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Heavenly Recognition From Bible Assertion and the Silence of Christ. Text: "If it were not so I would have told you." (Sermon hy Dr. R.' G. Lee.) This morning we tried to speak on Heavenly Recognition from what re jection of that doctrine implies. To night we wish to speak or the same subject, taking thought for what the Bible asserts and interpreting in a -measure, as far as we can,' what the silence of Christ on this subject says on the subject Since there is an as sertion that satisfieth so there is a silence that speaketh. 1. Why Did Christ Not Tell Us? That is, why did He not speak out in . so many words and tell us? I do not know that anyone can answer sat isfactorily such questions. But the following considerations suggest themselves to us when we try to ac count for our Lord's reticence and restraint in this matter.'First: Jesus saw the danger of detracting from the critical importance of the life in which we accomplish, if we accom plish at all, the work which the Fa ther hath given us to do. THIS is the life when we must hear His word and do it. THIS is the life when we must obey the command which says "This [ is my commandment that ye believe on Him whom I have sent. If Christ had placed the emphasis on the : HEREAFTER and minutely describ- ; ed its glories for us we might be so ' consumed for a desire to lay our ar mor down and enter, the saints' ever lasting rest as to neglect and almost despise the present hour. Paul said: "I have a desire to de part and be with Christ, which is far better." The life beyond pulled at his very heart strings, the crystal river that flows by the throne murmured from afar into his ears-and it took nothing less than a struggle, nothing less than all his moral resoluteness . to go on patiently with his appointed ministry. . . . Samuel Rutherford, the seraphic . Covenanting preacher cried: "Oh! How* sweet and glorious shall our ! case be, when that fairest among the sons of men will lay His fair , face to our sinful faces and wipe all tears from our eyes! O Time, run run swiftly and hasten that day." . He longed to be away. The fires of earth were getting cold, the bread of , earth stale, the rest of the. earth weariness. , John Bunyan in that glorious vis ion of heaven which he had, spoke . these significant words which but ^ show the homesickness of his soul: "I*looked in and beheld the city; it shone like and the streets also were J paved with gold. WHICH WHEN I ' HAD SEEN I WISHED MYSELF 1 AMONG THEM. And to his soul the earth light was being filled with shad- j ow, the chill was creeping into the j air,-he wanted to be away and be ' with Christ, which was better. { An eskimo who had journeyed to j the tropics where frost never came J and ice was never seen took sick of fever. He begged to be sent home. 1 While the fever fires raged like a \ conflagration in his body on the voy age home he would ask ever and anon . the question: "Do you see any ice?" j Then daily and with repeated insis- J ? tence and earnestness he kept ask- x ing any and all who drew near his j couch "Do you see any ice?" He was 1 homesick for ice. His house had been ice, his bed had been ice, his blan- 1 kets had often been snow, the very ? water he drank was but melted snow, 1 th? fish he caught were caught j through a hole in the ice. He was ? homesick, and heart sick, and soul . sick for the home he knew. Now, J Heaven is the home of the soul. And J oft I think that if the glories of that j great world over yonder had been j revealed to us in detail the glories of it would so enrapture our souls-that I we should have no heart for the com- s monplace tasks and routine work and ? drab duties and the deadly monotony 1 of the unspectacular of this earthly '<? life. So did our Lord not keep them veiled lest the homesickness of the \ soul prevent us from Accomplishing ? here and now the work which God < has given us to do? * c 1 Secondly, our Lord's reticence and j reserve are part of His demand for ? faith. "We walk by faith, not by 1 sight." All things are not made clear f and plain. We have to take many s things "on trust"-trust in Christ! f Our Lord consistenly refused to give ( naen what they would consider to be 1 convincing and overwhelming demon- * it stration. The Pharisees asked: "What ( sign showest thou?" But Jesus re- 1 fused to give them the sign from 1 heaven for which they were annoy- ( ingly and continually clamoring. J Philip said: "Lord, show us the fa- ' th er and that will satisfy us." But J Jesus refused to give any greater J sign than that which Philip had al- ' ready beheld, and he answered Phil- { ip by saying "that he that hath seen 1 me hath seen the Father." Herod, 1 when he was at Jerusalem saw Je- 1 sus. "And he was exceedingly glad." Why? Because for a long season he i had hoped to see some miracle done j by Jesus-some sign! But Jesus did < not satisfy this hunger of Herod's ' eyes for" some sign. With the Phari- j sees and Herod a sign from heaven ] would have left no loophole for ? doubt. In the presence of a sign from ( heaven no one could help believing. < A 3ign from heaven would -have CO- 1 ERCED their faith. But a coerced < faith is not faith at all; and it is still ] true that blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed. We { cannot help believing that 2x2 makes { four; that 3 plus 3 is six; that the j sum of the squares on the hypote- | nuse of a right triangle is. equal to , the sum of the squares on the other } two sides. But that belief has no j moral quality about it. It is n? index < ts the bias of the soul. Real faith on- 1 ly reveals itself when we cannot see. i Faith is casting one's self, on God in the dark voluntarily, not coercedly. j Purposely, I believe, did Jesus leave some, things in the shadow not clearcut and defined but outline and suggested. His own divinity E left us. And for what purpose? Th? faith in Him might stand always fe a real venture and vote of the sou Accordingly, too, the nature of tl life beyond. Why? That we* migl walk by faith, nothing doubting that we might venture everything jo our trust in Him. I can trust Him fe what He has promised and for wh* He has promised through suggestioi 2. Bible Assertion Concernin Heavenly Recognition. 'Tis still tru that as Christ said we "err becaus we know not the Scriptures." Let v get now a "Thus saith the Serif ture." And now would we enter rev erently and with prayer, as into th holy of holies, into the mind of Coe Into this deep mind of God Mose went, and brought forth law and re ligion; Isaiah went-and foun prophecy and song; David went and gave us music.and empire; Arno went, and found social ethics; Pau went and brought us spiritual libel ty; Emerson and Tennyson went an< found awakening truth; Galilee Newton and Bacon went-and founi scienc?. And so would we at this hour g< reverently, as into the very Holy o: Holies; worshipfully, as into the ver; presence of the King himself, an< enter into the mind of God and fin? there prompting for all our perplex ity, calm for all our conflicts, as surance for all our doubt, answer fo: all our questioning! "?sk not of me, Love, what is Love Ask what is good of God above; Ask of the great sun what is light Ask what is darkness of the night Ask of sin what may be forgiven; Ask what is happiness of heaven; Ask what is folly of the crowd, Ask what is fashion of the shroud Ask what is sweetness of thy love Ask of ' thyself what beauty is Ask of God what TRUTH is." So now we would ask of the Bible what about Heavenly Recognition^ There is no real reason for doubt ing the fact of recognition unless ihe Bible should distinctly state the contrary. But the Bible NEVER con ?radiets the fact. 1. Notice the curiously persistent formula of the Old Testament. We read in the first book of the Bible: "Abraham died and was gathered ;o his people;" "Isaac died and was gathered to lis people;" "Jacob died and was gathered to lis people;" "He died in a good old age arid vas gathered to his people and they juried him." What people? Why, their friends, ;heir comrades, their old companions. )f course it means that. It' can not nean anything else. "Gathered unto his people" can ?ardly mean burial with -his people, for the burial is mentioned after it. t comes between the dying and the )urial. And we note that even at doses' burial on the lone mountain ;op this phrase -is solemnly used: 'The Lord said unto him 'Get thee ip into the mountain and die in the nount AND BE GATHERED TO THY PEOPLE.' " y Now, already Miriam was buried n the distant desert. Aaron's body ay on the slopes of Mt. Her; the lit ;le mother who made the ark of bul rushes long ago found a grave in the wick fields of Egypt. Do the words teach that he came >ack to his people in this life all un teen when he was "gathered to his jeople?" Did the expression mean md does it mean that he came back ;o Miriam's body in the desert, to baron's body asleep on Mt. Hor; to ie down again by the side of the ittle mother in the brick fields of Sgypt? No-never. Since he was to DIE and THEN, after dying, be 'gathered to his people," it meant ;hat into the glory whence the little nother had gone, whence Aaron had rone, he was to see them and be with ;hem once again, and seeing them md being with them KNOW them. 2. Notice David. There is a sick mild in the house of David the King. Tears water David's face night and lay. He sits with the shadows deep iround him. He goes not to the table :or he is not hungry; his hunger has >een swallowed up in grief too deep :or words. He cannot sleep* Nature's jreat balm that "knits up the raveled sleeve of care" has fled from his ?yes as rest from a worker tilling >ver time. David lies prostrate on lis face, weeping and wailing until ;he palace seems a house of many Urges, a house of gloom, a house on vhich the sun never rose and light lever entered. What are all these :ourtly attendants when none of ;hem can cool the fever fires in the jody of the child. What are victori es armies when all the soldiers in lis kingdom cannot make one little luttering h?art grow stronger? What ire conquered provinces when all the revenue cannot buy away the grim igure of death from the bedside of ;he babe that is sick unto death. A whole week passes by, dragging ts weary length along. Then there is i great silence in the house. The mutters are closed. People talk in whispers and walk* on tip toe. Then ji that great house two little eye ids, cool and beautiful like rose pet ils in the morning dew, are gently :losed; two little hands by hands clumsily gentle are folded over a lit tle bosom that heaves not with a sigh; two little feet are at rest; one ittle heart is still, forever still. Then the servants, hushed and ?wed and hesitant, come to speak the ?ad tidings to David, the king. But they cannot make up their minds ;o tell him-and at the door they stand, whispering, whispering about ;he matter.; David hears them and, looking up, asks: "Is the child dead?" 'Yes, he is dead!" David rises from me floor where he has prostrate been for days and nights, washes himself, puts on new apparel, and sits down to eat. What power hushed that tempest? What strength was it that lifted up that king whom grief had dethroned^ What lifted him from the ashes and gave him the oil of joy for mourn ing? It was the thought .that he would come again into the -possess > ion of that darling child. No grave diggers could hide him. The wintry blasts of death could not put out that bright light. There would-be a workman somewhere- who, with sil ver hammer; would weld the broken links. In that city fair where the hoofs of the pale horse never strike the pavement, he would clasp his lost treasure. So David wipes the tears away* from his eyes, chokes back the grief in his throat and ex claims: "I shall go to him." What let us ask, would it mean for David to go to his child if he did not know him? What would the blind get out of going to behold the sunset? What would the deaf get out of going to hear music? 3. Think of the Transfiguration. Peter, James and John follow Jesus into the mountain. A light from heaven falls on the mountain and lifts it into the light oftthe-celestial. Christ's garments glow like snow in sunlight and his face shines like the sun in yonder heavens. The door of heaven swings open. Two spirits come down and light on the moun tain. The disciples look at them,'g?ze on them ( are awed by their presence, and recognize them as Moses and Elijah. And Peter, ere the transfigu ration glory had died away, wanted to build three tabernacles, one for the Master, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Now if these three disciples stand ing on the earth with their earthly limitations and bearing the image of the earthly could recognize the TWO from heaven bearing the image of the heaven in their glorified bodies these two spirits who had been in heaven for hundreds of years, do you tell me that we with our heaven ly eyesight, will not be able to recog nize those who have gone from among us only five ,ten, thirty or fifty years before? If the three, dis ciples could recognize the two proph ets and the two prophets not their relations shall we not be able to rec ognize our friends and relatives who have been gone only a short space of time? Surely! Undoubtedly!! 4. Remember Dives. Miserable Dives in hell and tormented by the flames of hell looked up and recog nized Abraham and Lazarus who was in hiS bosom. He had seen Laz arus before-when Lazarus full of sores lay at his door step begging for the crumbs which fell from his .ta ble. And he remembered, too, his five brothers who were not living right eous lives. If Dives in hell and tor mented in hell with the destruction of hell strong about him could look up and recognize the two spirits, Abraham ?nd Lazarus, will not those in heaven have as good eyesight and as good faculties of perception) and recognition. If the destroyed recog nize shall not the enthroned? 5. Jesus to Unbelieving Jews. Je sus said to the unbelieving Jews that they would in the future world -see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob while.they themselves would be thrust out. Thus, to my mind, does the Bible speak .of heaven as a great family circle. Some day they shall come from the North and th eSouth and the East and the West and take their places at the marriage supper of Moses and the Lamb. Well, now that would be a queer home circle where the mem bers did not know each other. The Bible describes death as a sleep. If we know each other before we go to sleep shall we not know each other when we awake? Robert Browning put a flower into the cold hand of his dead sweetheart and said: "Some time she'll wake and understand." And I believe she will and I know others will and waking understand and know. John Fiske said "I believe in the immortality of the soul as a sublime act of faith in the reason ableness of God's work." I believe in the recognition of loved ones on the other side as a mere simple act of faith in the reasonableness of God's love. And while those unbelieving Jews would, themselves thrust out, the door shut never more to open, in the world of the lost recognize Abraham and Isaac and Jacob before the throne, shall not we, standing in glory, not know our best friend, our dearest loved one, from the man who died in a Mexican bar room last night? The idea is unthinkable. 6. The two Significant Sayings of Paul. Paul said: "I shall know even as I am known. Notice the two tenses. That means that even as others know and recognize me here even so' and in like certain manner shall I recog nize them as well and as easliy be yond the pearly portals as I do here and now in the tenements of clay. Paul said: "Jesus the first fruits' of them t*at slept." Well, now, if He" was the first fruits that means that He was the illustration of all those who shall come back from that world. And if He be the first, fruits, then we, too, the after fruits of'-'that great illustration, shall recognize each other, for certainly that is what it means. This experience of Christ was no unique and solitary experi ence. It was a representative expe rience. Christ was in a profound sense the normal man. And what happened to Him in iX%a resurrection is typical of what shall happen fo us all. Along with these two sayings of Paul we might mention one saying of Jesus found in Luke 20: 35-36. "They are equal to angels." The an gels know each .other. If the angels know Michael, who disputed with the devil about Moses, and Gabriel who went on messenger service for God, and the arch angels and the seraphim and cherubim-if these together know each other apart shall not be lievers in Christ who are saved from their sins through His blood and WHO ARE EQUAL TO THE AN GELS know each other? Yes.. 7. "Rejoice." Jesus said: "Rejoiee (Continued oh Seventh' Page) PiBB6B8BBPB006^ ?43 GREAT REDUCTION j SALE CONTINUES j We want the people to know that the great stock gi reduction sale is still on at our store. We ar? deter- 1 mined, if cutting prices will do the work, not to carry jg over any winter goods. Now is your chance to buy ?\ what your family needs. We have marked many things below factory cost for this sale. Our entire stock is brand new. No shop worn goods of any kind on hand. VERY LOW PRICES Now is the time to do your Christmas shopping. There are hundreds of things in our stock that will make suitable Christmas gifts. Come in and let us show you. You need not wait prices will not be lower this winter. After the present stock is sold no more can be had at these prices. Come while the supply in every department is large and you can get what you want. Abrom Daitch EDGEFIELD, SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER THE OPERA HOUSE %<Z .'??:?. JZ >:< r>:( I >:c ?'?:<.? Z >< I >:< Z n ?r>:t * >:< Z >:< ZW Z'n ZM Z'?:< Di* Per Cent Discount In order to close out all winter goods we have de cided to make a sweeping reduction TWENTY Per Cent on all CLOTHING, SHOES and HATS This is good, clean merchandise bought direct from the leading manufacturers of the country. Nothing cheap or shoddy in stock. All goods marked in plain figures and same price to everybody. .Now is the time to buy what you need. It will even pay you to anticipate your needs. Come in before the stock is broken-while you can get any size you want. DORN & MIMS