Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25

| Ny subject iInpresses you, think, with
/ the Thought that il IS possible fer Us TO
| augment the happiness of heaven People
| think that souls before the throne are as
happy as they can be. I deny it. Look at
that mother before the throne OF God.
| When she died she left her son in this
world vaeabond. That son rapented OF
\ his iniau;tias and came 10 God. The report
of that salvation has reached heaven. Do
you ten me that mother before the throne
Of God has not her joy richly augmented,
| There IS many man IN this house to-day
| who could 90 out with a torch and kindle q
| new bonfire of victory on the hills of
heaven. II you would this day repent and
| come TO God the news Of your salvation
/ would reach heaven, and then, mark! to the
shout OF the ransomed.
Your little child went away from you into
| the good land. While she was here you
| brOGght her all kinds OF beautiful presents.
Some times 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 tnau she began at you, saying
''F'ather, what have you brought mep'
She is now before the throne of God. Can
you bring her gift to-dayl You may. Com
ing to Christ and repenting of sin. the
! tidings viii go up to the throne of God, and
your child will hear Of it. o. what gift
for her soul to-dayl She viii skip with
new gladness on the everlasting hills when
she hears of 1t.
was at Sharpsburg during the war, one
day I saw a sergeant dash past on lathered
horse, the blood dripping from the spurs.
said: THAT sergeant must be going on
very important message, he must be carry
ing a very important dispatch, or he
wouldn't ride like that Here are two
angels of GOD fitting through the house,
fitting toward the throne on quick dis
patch. What is the news9 CARRYING up
the story of souls repentant and forgiven,
carrying the news to She throne OF God,
carrying the news to your kindred who are
forever saved. O, ''ehere is JOY in heaven
among the angels of God over one sinner
that repententh." And suppose this whole
audience should turn 10 the Lerd2 Heaven
would be filed with d0xOlogies. o, heaven,
beat with ali thy hammers that the rock
may break o heaven, strike with all thy
cleaning swords that orr souls may be
free. was reading Of a king who, after
gaining great victory, said to his army:
''No, no shouting; let everything be in
quiet; no shouting
But if this hour, your soul should come TO
God, nothing could stop the shouting of the
armies of God before the throne; for ''there
is joy in heaven among the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth." In some
families they keep vacant chair and
vacant plate for the departed; but if in
some of your households YOU kept a vacant
chair and vacant plate for those who
have gone away from you into the next
world, the vacant chairs and the vacant
plates would outnumber those which are
occupied. I once said to you there are 10
vacant chairs in heaven; but recall that.
Right beside your loved one in that good
land there is a vacant chair, not made va
cant by death, for death never enters there;
it is vacant chair for you. VIII you take it,
ny subject also impresses me with the
sIr.t4 hot sy-,T ,R1rr
sympathy. People talk or heaven as though
it were d great way off. They say it is
hundreds of thousands of miles before you
reach the first star, and then Won 60 hun
dreds of thousands of miles before you get
to the second star, and then it is millions of
miles before you reach heaven. They say
heaven is the center of the universe and
we are on the rim ofothe universe. That is
not the idea of my text. think the heart
of heaven beats very close to our world.
We measure distances by the time taken
to traverse those distances. It used to be
a long distance to San Francisco. 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 liverpool.
Now you can go that distance in six or
seven days.
And so l measure, the distance between
earth and heaven, and I find it is only
fash. 1t is one instant here, another in
slant there 1t is very near to-day Do
you not feel the breath of heaven on your
facet Christ SAYS in one place it is net
twenty-four hours distance, when he SAYS
to the penitent thief: This day, this day,
shalt thou be with me in Paradise" 1t is
not aday, it is not an hour, it is not.a min
ute, it is not q second. o. how near heaven
is to earth. DBy oceanic cable you send
message. As it is expensive to send mes
sage. you compress great deal of meaning
in few words. Sometimes in two words
you can put vast meaning. And it seems to
me that the angels of God who carry news
from earth to heaven need to take up this
hour, in regard to your soul only two words
in order to kindle with gladness all the re-
deemed before the throne, only two words:
''Father saved,' ''mother saved,n ''son
saved, daughter saved" And there is
joy in heaven among the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth."
My subject also impresses me with the
fact that the salvation of the soul is of vast
importance. If you should make $500, 900
this year do you suppose that news would
be carried to heaven2 It would not be of
enough Importance or significance to be
carried heavenward. if at the next quad
rennial election you are made president of
the United States, DO you suppose that
news would be carried to heaveni Do you
suppose that the news of revolution i'll
france or Spain WOQlQ be carried 10
heaveu 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 hoOfs of Gods couriers
clash through the gates, and the news goes
from gate to mansion, and from mansion TO
temple, and from temple to throne, and
there is Joy in heaven" among the 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 everyday occurrence, in
that land where the common stones of the
field are jasper, and emerald, and en- ryso-
praSus, and carbuncle, and sardonyx. And.
yet, the news of 20 II salvation makes joy
before the throne of God.
You remember years ago stage driver
in the White Mountains became very reck-
less. He had q large number OF passengers
on the stage, and the stage was drawn by
six horses, wild and ungoyernabls, and he
drove near the precipice, and he drove of,
down the embankment. and many were
slain, but few were saved. suppose when
they wrote home they wrote with congrat-
ulatiou at their rescue. The angels OF God |
look down and they see men driving on the |
edge Of great preeipices Of ruin and danger, |
drawn by wild, leaping, foaming and I'M |
governable perils in this life, and if any |
shall escape before they capsize do you not |
suppose the angels of God rejoice, crying:
'Good, goodl Saved from sin, saved from 1
death, saved from he'll. saved forever"
The supreme court of the United States |