Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-07-16

Of the tenderest and most patheti stories
nave been told of those who left their
native cline and longed for it until they
died. But the Swiss, coming to the high
residence of Heaven, will not long any
more for the Alps, standing in the eternal
hills. The Russian will not long any more
for the luxuriant harvest-ields he left,
now that he hears the hum and the rustic
of the harvests of everlasting light. The
ones from earth will not long to go
back againt to the earthly court, now that
they stand in the palaces of the sun.
Those who once lived amid the groves Of
spice and oranges will not long to return,
now that they stand under the trees of
life that bear twelve ann of fruit.
While l speak an ever-increasing
throng Is passing through the gates.
They are going up from Senegambia,
from Patagonia, from Madras, from Hong
Kong.
"What" you say, edo you introduce all
the heather into glory?"
1 tell you the fact is, that the majority
of the people in those chimes die in infancy
and the infants all go straight into eternal
life, n so the vast majority of those
who die in China and India, the vast ma
jority of those who die in Africa, go
straight into the skies-they die in in.
fancy. One hundred and sixty genera.
tions have been born since the world was
created, and so l estimate that there must
be Ii, 900, 900, 900 children in glory. If at q
concert 1900 children sing, your soul is
raptured within you. o, the transport
when Is. 900, 900, 900 little ones stand up il
white before the throne of God, thetl
chanting drawing out all the stupendon
harmonies of Dusseldorf and Leipsic and
Boston,! Pour in through the twelve gates,
. We redeemed, banner lifted, rank aftr
rank, saved battalion after saved battalion,
until all the city of God shall hear the
tramp, tramp. Crowd all the twelve gat,s.
Room yet. Room on the thrones. Room
in the mansions. Room on the river
bank. Let the trumpet of invitation
be sounded until all earth's mountains
hear the shrill blast and the glens echo it.
Let missionaries tell it in pagoda and
colporteurs sound it across the w estern
prairies. Shout it to the Laplander on his
swift sled; halloo it to the Bedouin career.
ing across the desert. News! news? A
glorious Heaven and twelve gates to got
into it. o you thin -blooded nations of
eternal winter! on the north three gates.
Hear it. o you bronzed inhabitants pant
ing under equatorial heats! on the south
three gates.
But I notice when John saw the gates
they were open-wide open. They will
not always be so. After while Heaven
will have gathered up all its intended
population and the children of God will
have come home. Every crown taken.
Every harp struck. Every throne mount
ed. All the glories of the universe har.
vested in the great garner. 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.
Norway in, and the eighth gate shut.
Switzerland in, and the ninth gate shut.
Hindostan in, and the tenth gate shut.
Siberia in, and the eleventh gate shut.
All the gates are closed but one. Now,
let America go in, with all the islands of
the sea and all the other nations that have
called on God. The captives all freed.
The harvests all gathered. The nations
all saved. The flashing splendor Of this
last pearl begins to move on it's hinges.
Let two mighty angels put their shoulders
to the gate and heave it to with silvery
clang. 'Tis done! 1t thunders! The
twelfth gate shut! -....
So l am glad to tell you that while these
twelve gates stand open to let a great null
titude in, there are twelve angels to keep
some people out. Robespierre can not go
through there, nor H%ildebrand, nor Nero,
nor any of the debauched of earth who
have not repented of their wickedness. If
one of these nefarious men who despised
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 that land for thieves, and
liars, and whore -mongers, and defraud-
ers, and all those who disgraced their race
and fought against their God. If a miser
should get in there he would pull up The
golden pavement. If a house breaker
should get in there, he would set fire to
the mansion. If a libertine should get in
there, he would whisper his denominations
standing on the white coral of the sea
the sea beach. Only those who are blood
washed and prayer.lipped 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 a pass
written by the crushed hand of the Son
of God, the gate-keeper would with one
glance wither you forever.
There will be a password at the gate OF
Heaven. Do you know what that pass
word is? Here ZONES the crowd Of souls up
to the gate and they say:
"Let me in. Let me in. l was very use
full on earth. I endowed colleges. l built
churches and was famous for my chari-
tics; and having done so many wonderful
things for the world. now l come up to get
my reward"
A voice from within says: 81 never knew
you"
Another great crowd comes up and they
try to get through. They say
"We were highly honorable on earth and
the earth bowed very lowly before us. We
were honored on earth and now we come
to get our honors in Heaven"
And a voice from within says: II never
knew you" .M i.
Another crowd advances and says:
"We were very moral people IN earth,
very moral indeed, and we come up to get