Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-08-03

that the whole world 60 through It. L
abhor this
Contractedness in Religious Views.
Oh, smalLsouled man, when did God give
you the contract for making gates? l tell
you plainly that / will not go in at that gate.
/ win 90 in at any one Of the twelve gates
choose. Here is man who says: Il can
more essily and closely approach my God
through q prayer book" l say: my
brother, then use the prayer book" Here
is man who SAYS: II believe there is only
one mode of baptism, and that is INNER.
sion" Then l say: Let me plunge you"
Anyhow say away with the gate of rough
panel and rotten posts and rusted latch
when there are twelve gates and they are
twelve pearls. The fact is that great
many Of the churches in this day are being
Doctrined to Death.
They have been trying for thirty years to
find ont all about Gods DEGREES, and they
want to know who are elected to be sa' ed
and who are reprobated to be damned, and
they are keeping on discussing that subject
when there are millions Of souls who need
to have the truth put straight at them that
unless they repent they will be damned. They
cit counting the number of teeth in the
jswbope with which they are to slay the
Philistines when they ought to be welding
sl.ilfully the weapon. They sit on the
each aad see vessel going to pieces in
the offing and instead Of getting into boat
and pulling away for the wreck, they sit
discussing the different styles Of esr,locks.
God intended US to snow some things and
intended US not to know others. have
heard scores of sermons explanatory Of
Gods DEGREES, but came away more per
picked than when went. The only result
of such discussion is q great fog. Here
are two truths which are to conquer the
world: Man, o sinner; Christ, a Savior.
ANY man who adopts those two theories in
his religious belief, shall have my right
hand in warm grip Of Christian brother
hood.
A man comes down to the river
In Time os Freshet.
He wants TO get across. He has to swim.
What does he do2 The first thing is 10 put
eff his heavy apparel aad drop everything
he has in his hand he must go empty
banded if he ia going 70 the other bank.
apd | tell you when we have come down
10 the river OF death and fnd it swift and
raging we will have to put of all our secta-
ianltm and lay down all our cumbersome
creeGs and EN- PITY handed put out for the
oiher shore. "What," say you, would you
resolve all the Christian churches into one
kind of church? Would you make all
cbristendom worship in the same way, by
the same forms2' Oh, noi you might as
we'll decide that all the people should eat
he same food without reference to appetite,
or wear TIE came kind Of apparel without
reference to the shape of their body. Your
ancestry, your temperament, your surround
ings will decide whether yoa 90 to this.or
that church and don't observe this or that
Church Polity.
One church will best get one man to
ht ayen and another church another man.
am not opposed to fences being built
around denominations of Christians. am
not opposed to very high fence being built
around each OF the denominations OF Chris
tians; but / do coy that in every fence
there ought to be bars that you can let down
and gate that you can swing open. Go
home, therefore, and take your Bible and
gtt down on yous knees before God and
make your own creed. i am not opposed
10 creeds; believe in them; but creed
that does not reach down to the depth OF q
mans immortal nature is lot worth the pa
per it is printed on.
do not care which one of the gates you
20 through if you only 90 through one OF
be twelve ga1es that Jesus lifted. Well,
now see sl the redeemed of earth coming
up toward heaven. De you think they will
get in? YES. Gate the first: The Mora
VANS come up; they believe in the Lord
esus Christ, they Pass through. Gate the
econd: The Quakers come up; they
have trusted in the Lord; they pass
through. Gate the third: the Lutherans
come up; they had great admiration foT
be reformer, and ghey pass through Gate
the fourth: the Rousn Catholics come up;
believing in salvation by Jesus Christ they
pess through Gate the fifth: the German
Reformed Church passes through. Gate
he sixth: the Congrega'ionalsts pass
through. Gate tbs seventh the Bsptists
pass through. Gate the eighth: the Epis-
copalians pass through. Gate the ninth:
tbe Ssbbatsrians pass through. Gate the
tenth: the Methodists pass through. Gate
he eleventh the Reformed Dutch Church
passes through. Gate the Twelfth: the
Presbyteriaps pass through. But there are
a great host of other denominations who
must come in, and great multitudes who
connected them,elves with no visible church,
out felt the power of godliness in their
heart and showed it in their life; where is
their gats2 Will you shut all this remain.
ing host out of the city2 No They may
come in at our gate. Hosts Of God, il you
cannot get admission through any other
entrance, come in at the twelfth gate Now
they mingled before ihe throne, looking out
ON the one hundred and forty-four thousand
and You cannot tel at what gate they came
IN. One Lord. One faith. One baptism.
One CLASSY sea. One doxology. One tri-
umph. Glory be to God! Oae heaven. but
twelve gates.
In the third place notice the
Polnts OF tho Compass
toward which these gates look. They are
not on one side or on two sides or on three
sides, but on four sides. This is no fancy
of mine, bat distinct announcement. "On
the north three gates; on the south three
gates; on the west three gates" Wha,
does that mean2 Why, it means that all
nationalities are included, and Il does not
make any difference from what quarter OF
the earth man comes up; if his heart is
right there is q gate open before him On
the north three gates. That means mercy
for Lsplsnd and Siberia and Norway and
Sweden. On the south three gates. That
means pardon for Hiadostan and Algiers
and Ethiopia On the east three gates.
That means salvation for China and Japan
and Borueo. On the next three gates.
That meaDs redemption foS America Il
does not make any difference how dark'
skinned or psletaced men may be, they
will find a gate right before them. Those
plucked bananas under q tropical sun.
Those, behind reindeer shot across Russian
SLOWS. From Mexican plateau, from
, Roman cSnpagne, from Chinese tea
6.!ds, from Holland dixie, from Scotch
| k;,kIordz tlpv c0ma tEeV come