life of joyous and happy freedom in
noble activities; the life of useful and helpful ministries;
the life of fellowship with God — eternal life. As we
look up into those glorious culminations, how grand
life becomes ! To be forever with the Lord, and for-
ever changing into His likeness, and, still more, forever
deepening in the companionship of His thought and
bliss, " from glory to glory/' could we desire more ?

—Bishop R. S. Foster, D.D.
9

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130 THE FULNESS OF JOY.

THE " FULNESS OF JO F."

"The Lamb is their Light and their Sun,

And, lo ! by reflection they shine,
With Jesus ineffably one,

And bright in effulgence divine !
The saints in His presence receive

Their great and eternal reward ;
In Jesua, in heaven they live ;

They reign in the smile of their Lord ;
The flame oi angelical love

Is kindled at Jesus's face ;
And all the enjoyment above

Consists in the rapturous gaze."

What is the great attraction of heaven ? It is not
the thought of its pomp and splendor — of the beauty
of cherubim, seraphim, angels and saints, and of the
enjoyment arising from its society, that makes heaven
attractive to the Christian. It is not merely the
thought of its freedom from sin and sorrow, toil and
trial ; or even the dearly cherished hope of meeting
our loved ones, and hearing their voices, and grasping
their hands while they give us a loving w^elcome to
glory. It is not with these things that our souls will
be enamored when we reach heaven. No ! the central
thought of heaven's blessedness is the presence of
Christ. He is the light, the joy, and the glory of that
heavenly home. " His presence makes our paradise ;
and where He is, is heaven." Christ is the chief
attraction. When this becomes the dominating thought
then only are we most qualified for heaven ; and can

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THE FULNESS OF JOY.

131

say with the Psahnist, " Whom have I in heaven but
Thee; and there is none upon earth that I desire
beside Thee." As we draw nearer, and become more
fitted for heaven; and as we begin to catch the
radiance from thence, the most entrancinrj thoucrht will
be that we shall see Him " who loved us, and f^ave
Himself for us," seated on His throne in all the glory
and majesty of both His divine and human nature.
" The soul which once discerns and knows Him feels
that greater, or brighter, there is none ; and that the
only possibility of ever beholding more glory is by
drawing nearer."

"'Tis heaven's greatest bliss to see
The once incnrnate Deity ;
To catch the nearer burst of Hght,
To gain the beatific sight,
Entranced in gh>ry's peerless blaze,
Conformed to Him on Him to gaze."

It has ever been the highest aspiration of the
believing soul to see God in all His glory. Patriarchs,
prophets, and saints in all ages of the world have
yearned for the beatific vision. It was this which
Moses longed to behold when in the mount with God.
On that occasion he was favored with a prolonged
season of blessed communion with God ; and was
emboldened to pray, with the earnestness of a devout
soul longing for more of the hallowed bliss of God's
presence : " I beseech Thee show me Thy glory." But
even Moses, favored as he was above all men with
intimate communion with God, could not be permitted

132

THE FULNESS OF JOY,

to have any more than a partial prlimpse of the ineffable
;jjlory. The Lord answered, saying : " There shall no
man see My face and live." The sight of the awfully
glorious, and inetfably bright effulgence of the Divine
Being could not be endured by any mortal man. As
mortal eye could not endure the sight of that great
glory, so mortal mind cannot grasp the fulness of the
idea. Human language is inadequate to describe what
even the angels before the throne could not suitably
express. But if the words at our command do impress
us with the greatness and the glory of God ; oh, how
sublime the description, how great the impression ! if
we could hear, and understand the description which
one of the shining seraphim could give of it in the
language of heaven :

" Oh, speak ye happy spirits! Ye alone can tell
The wonders of the beatific sight,
When from the bright unclouded face of Ood
Ye drink full draughts of bliss and endless joy,
And plunge yourselves in life's innnortal fount."

It iy only by the help of comparisons, drawn from
the allusions to it in the Word of God, that we can
have any idea of God's glory. " The heavens declare
the glory of God." The number, the magnitude, and
the immense distances from each other of those shining
orbs which hang in space declare the goodness, wisdom
and power of God ; but their dazzling lustre also
illustrates our theme. If the works of His hands are
so glorious, what must their great Creator be ? It is
related of Sir Wm. Herschell, that, "when he first

THE FULNESS OF JOY.

133

exnniined tlie iioareHt Hxed star Sirius, with his <a'eat
telescope, the whoh3 lieavens about it were lit up
with the splendor of our sky at sunset ; and when the
star fairly entered the Held of vision the brightness
was so overpowering that he was forced to protect
his eye with a colored ghiss." If God hi - ;iven to
created objects like our sun, and many greater ones
which twinkle in the inunense distance like little
stars, such dazzling splendor as to be overwhelming to
the sight and mind of man, oh ! what must be the
glorj' of that uncreated Presence before which angels
veil their faces ^ When Moses came down from the
mount, after having seen the Divine glory partially
revealed, the skin of his face shone so that he had to
cover it with a veil while he addressed the people, as
they could not bear the sight. If such was the
appearance of his face, what must the glory be of
which that was only a faint reflection ? And, if the
visible manifestation of God in the inner sanctuary
was glorious, that must be an infinitely more magnifi-
cent display of the Divine Majesty which enraptures
the Church triumphant in heaven. Oh ! what must it
be to stand in the majestic presence of the King of
kings, the Lord of glory! Isaiah says of it, "Thine
eye shall see the King in His beauty." John describes
it thus: "His servants shall serve Him; and they
shall see His face." " It doth not yet appear what we
shall be; but we know that when He shall appear,
we shall be like Him ; for we shall see Him as He is."
This open and effulgent display of Himself is the

134

THE FULNESS OF JOY.

greatest glory of heaven ; and this every child of God
shall see, and enjoy when the present life is ended.
blessed thought ! O glorious hope !

" We shall be near and like our God,
Him eye to eye we there shall see.
Our face like His shall shine."

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This is the blessedness above all other bliss promised
in that most sublime of all the beatitudes, " Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." This
sight we shall be enabled to endure when we are
changed into His perfect image before the presence of
His glory. To see God is to enjoy Him, and to be
partakers of His glory ; not merely to be spectators,
but participators with Him. This is the utmost that
even the Lord of orlorv desires for His own. In that
memorable prayer He says, " The glory which Thou
gavest Me I have given them, that they may be one
even as we are one. Father, I will tuat they also,
whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am,
that they may behold My glory." How vast the glory
of Christ ! " I and My Father are one." His essential
glory is described by Paul, as being " the brightness of
the Father's glory, and the express image of His
person." " He is equal with the Father in power and
glory." Oh, what an honor ! what blessedness ! To
be wdth Christ, one in Him, and to see His glory ! Oh,
what glory ! If the sight of His glory on the mount
of Transfiguration was ineffably grand, what must be
its full effulgence in heaven? It must have been

THE FULNESS OF JOY.

1.35

partially obscured to enable the disciples to bear the
sight, as they were not then like Him. But in heaven
" we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,"
in all the splendor of His infinite Majesty, " without
a dimming veil between."

The reigning joy of heaven is in the fact that Christ
is there enthroned in glory, and enriching heaven with
the richest profusion of His love. It consists in behold-
ing the adorable displays of His perfections, the mani-
festations of His goodness and love, and of standintr
approved and accepted in the presence of Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit — the triune God whom we adore.
" In His presence? is fulness of joy ; and at His right
hand there are pleasures for evermore." It is the
fountain-head of bliss! oh, this is glory! this is bliss
ineffable ! to share the plenitude, ihe infinitude, and
boundlessness of divine love ; to enjoy sweet satisfy-
ing and incessant communion v/ith Him the great
source of life and beatitude ; to have immediate,
uninterrupted, direct and joyful intercourse with Him,
and carried on to the full extent of communicable
glory. Oh ! who can describe the blessedness of the
presence of the Lord ! A seraph's tongue could not
do it justice. " It is the joy of angels, the bliss of
heaven, the brightness of immortality ; and constitutes
ths sweetest, purest, most satisfying and transcendent
happiness which any created being can enjoy." The
presence of God is everything. The holiest and best
of men in all ages have regarded it as the very highest
enjoyment which they could ever possibly hope to have.

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13C

THE FULNESS OP JOY.

ii i

" Oh, the safety ! oh, the comfort ! oh, the repose ! and
the satisfaction of being forever with the Lord, in
whose blood we have already washed our robes ; to be
fed by Him, led by Him, will be indeed the consumma-
tion of the joy of heaven." Let us in contemplation
anticipate that superlative blessedness and become
more heavenly minded, and ready for it. " Now we
see through a glass darkly, but then we shall see Him
face to face." We shall be so changed that we can
bear the look of His pure eye, and see His smile of
heavenly love. By our heaveniy ^^ ambiance to Him
we shall see the effulgence of His glory, and catch the
reflections of His eternal beams. We shall gaze upon
the ineffable beauty and brightness of His countenance,
and be " transported at the sight to all eternity."
Transfigured by Him, the fashion of our countenances
shall be altered and shining like His. We shall see
more fully then " the wonderful richness of His
character, its tenderness and grandeur, its purity and
holiness, its glory and beauty. We shall comprehend
more entirely what it was that He did for <,s, when He
so loved us as to give Himself for us, an/ "/hat the
sufferings and the sin were from which His sinless
duffering saved us ; we shall be made like Him,
fashioned into that mysterious and most excellent
living image."

Oh, the soul-pleasing prospect ; it makes the heart sing

With a sweetness to many unknown ;
We shall see our dear Saviour as heaven's great King,

And eternally dwell near the throne.

THE PARADISE OF GOD.

137

To be with Christ where He is, to see Him as He
is, in His beauty forever ; to know as we are known,
with clearer sight, with closer and more victual com-
munion, and to have larger receptions of His Spirit ;
oh ! this will be heaven indeed ! this will be glory and
bliss.

" Forever with the Lord ! "

Amen ! so let it be !
Life from the dead is in that word,

'Tis immortality !

— Editor.

THE PARADISE OF GOD.

Oh, what hath Jesus bought for me !

Before my ravished eyes,
Rivers of life divine I see,

And trees of paradise :
They flourish in perpetual bloom.

Fruit every month they give,
And to the healing leaves who come,

Eternally shall live.

I see a world of spirits bright,

Who reap the pleasures there ;
They all are robed in purest white,

And conquering palms they bear.
Adorned by their Redeemers grace,

They close pursue the Lamb ;
And every shining front displays

The unutterable name.

I \

138 THE PARADISE OF GOD.

They drink the vivifying stream,
They pluck the ambrosial fruit ;
' . . And each records the praise of Him
Who tuned his golden lute ;
. At once they strike the harmonious wire,
And hymn the great Three-One;
He hears, He smiles, and all the choir
Fall down before His throne.

— C. Wesley.

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