And yet we know not, and cannot know at present, where it is whither He is gone. Nor need we wish to know-we should be none the wiser for it. We do know what is far better-of far more practical use to us—we know the road by which we ourselves may get to heaven -Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life-no man cometh unto the Father but by Me. And yet, brethren, though we know not, and cannot know now where heaven is, we are not without some hints as to what it is.-Christ speaks of heaven as His Father's house-the place where God abides, has His home. It may indeed be said, that God's home is everywhere that the whole universe is His dwelling-and in a certain sense this is true. God is everywhere-He made all things, and He fills all things-He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters, and maketh the clouds His chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind! And yet while God may be said to be everywherethere is one particular place in which the Scripture describes Him as dwelling-dwelling in unveiled glory— where even now the angels behold His face-where the children of the resurrection shall in due time behold Him-and that place is heaven. But again—look at the expression My Father's House. The house of a father supposes the presence in it of many members. The house of a father is the shelter and resort of all who bear his name. It is where sons and daughters, sometimes to the third and fourth generation, are found assembled. To it the wanderer returns and finds a welcome-under its dear roof those who had parted when young meet in older years. There, if any where, anxious cares are laid aside, and peace and happiness prevail. And so-only in a far higher, far more perfect manner-will it be, hereafter, in the Father's house of heaven. It will be the house of a great family—where all God's children will be gathered. There, surely, in its ample shelter, will be assembled the wise, and the good, the pure in heart, and the unselfish-not of one church, or nation, only, but of all nations, and of all churches-For God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. There, too, will the sons meet who chose so differently, and lived so differently in the world-both the elder son who served many years, and never transgressed at any time his father's commandment; and the younger son who had been so undutiful, who had lived in the far country till all was spent, and only found his way back just in time, when he was perishing with hunger. There will be, we may think, both these, and many types of each in heaven-both the prodigal and his brother! There will be other men together there, quite as wide apart as were these when on earth-men who had once cast out each other's name as evil-men now separated by sects, by prejudice, by mutual ignorance of each other's worth-but who, when once under the great Father's roof, will recognize their many points of resemblance-will see that after all their aim was the sameeven God's glory, and the good of their fellows-and who will henceforth be of one mind, and of one soul-rivals only in extolling His name and His salvation Who has at length brought them together, and made them jointheirs of His everlasting kingdom! Once again, to this idea of God's House, as embracing it its inclosure, the different members of a widely scattered family, another is added by the words that follow,— many mansions-In my Father's House are many mansions. Here we have the idea of roominess-ample space for the accommodation of a large company. And the same is to be gathered from other expressions in the Scripture about heaven. Thus in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we hear of the heavenly Jerusalem, with its innumerable company of angels, and the general assembly and Church of the first born, and in the Revelation, of a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, standing before the throne and the Lamb. Such language, together with the words before us, warrants the thought that not few, but many will be saved. It supports us in saying--that heaven will have many inhabitants-that the Father's House will be filled, with a vast assemblage of souls, redeemed unto God by the blood of His Son. The question for us to consider, is, shall we be there? Shall we be of that large company? Shall we have a place in our Father's House of many Mansions? Meditate upon that question, brethren. Do not refuse to entertain it. It is a question that must of itself one day force itself upon us-surely it has presented itself to many of us already." Where are we going when we die? Where are our friends gone who parted from us but just now? We shall not be long after them-our days on earth are soon told-our age at the most, is as nothing in respect of eternity.-With whom shall we spend that eternity? with whom, and where ? Brethren, such thoughts must, from time to time, come into our minds. We cannot, if we would, quite shut them out. Far better that we should not tryfar better for us to face again and again the great inquiry, even though it may cause misgivings, and shake our false peace, and fill us with uneasiness as to our future. Shall we then, judging by what we know of ourselves, of our present life, and conversation-shall we find a place prepared for us in the Father's House? There is room, we have seen, in it for a great company, but is there room for ourselves? The answer must come from each man's own conscience. Here are some plain marks, that may help us to ascertain the truth-marks which occurring in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, do not seem to lose any of their force, when read by the light of the Gospel-Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle, or who shall rest upon Thy holy hill? even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life, and doeth the thing which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart: he that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour, and hath not slandered his neighbour. He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes, and maketh much of them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth unto his neighbour, and disappointeth him not, |