Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-12
The WAY TO HEAVEN,
oW 1t Was Pointed Out by Christ,
Who Qvercame Natures Law.
A SERMON FOR ASCENSION DAY.
His Miracles so Many Powerful Lessons
Teaching Gods Truth.
FAITH STILL THE GREAT COMFORTER


BROOKLYN, May 11.-After reading ap-
propriate passages of Scripture, and the
usual prayers and musical exercises, Dr.
Talmage preached the following sermon, In
the Academy of Music, this morning, from
the words, Lift up your heads. ye gates;
and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; ana
the King of glory shall come In. Psalms
1xiv,7.
In olden times when great conqueror re-
turned from victorious war. the people In wild
transport would take hold Of the gates OF the
city and lift them from their hinges, as much
as to say: This city needs no more gates 70
defend it since this conqueror has got home.
on from the hinges with the gatesr' David
who was the poet of poets, foretells in his own
way the triumphal entrance Of Christ into
heaven, after His victory over sin and death and
hell II was as if the celestial inhabitants had
said: Here He comes! Make way for Himl
Push back the bolts of diamond! Take hold OF
the gates of pearl and hoist them from their
hinges of gold! Lift up your heads, Q ye gates;
and he We lifted up, We everlasting doorsi ana
the King of Glory shall come in"
Among the mountains of Palestine no one is
more uplifting than Mount Olivet. 1t was the
peroration of our Lords ministry. On the roof
of house in Jerusalem | asked Nv hich is
Ollvet7" and the first glance transfxed me.
But how shall describe my emotions when,
two nights encamped amid the shattered ma
sonry of old Jericho, and tasted of the acrid
waters of the Dead Sea, that crystal sarcopha-
gus of the buried cities of the plain, and waded
down into the deep and swift Jordan TO baptlZe
a man, and visited the ruins of the house OF
Mary and Martha and Lazarus, we found our
selves in stirrups and on horse, lathered with
the long and difficult way,
ASCENDING MOUNT oLIvET.
Oh, that solemn and suggestive ridgeI 1t is
limestone hill, a mile in length, and 800 feet
high, and 2 200 feet above the level Of the sea.
Over it King David fed with broken heart
Over it Pompey led his devastating hosts.
Here the famous Tenth Legion built their
batteries in besiegement The Garden of Geth-
semane weeps at the foot of it. Along the
base of this hill flashed the lanterns and torches
of those who came to arrest Jesus. From the
trees on this hill the boughs were torn off and
thrown into the path of Christ's triumphal
procession. Up and down that road Jesus had
walked twice a day Fl ON Bethany to Jerusalem,
and from Jerusalem to Bethany. There
again and again, He had taught His disciples.
Half way up this mount He uttered His
lamentation. 20 Jerusalem, Jerusalem!' From
its heights Jesus took flight homeward when
He had finished His earthly mission. There is
nothing more for Him to do. A sacrifice was
needed to make peace between the recreant
earth aud the outraged heaven, and He had
offered It. Death needed to be conquered, and
He had put His resurrection foot upon it. The
SS years of voluntary exile had ended. The
grandest, tenderest, mightiest goodby ever
heard was now to be uttered.
On Mount Olivet Jesus stands in a group of
Galilee fishermen. They had been together in
many scenes of sadness and persecution and
had been tile more endeared by that brother
hood OF suffering. They had expected Him to
stay until the day of coronation when He
would take the earthly throne and wave a
scepter mightier. and rule dominion wider
than any Pharaoh, than any David. than any
Caesar. But now all these anticipations col |
lapse. Christ has given His last advice. He |
has offered His last sympathy. He has spoken |
His last word His hands are spread apart as |
one is apt to do when he pronounces a |
benedictiOn, when suddenly the strongest !
and most stupendous law of all worlds is |
shattered. 1t is the law which, since the worlds
were created, holds them together. That law |
of gravitatlon must now give way to Him who |
made the law. 1t may hold the other stars, but |
1t cannot longer hold the Morning Star of the |
1t may hold the MONDAY sun, but /
it cannot hold the Sun of Righteousness. The
fingers of that law are about to open TO let go
the most illustrious Being the world had ever
strongest law of nature which philosophers
ever weighed or measured must at last give
way 1t will break between the rock of Olivet
and the heel of Christ's foot. Watch it. all We
disciples! Watch it. all the earth!
THE LORDS ASCENSION.
Leaning back, and with paid cheek and up
lifted eyes, the disciples see their Lord rising
from the solid earth. Then, rushing forward
they would grasp His feet to hold Him fast.
but they are out of reach, and it is too late to
detain Him. Higher than the tops of the fig
trees from which they had plucked the fruit
Higher than the olive trees that shaded the
mount Higher, uutf He is within sight of
the Bethlehem where He was born, and the
Jordan where He was baptized, and the Col
gntha where He was slain. Higher until on
stairs of heecy cloud He steps. Higher, until.
into sky bluer than the lake that could not sink
Him, He disappears into sea of glory whose bill
lowing splendors hide Him. The fishermen
watch and watch, wondering if the law of
nature will not reassert itself, and He shall in
a few moments come back again and they shall
see Him descending; first his SCARED feet COM |
ing in sight. then the SCARED brow and thew
may take again His SCARED hand. But the
pass by, and the hours, and no ap-
Dearance. Gone out of sight of earth. but
come within sight of heaven. And rising still |
not welcomed by one angelic choir like those
who one Christmas night escorted Him down.
Iut all heaven turns out to greet Him home,
Ind the temples have especial anthem and the
PALACES especial banquet and the streets
special Ihrongs; and all along the line to the |
DOT of the throne, for years vaca ted but now
.gain to be taken, there are arches lifted, ana |
banners waved, and trumpets sounded, and
ioxologies chanted and cornnets cast down,
The angels throng'd His chariot Wheels
And bore Him TO His throne:
Then swept their golden harps and sung
''The glorious work is DONE
1t was the greatest day in heaven! As He
,oes up the steps of the famed throne that "a
ears before He abdicated for our advantage
here rises from all the hosts of heaven a
hout saintly,:chenbic, seraphic, archangelic,
'Hallelujah! Amenr'
o garden of olives. thou dear honored spot
The fame Of thy glory shall ne er be forgot
No wonder that for at least 400 wears the
churches have, 40 days after Easter, kept AS
fOrr lno1 |
nd glorious. It takes much of the uncer- |
ainty out of the IDEA of heaven, when from
)liveS we see human nature ascending. The
anne body that rose from Joseph's tomh aS |
ended from Mount Olivet, Our human nature
s IN heaven to-day. Just they had seen | !
,hrist for 40 days, He assembled heao face
honlaers' hands. feet, and the entire human
rganlsm. humanity ascendedt All how |
loosely that keeps Christ in symnathv will |
hose who are still in the STRUGGLED AScendad | ,
cars, face sears, hand scars, feet scars, shoui-
II the suffering, with all the weary a,i-b aii !
be imposed-upon. /,
HE LEADS Us UPWARD. =
Mo more is He spirit now than a hodv.
1ore of heaven than earth. Those of the ceIas I
ial inhabitants who never saw our world no., 1
ralk around Him and learn from His phvsicor I
ontour something of what our race will no !
hen in the resurrection, heaven will have un- !
ounted bodies as well as uncounted spirits
IN Ascen> on Day he lifted Himself through ]
be atmosphere of Palestine until. amid the
nmensities, He disappeared. He was the only
eing the world ever saw who could lift Him.
elf. Surely. if He could lift Himself, He can |
o the lesser deed Of lifting us.
Nostar goes down but climbs another sky,
No sun sets here except to rise on high.
Christ leads us all the way; through the birth
our for He was born in Bethlehem; through |
oyhood, for He passed it in Nazareth; through
justices. for He endured the outrages of |