The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-07-16
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
AN ISLAND VISION.

TEXTS: 81, John was In the isle that Is !
called Patmos-Rev. l., o. Sand the twelve h
gates were twelve pearls."-Rev. xxi, q. /
sabbath finds Us among the Thousand I
Islands of the St. Lawrence" began the. Q
preacher. "Amid the enchantment of the {
scenery some of us are like Paul when he {
said: :'Whether in the body or out of the body
cannot tell. Not having road the geologists
account of how this region was formed, l
may surmise that after tho st. Lawrence be-
dropped into it out of the heavenly land !
9 ape. Islands above us, islands below us,
islands all around us. am reminded how
much the islands of the woill have had to dasss
with sacred and pofane history. Ell
from which Napoleon started for b.
last struggle; and ST. Helena, where
he ended it.: island of Guernsey,
where the great soul of Victor Hugo chafed
In exile until republicanisnn in France drove
back despotism; Isle of Borneo, where
Adoniram Jud ION Stood a flaming evangel; II
the island of CAP. bra where Garibaldi
rested after the emancipation of Italy; island I
of Cypress, where Barnabas preached; island 4
Of .ita, on which Paul was shipwrecked,
and, last OF all, but mightier than all and
more impressive than all, the island of
Patmos, of which my text speaks, and from |
which ST. John, the exilod Ephesian Gospel
Ter, saw the twelve pearline gates. II God
will help us we can, from these Thousand
Isles on this Sabbath morning, see the same
glittering portals. :.
"Our subject speaks of great metropolis,
the existence of which many have doubted
There has been vast emigration into that
city, but no emigration from it, so far as our
natural vision can descry. There is no such
city, says the undevout astronomer. Il have
stood in high towers with mighty telescope
aud have swept the heavens, and | have
seen spots on the sun and caverns in the
moon, but no towers have ever risen on
my vision, no palaces, no temples, no
shining Streets no massive wall. There
is no such city, Even very good. people
tell me that Heaven is not a material organ
ism, but grand spiritual fact and that
the Bible descriptions of it are in all cases to
be taken fguratively l bring in reply to this
what Christ said, and He ought to know: i
go to prepare not theory, not a principle,
not sentiment, but Il go to prepare q place
II my foot is to be reformed from the dust it
must have something to tread on. If my
hand is to be reconstructed it must have
something to handle. Ifmy eye, having gone
out in death, is to be rekindled, must have
something to gaze on. Your adverse
theory seems to imply that the resurrected
body is to be hung on nothing, or to work in
air, or to float amid the intangibles. You
may say: Ii there bs material organisms,
then soul in heaven will be cramped and
hindered in its enjoyments; but 1 answer:
Did not Adam and Eve have plenty of room
in the garden of Edens Although only a
few miles would have described the circum.
ference Of that place, they had ample room.
And do you not suppose that God in the inn
mensities can build place large enough te
give the whole race room, even though there
be material organismss
Gas a conquering army, marching on tc
take city, comes at nightfall to the crest oi
q mountain from which in the midst of thu
landscape they. see the. castles they are tx
capture, and rein in their war chargers ant
halt and take a good look before they pitcl
their tents for the night; SO now, coming a
we do on this mountain top of prospect,
command this regiment of God to rein II
their thoughts and halt, and before they pitcl
their tents for the night take one good, Ion.
look at the gates Of the great city. l wan
you to examine the architecture of thos
gates. Proprietors Of large estates are yer,
apt to have an ornamented gateway. Some
times they spring an arch of masonry; tn
posts of the gate fanked with lions il
statuary; the bronze gate a representation 0
/ INTERVIEWING foliage, bird-haunted, until til
hand of architectural genius drops exhausted
all its life frozen into the stone. Babylo
r had hundred gates, SO had Thebes.. Gate
, Of wood and iron and stone guarded nearl
all the old cities. Moslems have inscribe
Koran. There have been q great many fiji
$ gateways but Christset his hand to the worl
a and for the upper city swung gate such
q no eyes ever gazed on untouched of inspir;
2 tion. With the nail of his own cross he CT
e into its wonderful traceries stories of past su
q fering and Of gladness to come. There
p" no wood or stone or bronze in that gate, b
). from top to base and from side to side
J. is all Of pearl. Not one piece picked l
from Ceylon banks and another piece fro
J, the Persian Gulf and another from the isla,
r. of Marguerite; but one solid pearl picked
v from the beach Of everlasting light by hca
emily hands, and hoisted and swung amid t
shouting of angels. The glories of a'abast
- vase and porphyry pillar fade out before IL
es gateway. 1t puts out the spark of feldsp
IA and Bohe nian diamond. You know how O
r little precious stone on your finger will fla
Oh under the gaslight. But oh, the brightn,
il when the great gate of heaven swings, stru
ho through and dripping with the light of ct
ne ual MONDAY.
It. .Julius Cesar paid 1a5, COO crowns for Q
pearl. The governmo vt Of Portugal boast
u or having a pearl large oaan par. Ele
e. patra and Philip Il. da szled the worl
vision with precious stones Bat gather
en- these together and lift them and add to tn
IN all the wealth Of the pearl fisheries and
them in the panel Of one do u and it does
we equal this magnificent gateway. An
of mighty hand hewed this, strung this, polisl
. this. Against this gateway on the one S
M dash all the splendors of earthly beau
nd Against this gate on the other side b
the surges of eternal glory. Oh,
'ry gate! the gatel 1t strikes an infinite cha
nd through every one that passes it. One
:. this side of that gate and we arc laup
as One step the other side Of that gate and
me are kings. The pilgrim of earth, go
A., through, sees in the one huge pearl all
inc earthly tears in crystal. o gate OF Lii
ere gate of pearl, gate of Heaven, for our we
L., souls at last swing open.
~ When shall these eyes thy heaven-built W
And pearly gates behold,
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong
And streets of shining goldi
.i'' "I want you to count the number OF I'll
Inc gates Imperial parks and lordly manors
on apt to have one expensive gateway and
! others are ordinary; but look around at t
and entrances to heaven and count Them
first two, three four, five, six, seven, eight, I
ten, eleven, twelve. Hear it all the earth
ring ali the heavens Twelve gatesl admit
nev- Is rather hard on sharp sectariansms.
Presbyterian is bigoted he brings his "
oyer minister Assembly cathechism and he m
tant 4 gateway out of that, and he say:
The world: "You go through there or
inu- ont If a Methodist minister is bigote
the plants two posts and says: Now you
crowd In between those two posts or
low out Or perhaps an Episcopalian may
ON. Here is liturgy out of which mean to I
. gate; go through it or stay out Or
list may say: Here is water-gate; yc
n oOo through that or you must stay OUT Al
0'010 in all our churches and denominations
q 000 are men who make one gate for theuls
n mn and then demand that the whole wor
a 0G0 through it, l abhor this contractedn'
n Goa religious views. Oh, small-souled man,
,o 900 did God give you the contract for mf
,o000- gatesl I tell you plainly will no
n n0o II that gate. will go in at any one 0
- twelve gates choose. Hero is a man