The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-07-29


one that passes it. One step this side of
that gate, and we are paupers. One step
the other side of that gate, and we are
kings. The pilgrim of earth going through
sees in the one huge pearl all his earthly
tears in crystal. o, gate of light, gate of
heaven, for our weary souls at last swing
open!
When shall these eyes thy heaven built wall
And pearly gates behold,
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong,
And streets of shining gold?
o, heaven is not a dull place! Heaven
is not contracted place. Heaven is not
a stupid place, SCI saw the twelve gates
and they were twelve pearls"
In the second place, want you to count
the number of those gates. Imperial
parks and lordly manors are apt to have
one expensive gateway and the others
are ordinary; but look around at these
entrances to Heaven and count them.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine ten, eleven, twelve. Hear it,
all the earth and all the Heavens! Twelve
gates!
/ admit this is rather hard on sharp
soCtdI Ii d IESSDy t6T1du is
bigoted he brings his Westminster
Assembly Catechism, and he makes
gateway out of that, and he says to the
world:
"You go through there or stay out"
If Methodist is bigoted he plants two
posts and he says:
"Now you crowd in between those two
posts or stay ont -
Or perhaps an Episcopalian may say:
"Here is liturgy out of which
mean to make a gate; go through it or
stay out"
Or Baptist may say:
Here is water gate; you go through
that or you must stay out"
And so in all our churches and in our
denominations chere are men who make
one gate for themselves and then demand
that the whole world go through it, 1
abhor this contractedness in religious
views. o, small-souled man, when did
God give you the contract for making
gatess tell you plainly. 1 win not go in
that gate. I will go in at any one of the
twelve gates I choose. Here is a man who
says:
81 can more easily and more closely APP
proach God through pray er book"
say: "My brother, then usa the
prayer book"
Here is man who says:
~ believe there is only one mode of
baptism, and that is immersion"
Then say: "Let me plunge you"
Anyhow l say, away with the gate of
rough panel and rotten posts and rustsd
latch, when there are twelve gates and
they are twelve pearls.
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 to put off his heavy apparel and drop
everything he has in his hands. He must
60 empty handed if he is going to the
other bank. And 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
cumbrous creed, and empty handed put
out for the other shore.
"What," say you, "wouli you resolve
all the Christian churches into one kind of
church? Would you make all Christendom
worship in the saline way, by the same
forms?n
O, no! You might as we'll decide that
all people shall eat the same 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 surroun lings,
win decide whether you go to this or that
church, and adopt this or that polity.
One church will best get enc man to Heav-
en-, and another church. another man. do
not care which one of the gates you go
through, II you only go through one of the
twelve gates that Jesus lifted.
Looking out at tue one hundred and
forty and four thousand, and you can not
tell at what gate they came in. One Lord.
One faith. One baptism. One CLASSY sea.
One doxology. One triumph. One Heaven.
why, Luther, how did you get in?"
II came through the third gate"
"Cranmer, how did you get IMP"
II came through the eighth gate.o
"Adoniram Judson, how did you get
throughW
II came through the seventh gate"
"Hugh McKall, the martyr, how did you
get through"
II came through the twelfth gate"
Glory to God, twelve gates, but one
Heaven.
In the third place, notice the points of
the 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, but distinct
announcement. On the north, three gates:
on the south, three gates; on the cast, three
gates; on the west, three gates. What
does that mean? Why. it means hat all
nationalties are included, and it does not
make any difference from what quarter of
the earth a man comes up; if his heart is
right there is a gate open before him. On,
the north. three gates. That means
mercy for Lapland, and Siberia, and
Norway, and Sweden. On the south,
three gates. That means pardon
for Hindostan, and Algiers, and
Ethiopia. On the east, 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-faced men NAV be.
they will find gate right before them,
Those plucked bananas un Ter a tropical
sun. These shot across Russiau SHOWS be-
hind reindeer. From Mexican plateau.
from Roman campagna, from Chinese tea
field, from Holland dixie, from Scotch
highlands. thew come thav coro uao1an