d, and the dream had made powerful impressions on
his mind, but the dream itself had departed from him. Now, if the bodily
senses, or the soul while in the body, cannot comprehend so as to
express what has been seen in heaven, it is doubtful if we could
understand it if it should be revealed by a spirit from heaven. The
Bible has probably given us as definite information about heaven as we
could possibly understand--certainly as much as God judges best for our
usefulness and happiness. But we must probably learn an unearthly
language, and, in order to this, unearthly ideas, before we can
understand the things which are within the veil. The modes of
communication in heaven between people of strange languages, whether by
a common speech, or by the power given to the disciples at the day of
Pentecost, or by intuition, are not made known to us; but this wonderful
faculty of language, holding an intermediate place between spirit and
matter, has, of course, a corresponding faculty in the world of spirits.
It is, no doubt, an inconceivably pleasurable source of enjoyment. This
increases the sublimity which there is in the silence of the dead, and
its impressiveness. For what fancy can conceive of the communications,
from heart to heart, in that multitude where every new acquaintance is
the occasion of some new joy, or wakes some thrilling recollection, or
leads to some interesting discovery, and gives some fresh objects of
love and praise! The land of silence surely extends no farther than to
the gates of that heavenly city. All is life and activity within; but
from that world, so populous with thoughts, and words, and songs, no
revelation penetrates through the dark, silent land which lies between
us and them. Our friends are there. Stars, so distant from us that their
light, which began its travel ages since, has not reached us, are none
the less worlds, performing their revolutions, and occupied by their
busy population of intelligent spirits, whose history is full of
wonders. Yet the first ray denoting the existence of those worlds, has
never met the eye of the astronomer in his incessant vigils.

The silence of the departed will, for each of us, soon, very soon, be
interrupted. Entering, among breaking shadows and softly unfolding
light, the border land, we shall gradually awake to the opening vision
of things unseen and eternal, all so kindly revealing themselves to our
unaccustomed senses as to make us say, "How beautifu