The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-11-20

| uoul ic DeSdl a llCW lie. ! ears after
that woman was in 4 city IN u great
audience, and the orator who came on
the platform and plead gloriously for
righteousness and God was the man
who many years before had looked into
the cabin on the prairics as a robber.
The speaker and the auditor immedi-
ately recognized each other. After SO
long time mothers prayers answer
ed.
But we must hurry OH for the null
eteerS and baggage men have been or
dered to pitch our tents for tonight
at Bethel. 1t is already getting so
dark that we have to give up all idea Of
guiding the horses, and leave them to
their own sagacity. We ride down
amid mud cabins and into ravines.
where the horses leap from depth to-
depth, rocks below rocks, rocks under
rocks. Whoa! Whoa. We dismount
in this place, memorable for many
things in Bible history, the two more
prominent a theological seminary,
where of old they made ministers, ami
for Jacobs dream. The students of
this Bethel Theological seminary were
called "sonS Of the prophets" Here
the young men were fitted for the min
lstry, and those Of us who ever had the
advantage Of such institutions will
eVerl3Stingly be grateful, and in the
calendar of saints, which | read with
especial affection, are the doctors of
divinity who blessed me with their
care.
"ANGELs ASCENDING AND DESCEND
ING.'
But most distinguished was Bethel
1or that famous dream which Jacob
had, his head on Il collection of stones.
lie mad no trouble in this rocky region
IN finding Il rocky pillow. There is
hardly anything else but stone. Yet
the people of those lands hayo way Of
drawing their outer garment up over
their head and face, and such Il pillow
suppose Jacob had under his head.
The plural was used In the Bible story,
and you lind it was not pillow of
stone, suppose, SO that if one proved
10 be or uneven surface he would turn
over in the night and take another
stone, for with such hard bolster he
would often change in the night. Well,
that night God built in Jacobs dream
4 long splendid ladder, the feet of it on
either Side of the tired Pilgrims pillow,
ard the top Of it mortised in the sky.
And bright immortals came out from
the castles of amber and gold and put
their shining feet on the shining rungs
OF the ladder. and they kept coming
down and going up, Il procession both
ways.
| suppose they had wings, for the
BlDlo almost always reports them rs
having wings, but this was a ladder on
which they used hands and feet to
encourage all those Of us who have no
wings to climb, and encouraging us to
believe that If we will use what we
nave God will provide way, and if we
will employ the hand and the foot he
will furnish the ladder. Young man,
40 not wait for wings. Those angels
folded theirs to show you wings are not
necessary, Let all the people who have
hard pillows-hard forsickness, or hard
ior poverty, or hard for persistence
place Tor angels. They seldom descend
on pillows of eiderdoWn. They seldom
build dreams in the brain Of the one
who sleeps easy.
The greatest dream of all time was
that Of st. John, with his head on the
rocks Patmos, and In that vision he
heard the seven trumpets sounded, and
saw all the pomp Of heaven in process
sion cherubic, scraphic, archangelic
The next most memorable and glorious
dream was that of John Bunyan, his
pillow the cold stone of the floor Of Bed
ford Jail, from which he saw the celes-
|l'sl Slo,, "ilI oo Iiiiuy CHIpTlIlp IL ne
cried out in his dream, 81 wish myself
among them"
| notice that those angels, either in
coming down or going up on Jacobs lad
der, took 1T rung by rung. They did not
leap to the bottom nor jump to the top.
SO you are to rise. Faith added to
faith. good deed to good deed, industry
to industry, cOnSecratiOn to conSecra-
ton, until you reach the top, rung
Gradual going up from block Of
granite to pillar Of throne.
That night at Bethel stood in front
OF my tent and looked up, and the
heavens were full of ladders, srst a
ladder Of clouds. then ladder of stars,
and AL up and down the heavens were
angels of beauty. angels OF consolation,
angels Of God, ascending and descend
ing. "Surely, God is in this place." said
Jacob, land knew it not" But to.
night God is in this place and | know
it,