Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-03-12

is now before the throne Of God. Can you
bring her a gift to-day? You may. Coming !
to Christ and repenting oe sin, the hiding |
will 90 ND to the throne Of God and your. |
child viii hear of it. Oh, what gift for her
soul TODAY, She will skip with new glad
ness on Lae everlasting nuis wnen sue nears
Of it
My subject also impresses me with the
idea that heaven and earth are in close SYM
patty. People talk of heaven as though it
were a great way off. They say it is hun
dreds OF thousands Of miles before you
reach the first star, and then you go hun
dreds OF thousands OF miles before you get
to tue second star, and then it is millions OF
miles before you reach heaven. They say
heaven is the center OF the universe and We
TINS mouse to-day who could 70 out with a
torch and kindle a new bonfire Of victory
on the hills OF heaven If you would this
day repent and come to God, the news Of
your salvation would reacn heaven. and
then, bark to the shout Of the ransomei.
Your little child went away from you into
the good land. While she was here you
brought her all kinds Of beautiful presents.
Sometimes you came home at nightfall
with your pockets full Of gifts for her, and
no sooner did you put your night key into
the latch than she began at you, saying,
are on the rim of the universe. That Is not
the idea of my text. l think the heart OF
heaven beats very close to our world. we
measure distances by the time taken 20
traverse those distances.
It used to be a long distance to San Fran
cisco. Many weeks and months were passed
before you could reach that city. Now it Is
six or seven days. 1t used to be six weeks
before you could voyage from here TO Liver
pool. Now you can go that distance Is six
or seven days. And 80 l measure the dis
lance between earth and heaven, and l find
it is only a flash. 1t is one instant here and
another instant there: 1t is very near to-
day. Do you not feel the breath OF heaven
on your face7 Christ says in one place it is
not tvventy-four hours distance, when He
SAYS to the ~penitent thief, This day, this
day, shalt thou be with Nc in paradise 1t
is not a day, it Is not an hour, It, Is not a
minute, it is not a second.
Oh, how near heaven is to earth. By
oceanic cables you send a message. AS it is
expensive to send a message, you compress
a great deal Of meaning in a few words.
Sometimes in two words you can put vast
meaning. And it seems to me tnat the
angels Of God who carry news from earth
to heaven need to take up this hour in re-
gard to your soul, only two words in order
to kindle, with gladness all the redeemed
before thethrone. only two words, Father
saved" 'smother saved" "son saved"
daughter saved" And "thereeis joy in
heaven among the angels Of God over one
sinner that repenteth.'
My subject also iurpressas me with the
fact that the salvation OF the soul is of vast
Importance. IT you should make 500. 900
this year, do you suppose that news would
be carried to heaven? 1t would not be of
enough importance or significance to be car
ried heavenward. If at the next quadren.
NAL election you are made President of tho
United States, do you suppose that news
would be carried to heavens Do you sup
pose that the news Of q revolution in France
or Spain would be carried to heaven? These
things are not of enough Importance. but
there is one item that is sure to be carried.
1t is the salvation Of your soul. It is your
repentance before God.
The flying hooss of Cots couriars clash
through the gates and the news goes from
gate to mansion, and from mansion to tenn
pie, and from temple to throne, and there
IS joy in heaven" among tho angels OF God
over one sinner forgiven. 1t must be Of vast
Importance to be OF any moment in heaven,
your salvation in that land where gladnesses
are the every day occurrence, in that land
where the common stones of the field are
jasper and emerald and chrysoprasus and
carbuncle and sarconyx. And yet the news
of your salvation makes Joy before the
throne of God.
Having found in my own experience that
this religion is a comfort and a joy, stand
here to commend it to you. In the days of
nv infancy l was carried by Christian pa
rents to the house OF God, and consecrated il
baptism to the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; but that did not save me. Ir
after time I was taught to kneel at tn
Christian family altar with father ant
mother and brothers and sisters, the most OF
them now in glory; but that did not save
me.
In after time l read Doddridge's 'Rise
land Progress" and Baxter's 'Call to the
Unconverted," and all the religious books
around my fathers household, but that die
not save me. But one day the voice OF
repent; believe, believe" and accepted the
offer of mercy, and though no doubt there
was Joy in heaven over the conversion OF
other souls because Of their far-reaching in
f~1uence, l verify believe when I gave my
heart hea IT. to q. Goa a'dad there re- were .sa d some spirit: spirits r il j;
joy III heaven among the angels Of God over
one sinner that repenteth." Turn this day tc
the Lord who bought you. Let this whole
audience surrender themselves to Jesu:
Christ. If for ten, twenty, fifty years 20,
have not prayed. begin now to pray.
oh, you say, II can't pray" Can you
not say, God be merciful to me, a sinner
"No." you say, II can't say that" The1
can you not look to the throne OF mercy
mo" you say, Il can't look up" Can 20,
not give some signal like that which was
given by the lad in the hospital? He wa.
SICK and suffering and dying, and wantel
speedily to go away from all suffering anc
pain. and he said to his comrades in the hos
pital. ut is strange to me that Jesus doesn'
see me when He goes through here nights
. ILL tdheS OlucIS u I1ltuSo4I. ne zoe:
! through here and He doesn't see me. mus
be asleep and He doesn't know l want to go
Now, | tell you how I'll arrange it. II
go to sleep with my hands up. and the,
when Jesus comes through the hospital b
night He will see my hand lifted, and II
will know that | want to go with Him" s.
it was done. For that night Jesus wen
through the hospital aud took the sufferins
lad, and the next morning the nurse PASSING
through the wards of the hospital saw a deae
hand lifted braced on one side against tbs
pillow, and the left hand holding the elbow
of the right arm. Jesus had seen the sigma
and answered it. Oh, sick soul, wounde,
soul, dying soul, cansc thou not give som
signal: Wilt thou not lift one hand or on
prayers God grant that this day there ma,
be JOY In heaven among the angels of Go
: over your soul forgiven!
Smallest Railroad in the World.
The smallest railway in the world i
probably that from Ravenglass to Boot
> |, IN Cumberland, England. The one i
- C,yocttoo &c ll,o o.-. III