Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-13

sorrow. o troubled soul, | want TO tell
you that there is one salve that can cure
the wounds OF the heart, and that IS the
salve made out Of the tears Of a sympa-
thetlc Jesus, and yet some of you will
not take this s0lace, and you try chl0ral,
and you try morphine, and you try strong
drink, and you try change Of scene, and
you try new business associations, and
anything and everything rather than to
take the divine cOmpanionship and sym
patty suggested by the words OF my text
Wnen 1t says; "HOu shall not see my face
again unless your brother be with you"
On, that all mightiunderstand something
o. the height and depth, and length and
breadth, and immensely and infnity, Of
Gods eternal consultations.
go further and find in my subject a
hint as TO why so many people fail Of
heaven. We are told that heaven has
twelve gates, and some people infer from
that TACT that all the people will go in
without reference To their past nle; but
what Is the use of having q gate that is
not sometimes to be shutY The swinging
OF gate implies that our entrance into
heaven is conditional. 1t is not none
tary condition. If we come to the door of
an exquisite concert we are not surprised
that we must pay fee, for we know that
line, earthly music is eXpensiYe; but all
the oratorios Of heaven cost nothing.
Heaven pays nothing for its music. 1t is
all free. There IS nothing to be paid at
that door for entrance; but the condition
OF our getting into heaven is our bringing
our divine Benjamin along with us. Do
you notice how often dying people call
upon Jesusf 1t is the usual prayer offered,
the prayer offered more than all the other
ceiye my spirit" One Of my congrega-
ton, when asked in the closing moments
Of his life, "DO you know usf" said "Oh,
yes, know you. God bless you. Goodbye
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and he
was gone. Oh, yes; in the closing mo-
ments Of our life we must have n Christ
TO call upon. If jacobs sons had gone up
toward Egypt and had gone with The very
finest Cquipage and had not taken Ben
jamin along with them and to the ques-
lion they should have been Obliged to an
swer: sir, we didn't bring him, a father
could not let him 90 we didn't want to
be bothered with him." a voice from with
IN would have said "GO away from
us. You shall not have any of this
supply. "You shall not see my
face because your brother is not
with YOU And II we come up toward
the door Of heaven at last, though we come
from all luXuriance aud brilliancy Of sur
roundings, and knock for admittance and
il is found that Christ is not with US, the
police of heaven will beat us back from
the bread-hOuse, saying: depart, never
knew YOU" II Jacobs sons coming to-
ward Egypt had lost everything on the
way, If they had expended their last
shekel, if they had come up utterly ex-
hausted to the corn cribs of Egypt, and it
had been found that Benjamin was with
them all the stOrehOuses would have
swung open before them. And so, though
Inv ftf nj e ~ mo ha l,fr inv
the eternal world, though we may be weak
and exhausted by protracted sickness, if
in that last moment we can only Just
stagger aud faint and fall into the gate of
heaven it seems that all the cOrn-cribs
of heaven will open for our
need and all the palaces will open for our
reception; and the Lord of that place
seated at his table, and all the angels of
God seated at their table.and the martyrs
seated at their table, and all our glorited
kindred seated at our table. the King shall
pass a portion from his table To ours and
then, while we think of the fact that it
was Jesus who started us on the road,
and Jesus who kept us ON the way. and
Jesus who at last gained admittance for
our soul, we shall be glad If lie has seen
OF the travail OF His soul and been satisfied,
and not be at all jealous if it be found that
our divine Beniamin's mess is live times
larger than all the rest. HALL anointed
of the Lord! Thou art worthy.
My friends, you see it is either Christ
or famine. If there were two banquets
spread and to one of them only you
might 90, you might stand and think tor a
good while as to which invitation you
had better accept; but here it is feasting
or starvation. If there were two man
sions offered and you might have only
one, you might think for long time, say
ing: perhaps | had better accept this
git aud perhaps | had better accept that
gift But here It is a choice between
palaces OF light and novels OF despair
II IL were choice between OratOrios you
might say; 81 prefer the Creation"
or 81 prefer the Messiah" But here
it is choice between eternal har-
mOny and everlasting discord. Oh, will
you live or die? viii you sail INTO the
harbor or drive on the rocks? Will you
start for the Egyptian corn crib or will
you perish amid the empty barns of the
Caananitish faminei
What shall be the destiny of all my au-
dience? ] might peer into the counte-
nances and see here and there a person
that l well know and make up my mind
as to what direction or street they may
take in going home. Some of them | may
never have met before, some of them
may never meet again. We just touch
ana pass on. God, / believe, through this
sermon has shown you your need and the
only source of supply; and yet some as
deliberately make their own choice as
though they had In their pocket certiG-
cate from the throne OF heaven warrant
ing that they would have hundred years
yet in which to discuss this question
and decide il. There is but step
between you and death. There is
but "a step between you and your last
call of mercy. There is but one step be-
tween you and the loss of an eternal
soul. And 30 | meet you, and put my
hand on your shoulder, and beg you TO ac-
cept Christ and prepare for heaven. Oh,
the two recOrds--the record made on
earth and the record made in heaven. Oh,
what a tremendous moment this! Gates
Of mercy closing; messenger-angels re-
treating. The Holy Spirit ceasng his last
plea to the heart; the shadows Of the
eternal world dropping; while for some
the granaries of God are shut, and the
eternal famine has begun. eye shall
not see my face except your brother be
with you"
RECOVERED HIS PLUM.