The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-14


only result Of such discussion is great fog.
Here are two truths which are to conquer
the world: man, sinner; Christ, savior.
Any man who adopts these two theories in
his religious belief shall have my right hand
in warm grip OF Christian brotherhood. A
man comes down to river in time Of
freshet. He wants to get across. He has to
swim. What does he do' The first thing is
tS Ppg put S heavy " aR5s RPn ID as'GP ga
empty. banded if he is going to the
other bank. And I tell you, when
we have come down to the river Of
death and find it swift and raging we will
have to put off all our sectarianism and lay
down our cumbersome creed. and empty
handed put out for the other shore. What
say you, would you resolve all the Christian
Church into one kind Of churchl Would you
make all Christendom worship in the same
might as we'll decide that all people shall eat
the sams kind OF food without reference to
appetite, or wear the same kind Of apparel
without reference to the shape Of their body.
Your ancestry, your temperament, your sur
roundings, will decide whether you 20 to
this or that church and adopt this or that
policy.
"Notice thu points Of the compass toward
which these gates look They are not on one
four sides. This is no fancy Of mine, but a
distinct announcement. On the north three
gates, on the south three gates, on the east
three gates, on the west thres gates. What
does that mean? Why, it means that all
nationalites are included and it does not
make any difference from what quarter OF
the earth man comes up; if his heart
is right there is a gate oCel before
him. On the north three gates That means
mercy for Lapland and Siberia aud Norway
and Sweden. On the south three gates. That
means pardon for Hindostan and Algiers and
Ethiopia. On the cast three gates. That
means salvation for China and Japan and
Borneo On the west three gates That
means redemption for America. 1t does not
make any difference how dark-skinned or
how pale IA ced men may be, tn y will find q
gate right before them. These p,ucked
bananas under q tropical sun. These shot
q cross .Russ an SHOWS behind reindeers.
From Mexican plateaus, from Roman cam
pana, from Chiness tea-helds, from Holland
dixie, from Scotch Highlands, they come,
they come Heaven is not q monopoly for
few precious souls. It is not Windsor Cas-
tie for royal families. 1t is not a small town
with small population, but John saw it and
he noticed that an angel was measuring it,
and he measured it in this way and then he
measured that, and whichever way he meas
Thebes, and Tyre and Nineveh. AMI st.
Petersburg and Canton, and Pekin and
Paris, and London and New York, and all
tie dead cities Of thu past and all the living
cities Of the present added together, would
not equal the census Of that great metrop-
oils
"While speak an ever-increasing throng
is passing through b the gates. They are going
up from Senegambia, from Patagonia, from
IL T1okr
do you introduce all the heathen into gloryF
tell you, the fact is that the majority Of the
people in those climes die in infancy and the
infants all go straight into eternal life, and
20 the vast majority Of those who die in
China and India. the vast mt: :ority of those
who die in Africa, 60 straight into the
skies-they die in infancy. One hum
bsa 5ssa orn sna sSy snSs sse Wo hass
Is, 1000, ,OOO, 900 children in glory. If at a con-
cert 1000 children sing, your soul is raptured
within you. Oh, tho transport when u, OOO,-
0JO,OW little one; stand up in white before
the throne OF Col, their chanting drawing
out oil the s.upendous harmonies Of Dussel-
dorf and Leipsic and Boston! Pour in
through tn, twelve gates, o ye redeemed,
banner-hfted, rank after rank, saved
battalion after saved battalion. until all
the city Of God shall hear the tramp,
tramp! Crowd all the twelve, gates.
room in the mansions, room on the river
bank. Let the trumpet of invitation be
sounded until all earsh's mountains hear the
shrill blast and the glens echo it. Let mis-
sionar.es tell it in pagoda, and colporteurs
sound it across the Western prairies. Shout
it to the Laplander on his swift sled, halloo
it to the Bedouin careering across the desert
News! news! a glorious heaven and twelve
gates to get into it! Hear it, o you thin
bloodei nations Of eternal winter!-on the
north three gates. Hear it, o you bronzed
inhabitants painting under equatorial heats
on the south three gates
"And heaven being made up, OF course the
gates will be shut Austria in and the first
gate shut; Russia in and the second gate Shut
Italy in and the third gate shut; Egypt in and
the fourth gate shut; Spain in and the fifth
gate shut; France in and the sixth gate shut;
England in and the seventh gate shut: Nor
way in and the eighth gate shut: Swift t.erland
in and the ninth gate shut; H;niostan in
IN | tho tenth gate shut; Siberia in and the
eleventh gate Shut. All the gates are closed
but one. Now let America 60 in, with all
the islands Of the sea and all the other ma
tions that have called on God. The captives
all freed; the harvests all gathered; the ma
tions all saved-the flashing splendor of this
last pearl tegins to move on its hinges. Let
the mighty angels put their shoulders to the
gate and heave 1T to with silvery clang. 'Tis
done! 1t thunders! The twelfth gate shut!
81 want to show you the gate-kseper.
There is one angel at each one of these gates.
You soy that is right. Of course it is. You
know that no earthly palace or castle or
fortress would be safe without sentry pac-
ing up and down by night and by day, and
if there were no deferses before heaven and
the doors set wide open with no one to guard
them, al the vicious of earth would 60 up
after awhile and all the abandoned of hell
would go up after awhile, and heaven
instead OF being a world OF light and JOY
and peace and blessedness would be
world of darkness aud horror. So l am glad
to tel you that while these twelve gates stand
open to let great multitude in there are
twelve angels to keep some people out.
RObespierre cannot 60 through there, nor
Nero, nor any Of the debauched Of earth who
have not repented Of their wickedness. II
one OF these nefarious men who desplsed God
should come to the gate, one of the keepers
would put his hand on his shoulder and push
him into outer darkness. There is no place
in chat land for thieves and liars, and de-
frauders, and all those who disgraced their
race aud fought against their God. If a
miser should get in there he would pull up
the golden pavement. II a house burner
should get in there he would set fire to the
mar. sion If libertine should get in there,
he would whisper his denominations standing
on the white c5ral of the sea-beach. Only
those who are blood-washed and prayer
Tipped will get through. o my brother, if
you should at last come up to one of the
gates and try to get through, and you had
not pass written by the crushed hand Of
the Son Of God, tho gate-keeper would, with
one glance, wither you forever.
'.There will be password at the gate Of