THE following piece on heaven was repeated by an aged Christian not long before she passed away. One of her daughters copied the thoughts down; her mother had learned them as a child, and when she came to die, her memory recalled the beautiful thoughts., “The rose is sweet, but surrounded with thorns. The lily of the valley is fragrant, but it springs up amongst the brambles. The spring is pleasant, but it soon passes away. The rainbow is very glorious, but it soon vanishes. Life is good, but it is quickly swallowed up in death.
“There is a land where the rose is without thorns. Flowers are not mixed with brambles in that eternal spring. Life without a cloud, Rivers of pleasure are there, and flowers that never fade. Myriads of happy spirits are there surrounding the Throne of God with a perpetual hymn. The angels with their golden harps sing praises continually. The cherubims fly on wings of fire.
“This country is the country that is good, and nothing that defileth can enter in. The toad must not spit its venom among the turtle doves; or poisonous henbane bloom among sweet flowers. Neither shall anyone that doeth evil enter into this good land.
“This earth is pleasant, but it is God’s earth, and is filled with many delightful things. But in that country it is far better. There we shall not grieve any more, or be sick any more, or do wrong any more.
“There the cold shall not wither us, or the heat of the summer scorch us.
“When our parents and friends die they are laid in the cold ground. Here we shall see them no more. But there we shall embrace them and be separated no more. There we shall see all good men, of whom we read in the holy Book. Abraham, called of God, the father of the faithful Moses after his long wanderings in the Arabian deserts. Elijah, the prophet of God. Daniel who escaped the lions’ den, and then the son of Jesse, the shepherd king, the sweet singer of Israel. They loved God on earth, and praised Him on earth, but in that country they will praise Him much better, and love Him more. There we shall see Jesus who has gone to that happy land. There we shall behold the glory of the High God. Although we cannot see Him here, we love Him here, and we often think of heaven, that happy land that is to be our home.
“We are here for a little while, but there for eternal ages.”
THE heart where peace abides is like the heaven,
The limpid dome where clouds in sullen might
May come and go; but through each rift appearing
The blue shines forth the same, serene and bright.
Oh, send our hearts this blessed peace, Great Father!
That, thus endowed and cheered through Thy dear love,
This life become to us, Thy faulty children,
A foretaste of the better life above.