s, and a few Indians, and possibly even some Spaniards and
Portuguese. All things are possible with God. We shall have all these
sorts of people in heaven; but, alas! in getting them we shall lose the
society of Dr. Talmage. Which is to say, we shall lose the company of
one who could give more real "tone" to celestial society than any other
contribution Brooklyn could furnish. And what would eternal happiness be
without the Doctor? Blissful, unquestionably--we know that well enough
but would it be 'distingue,' would it be 'recherche' without him? St.
Matthew without stockings or sandals; St. Jerome bare headed, and with
a coarse brown blanket robe dragging the ground; St. Sebastian with
scarcely any raiment at all--these we should see, and should enjoy
seeing them; but would we not miss a spike-tailed coat and kids, and
turn away regretfully, and say to parties from the Orient: "These are
well enough, but you ought to see Talmage of Brooklyn." I fear me that
in the better world we shall not even have Dr. Talmage's "good Christian
friend."

For if he were sitting under the glory of the Throne, and the keeper
of the keys admitted a Benjamin Franklin or other labouring man,
that "friend," with his fine natural powers infinitely augmented by
emancipation from hampering flesh, would detect him with a single sniff,
and immediately take his hat and ask to be excused.

To all outward seeming, the Rev. T. De Witt Talmage is of the same
material as that used in the construction of his early predecessors
in the ministry; and yet one feels that there must be a difference
somewhere between him and the Saviour's first disciples. It may be
because here, in the nineteenth century, Dr. T. has had advantages which
Paul and Peter and the others could not and did not have. There was a
lack of polish about them, and a looseness of etiquette, and a want
of exclusiveness, which one cannot help noticing. They healed the very
beggars, and held intercourse with people of a villainous odour every
day. If the subject of these remarks had been chosen among the original
Twelve Apostles, he would not have associated with the rest, because he
could not have stood the fishy smell of some of his comrades who came
from around the Sea of Galilee. He would have resigned his commission
with some such remark as he makes in the extract quoted above: "Master,
if thou art going to kill the church thus with bad smells, I will have
nothing to do with this work o