Sermons: Selected from the Papers of the Late Rev. Clement BailhacheBailhache, Clement
Religion
Sermons: Selected from the Papers of the Late Rev. Clement Bailhache
Bailhache, Clement
Sermons
What may we know? We often ask this question with hope that is
tremulous--or it may be with tremulousness that is hopeful. What may
we know? Certainly not all that we sometimes wish to know; but then we
sometimes wish to know things the knowledge of which would be useless,
or curious, or beyond our reach until we can see with tearless eyes,
and realise with sinless hearts. There are certain aspects under which
heaven seems to be altogether visionary. Where is it? We are not told.
What are the dimensions and outlines of it? We do not know. It is
described under a great variety of material figures. We read of its
gates of pearl, its walls of jasper, its streets of gold, its river of
the water of life, its tree of life; but we know that these
descriptions symbolise the spiritual. Not that they are mere riddles,
however. Some of their truth may be confidently guessed. There is one
important fact of which we cannot be in doubt. Heaven is the place in
which will be developed and perfected a certain character--certain
moral and spiritual qualifications. Heaven is where perfect goodness
is, just as on earth happiness is where godliness and Christlikeness
are. We may, therefore, put heaven where we will, and think about it
almost as we please, provided we put the right sort of character
there, and remember what sort of discipline here must prepare for it.
This is the essential point in the revelations of this book: "There
shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are
written in the Lamb's book of life." There _must_ be a heaven for the
good.
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