The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-07-31

De AapDy with such an outlook as Gh9
door of heaven. But there He stands
no more disturbed by the fall of a
kingdom than the dropping of leaf,
no more excited by the rising Of u
throne than the bursting of bud,
the falling Of a deluge than the trick
ling Of q raindrop, Earthly royalty
clutches nervously it's sceptre and
waits in suspense the will of infamed
subjects and the crown is tossed
from one family to another. But
above oil earthly vicissitude and the
assault of human passions, III un-
shaken security stands the King Of
Kings, watching all the affairs of His
empire from the introduction of ON
era to the counting of the hairs of
your head.
Again: / learn from the fact that
q door in heaven is opened, that there
is way of entrance for our prayers
and Of egress for divine blessings. It
docs not seem that our weak voice
has strength enough to climb up to
Gods ear. Shall not our prayer be
lost in the clouds? Have words
wings? The truth is plain: Heavens s
door is wide open to receive every
prayer. Must it not be loud? Ought
it not to ring up with the strength OF
stout lungs? Must it not be a loud
call, such as drowning men utter or
like the shout of some chieftain in
the battle? No; q whisper is as good
rs shout, and the mere wish of the
soul in profound silence is as good us
q Whisper II rises just as high and
accomplishes just us much.
But ought not prayer be made up
of golden words if it is to enter such
a splendid door and live beside ser
aphim and archangeR. Ought not
every phrase be rounded into perfec-
ton, ought not the language be musi-
cal, and classic, and poetic, and rhe-
torical? No, the most illiterate out
cry, the 1njointed petition, the clumsy
phrase, the sentence breaking into
grammatical blunders, an mworded
groan, is just as effoctual if it be the
utterance of the souls want. A
heart all covered up with garlands of
thought would be no attraction to
God, but heart broken and con-
trite, that is the acceptable sacrifice
Il know that my Redeemer iveth, :"
rising up III the mighty harmony of n
musical academy may overpower our
car and heart, but it will not reach
the ear Of God like the broken voiced
hymn of some sufferer amid rags and
desolation looking up trustfully to a
Saviour's compassion, singing amid
tears and pangs, 81 know that my
Redoemer livcth."
[ suppose that there was more
rhetoric and classic elegance in the
prayers of the Pharisee than Of the
publican, but you know which was
successful. You may kneel with
complete elegance on some soft
cushion at an altar of alabaster, and
utter prayer of Miltonic sublmity.
but neither your graceful posture nor
the roll of your blank verse will at
tract heavenly attention, while over
some dark cellar in which q Chris
tlan pauper IS PROSTATE in the straw,
angels bend from their thrones and
cry one to another: "Behold, he
prays!' Through this open door of
heaven what q long procession of
prayers is continually passing! What
thanksgivings What confessions!
What mtercessions! What ,bescech-
ing! And behold Il door was open
ed III heaven"
Again: The door of heaven is
opened to allow us the opportunity
of looking i'll. Christ, when he came
from heaven to Bethlehem, left it
open, and no one since has dared to
shut it. Matthew threw itstill wider
open when he came to write, and
Paul pushed the door farther back
when he spoke Of the glory to be re
vealed; and John in Revelation actu-
ally points us to the harps and the
waters, and the crowns, and the
thrones.
1t is wide open enough to sec
Christ. Behold him, the chief among
ten thousands, all the hammered nomr
Of heaven at his feet. With your en-
kindled faith look up along these
ranks Of glory. Watch how theil
palms wave and hear;how their voices
ring. Floods clapping their hands,
streets cleaning with gold, uncount-
eel multltudes ever accumulating in
number and ever rising up into glad,
der hOs0nnaS. Ii you cannot stand
to look upon that JOY for at least one
hour, how could you endure to dwell
among it forever? You would wish
yourself out of it in three days and
choose the earth again or any Other
place where it was not always Sun,
day.
My nearer in worldly prosperity
atfluent, honered, healthy and happy
look in upon that company of the re,
deemed, and see how the poor soul in
heaven is better off than you are,
brighter in apparel, richer in estate,
higher in power. Hearers, afflicted
and tried, look in through that open
door that you may see to what glad
ness and glory you arc coming, to
what life, to what riches, to what
royalty. Hearers pleased to fascina-
tlon with this world, gather up your
souls for one appreciative look upon
riches that never fly away, upon
health that never sickens, upon scep-
tres that never break, upon execpta-
tlons that are never disappointed.
Look in and see if there are not
enough crowns to pay us for all our
battles, enough rest to relieve all our
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