Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1890-11-22

III III si atIt biL0
righteousness and God was the man VINO
many years before mad looked into the CABIN
on the prairie as robber- The speaker and
the auditor Immediately recognized each
other. After So long i time a mothers
pra vers answered
But we must hurry on, for tie muleteers
and baggage men have teen ordered TO pitch
our tents for tonight at Bethel. 1t IS already
getting so dark that we have 10 give W all
idea Of guiding the horses. and leave them Go
their own sagacitv. We ride Gown amid
mud cabins and ln'o ravlne>. where the
horses leap from depth - depth. rocks below
rocks. rocks under rocks. Whoa Whoa,
We dlsmCunt in this place. memorable for
many things in Bible history. tie two more
prominenta theological senlnary where vi old
they made ministers. and for Jacobs dream.
The students Of this Bethel TheologicaiSemi-
nary were called sons OF the prophets
Here thu young men were htted Tor tue
ministry, and those OF Us who ever had tbs
advantage Of such Institutions will everlast-
inglv lie grateful, ana III the calendar Of
saints. which | read with especial affection
are the doctors Of divinity who blessed NE.
with their care.
thank God that from these theological
Summaries there is nov coming forth u mag
niticent crop OF young ministers. who are
taking the pulplts in all parts OF the land. l
hail their coming. and tell these young
brothers 10 shake off the soIHnoience OF CEN
turies. and get out from under the dusty
shelves of theological discussions which have
no practical bearing on this age, winch needs
10 get rid Of its sins and have its sorrows
comforted Many Of our puipits are dying
u humdfutn. People DO not 20 TO church
because Iney cannot endure the tecnnicalitles
and profound explanations Of nothing. and
sermons about the eternal generation OF
the son, and the difference between sub
lapsaIianism and supra-lapsarianism, and
about who Melchisedec wasn't. There ought
10 he a. much difference between the modes
OF presenting truth nov and III oiden time
as between a lightning express rail train and
d canal boat.
Years ago | went up to the door Of a fac
tory in New England. On the outside door
[ saw tue words, No a~dmittance." | went
In and came to another door over which were
the words, No admittance.' Of course |
wentin, and came TO the third door inscribed
with the w~ordser.No admittancs." Having
entered this | FOUND the people inside making
pins, beautiful pins, useful pins. and nothing
but pins. SO over the outside door Of many
Of the churches has been practically written
lie words, No admittanca." Some have
entered and have come to the inside door aud
found the words, Nc adulittance.' But,
persistiug, they have come inside and found
rs sounding out our little ~niceties of belief
pointing out our little differences OF theologl-
cal entlment-maklng pins.
But most distinguished was Bethel for that
famous dream which Jacob had, his head on
a collection Of stones. He had no trouble i'll
this rocky region i'll finding Il ROCKY pillow.
There is hardly anything else but stone. Yet
the people Of those lands have q way OF draw
f, ing their outer garment up over their head
aud face, and such d pillow | suppose jacob
had under his head. The plural was used III
the Bible story, and you tinu it was not q
pillow Of stone, but Of stones. ] suppose. s.
that if one proved to he of uneven ~surfa&s ~
would turn over in the night and tat NJ
otner stone, tor with >ucn a nard bolster he
would often change in the night. Well, that
night God Lullt Ill Jacobs dream a long,
spleudid ladder. the feet of it on either Size
OF the tired pilgrims pillow, and tie top OF
it nOrtlsed III the sky. Aud bright lmmOT-
tails 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, a procession both Ways.
| suppose they had wings, tor the Bible
almost always reports them as having
wings, but this was e ladder Oh which they
used hands and feet to encourage oil those
of us who nave no wings to climb, and en-
couraging US to believe that II we Will USE
what We have God will provide a way, and
if we will employ the hand and foot He viii
furnish the ladder. Young man, 10 not
wait for wings. Those angels folded their
to show YOU wings are not necessary. Let
all the people who have hard pillows--hart
for sickness. or hard for poverty. or hard for
.persistence-know that a hard pillow is the
landing place for angels. They seldom
descend to pillows of eiderdown. They
seldom build dreams in the@Erain of the one
who sleeps easy.
The greatest dream of all time was that Of
ST. John. with his head on the-rocks Of Pat
mos, and in that vision he heard the sever
1 t%ruTnpets sounded, and saw all the ponp o.
heaven in procession cherubac. seraplic
archangelic. Tn next most memorable anC
glorious dream was that Of John Bunyan
hjc rtl1ty fha cold c<opn 90 the n of po1
ford Jail. from which he saw the celestia
city. and SO many entering it he cried ont ii
his dream, Il wish myself amt,tr. them
The next most wonderful Dire am was tina
Washington sleeping on the 81 ound at Val
ley Forge, his head Oh a white tpillowcase O
snow, where he saw the vision Of a nation
e~maucipated. Columbus slept:on a weaver
pillow. but rose on the ladder let down unit
he could see anew hemisphere. Demosthene
slept on a cutters pillow, but on the ladder
let down arose to see the mighty
that were to be swayed by his oratory. Ark
wright slept on q. BARRIERS pillow. but wen
up the ladder till he could see all Englant
quake with the factories hesettgoing. AIKEN
side slept on a butchers pillow, and took tn,
ladder up till he saw other generations helpet
bv his scholarship.
John Ashworth slept on aapoor mans Pill
low, but took the ladder uptuntil he coult
see his pra yers and exertions bringing thou
E'N' S0S AA sac dblO
and heaven. Nearly all those who are to
day great in merchandise, in craftsmanship
in law, in medicine, in art, in literature aver
once at the foot of the ladder, and in ,thei
boyhood had a pillow hard as Jacobs. The,
who are born at the top of the ladder are ap
TO spend their lives in coming down, Will
those who are at the foot. and theirihead OIL
a bowlder. if they have the right kind 0
dream, are almost sure to rise.
notice that those angels, either in com
ing down or going up on Jacob's& ladder
took it rung by rung. They did not leap t
the bottom nor Jump to the top. sotyou ar
torise. Faith added to faith, goodideed +
good deed. industry to industry cons
Grafton to conservation, until you reacI
the top. rung by rung. Gradual going III
from a block of granite to a pillar Of throne
That night at Bethel I stoodin front of m,
tent and looked W, and the heavens wer,
full of ladders. first q ladder of clouds, the,
a ladder of stars, and all up and down tn
heavens were angels Of beauty, angels o
consolation, angels of God, ascending anC
descending. Surely, God is in this place.
said Jacob. and | knew il not But t.