Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-21

Again, learn from the fact that a door
in heaven is opened that there is a way of
entrance for our prayers and of egress for
divine blessings. 1t does 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
wings2 The truth is plain; Heavens door
is wide open to receive every prayer Must
it not be loudS Ought it not to ring up
with the strength of stout lungs? Must it
not be q loud call, such as drowning men
utter, or like the shout of some chieftain
in the battle? No; whisper is as good as
a shout, and the mere wish of the soul in
profound silence is as good as whisper.
/ 1t rises just as high and accomplishes just
as much.
GOD HEARS THE MOST HUMBLE CRY.
But ought not prayer to be made of
golden words if it is to enter such SPLEEN
did door and live beside seraphim and arch
angelP Ought not every phrase be rounded
into perfection, ought not the language be
musical and classic and poetic AMI rhetori
| calf No; the most illitcrate cutlery, the
unjointed petition, the clumsy phrase, the
sentence breaking into grammatical blum
ders, an unworded groan is just as effect
ual If it be the uttcrance of the souls
want A heart all covered up with gar
lands of thought would be no attraction
to God, but heart broken and contrite-
that is the acceptable sacrifice. 81 know
that my Redeemer liveth," risingup in the
mighty harmony of musical academy,
may overpower our ear 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 Saviour's compassion, singing amid
tears and pangs, II know that my Re
deemer livetho
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 sublimity, but neither
your graceful posture nor the roll of your
blank verse will attract heavenly atten-
ton, while over some dark cellar in which
n Christian pauper is PROSTATE i'll the
straw angels bend from their thrones and
cry one to another, Behold, he praysl"
Through this open door of heaven what
long procession of prayers is continually
passing What thanksgivings! What
confessions! What intercessons! What
opened in heaven"
Again, the door of heaven is opened TO
allow us the opportunity of looking in.
Christ when he came from heaven to Beth
lehem left it open, and no one since has
dared to shut it. Matthew threw it still
wider open when he came to write, and
Paul pushed the door further back when
he spoke of the glory to be revealed, and
81, IN olNtt
to the harps, and the waters, and
the crowns and the thrones. There
are profound mysteries about that
blessed place that we cannot solve. But
look through this wide open door of heaven
and see what you can see. God means us
to look and catch up now something of
the rapture and attune our hearts to its
worship.
TIE DOOR OF HEAVEN is WIDE.
1t is wide open enough to see Christ
Behold him, the chief amongten thousand,
all the hammered pomp of heaven at his
feet. With your enkindled faith look up
along these ranks of glory. Watch how
their palms wave, and hear how their voices
ring. Floods clapping their hands, streets
cleaning with gold, uncounted multitudes
ever sccumulating in number and ever ris-
ing up into gladder hosannas. If you can
not stand to look upon that joy for at least
one hour how could you endure to dwell
among it forever? You would wish your
self out of it in three days, and choose the
earth again or any other place where it was
not always Sunday.
My hearcr in worldly prosperity, affluent,
honored, healthy and happy, look in upon
that company of the redeemed and see how
the poor soul in heaven Is better off than
you are, brighterin apparel, richer in estate,
higher in power. Hearers, afflicted and
tried, look in through that open door, that
you may see to what glldness and glory
you are coming, to what life, to what
riches, to what royalty. Hearers pleased
to fascination with this world, gather up
your souls for one appreciatiyc look upon
riches that never fly away, upon health
that never Sickcns, upon Gcepters that
never break, upon expectations 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 fatigucs, enough living fountains to
quench all our thirst, enough glory to dash |
out for ever and ever all earth's signing and
restlessness and darkness. Battles ended, |
tears wiped away, thorns plucked from the
bosoms, stabs healed, the tomb riven-what |
Il scene to look uponl
IT Is OPEN FOR FINAL ENTRANCE.
Again the door of heaven stands open
for the ChrlstipH's final entrance. Death |
to the righteous is not climbing high walls |
or fording deep rivers but 1t is entering |
an open door. If you ever visit the old |
homestead where you were born, and while
father and mother are yet alive, as you 20 |
up the lane in front of the farm house, and |
put your hand on the door and lift the |
latch, do you shudder with fear? No, you |
are glad to enter, SO your last sickness
will be only the lane in front of your
Fathers house, from which you hear the |
voice of singing before you reach the door. |
And death, that Is the lifting of the latch |
before you enter, the greetings and EN- |
braces OF the innumerable family of the |
righteous. Nay, thore is no latch, for John |
suys the door is already open, What IA |
company Of spirits have already entered |
those portals, bright and shiningl Souls |
released from the earthly prison house,
how they shouted us they went through! |
Spirits that sped up from the flames of |
martyrdom, making heaven richer as they |
went ln pouring their notes into the celes-
tial harmony.
And that doDf has not begun to shut. |
If redeemed by grace we all shall enter it. !
This side of it we have wept, but on the |
other side of it we shall never weep. On
this side we may have grown sick with |
WEAKNESS, but on the other side of it we
shall be without fatigue. On this side we
bleed with the warriors wounds on the |
other side we shall wave the victor's
palm. When you think of dying what |
makes your brow contract, what makes |
you breathe so deep and sighs What makes