Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-04-13
AT HEAVENS GATES.
ANOTHER SERMON OF RARE POWER
~ REV. DR.. TALMAGE.

Twelve Gate, and All Of Peari-The Door
keepers and the Password-A Few words
About Blgotry and scctarisnism- some
Rare Pearls.
NEW YORK. April Tho bright spring
weather has brought stlll larger crowds 90
tho Sunday afternoon services conducted
by Row. DR. Talmaec lie took for his
subject today The Gates Of Heaven, tho
text being Revelation xxi, IL: "On the east
three gates. on the north three gates: on
tho south three gates; ON the west throc
gates
Tho Cashmere cato of Delhi where con
ycrgcd n hcroism that makes ones nerves
Jingle. tho Lucknow gate still dented and
SCARED with scpoy bombardmcnt. the
Madeline gate with Its cmblazonry In
bronze tho hundred gates Of Thehcs, the
wonder Of centuries. all go out OF sight
before the gates Of my text
a spiritual Fact.
Our subject speaks Of "a great metropo.
IS. the existence Of which many have
doubted Standing on the wharf and
hooking OF upon the harbor and seeing
The merchantmen coming up the bay. the
tings 81 foreign nations streaming from
AAlN ANiEAAfbNh-s eNA luAttt'AtsAtAe Ilhho
up your mind that those vessels come from
foreign ports, and you say. That Is from
Hnmburg. and that j. from Marscilics, and
that Is from southampton. and that Is
from Havana. and your superstition Is
accurate lint from the city Of which
am now speaking no weather beaten MGR
chantmcn or frigatcs with Scared bulk
head have ever come There has been
vast emigration into that city, but no en-
;gration from IL, 50 far rs our natural
vision can dcscry
There Is no such city" says the undo
vout astronomer Il have stood In high
towers with a mighty telescope and have
swept tho heavens, and have seen spots
ON tho sun and caverns In the moon, but
no towers have ever risen on my vision,
no palaces, no temples. no shining streets
no massive wall There Is no such city"
Even very good people tell me that heaven
Is not material organism, but n grand
spiritual fact, and that the Bible descrip-
tions Of IL arcin all cases to bc taken flgu-
ratively | bring Ia reply 20 this what
Christ said. and no ought 20 know, II go
90 prcpnrc'-not n theory not principle,
not sentiment. but Il go 20 prepare n
place for you" Tho rcsurrcctcd body Inn
plies this. II my foot Is 10 bo reformed
from the dust, IL must have something TO
tread ON. lfmy hand Is to bc reconstructed.
IL must have something 10 handle. II my
eye having gone out In death, Is to be ro-
kindled. ! must have something to gaze
ON. Your adverse theory seems To imply
that the rcsurrcctcd body Is TO be hung ON
nothing, or To walk In air, or 10 float
amid the intangiblcs You may say II
there lie material organisms then a soul
in heaven will be cramped and hindercd
In its enjoymcuts. but l answer, Did not
Adam and Eve have plenty OF room In the
garden Of Edcn' Although only few
miles would have described the circumfcr-
once OF that place. they had ample room
And do you not suppose that God, In tho
immensitics, can build place large enough
20 give the whole race room. even though
there DO material organisms
A Glorious Prospect.
Hcrschcl looked into tho heavens. AS
Swiss guido puts his Alpine stock be-
tween the glaciers and crosses over from
crag TO crag 80 Hcrschcl planted his
telescope between the worlds and glidcd
from star 20 star until he could announce
20 us that We live in part Of the uni
verse but sparsoly strewn with worlds
and he peers out into immensely until no
finds n region no larger than our solar
system in which there are 90, 600 worlds
moving. And Professor Lang says that
10y philosophic reasoning there must DO
somewhere "a world where there Is no
darkness, but everlasting sunshine, so
that do not know but that II Is simply
because wo have no telescope powerful
enough that we cannot see into the land
where there Is no darkness at all and catch
glimpse OF the FURNISHED pinnacles. As
conquering army marching on TO take n
city comes nc nightfall Co the crest OF
mountain from which, in the midst OF the
landscape, they SEQ the castles they arc
60 capture, and rein in their war chargers.
aud halt TO take n good look before they
pitch their tents for the night, SO now,
coming as we do on this mountain top OF
prospect, command this regiment of God
10 rein in their thoughts and halt, and bo-
fore they pitch their tents for the night
take one good. long look at the gates OF
tho great city. "On the east three gates;
ON the north three gates; ON tho south
three gates, and on the west three gates"
In the first place want you TO exam
Inc the architecture Of those gates. Pro-
prictors of large estates are very apt to
have an ornamentcd gateway. Sometimes
they spring an arch OF masonry, the posts
OF tho gate llankcd with lions in statuary;
the bronze gate n representation of inter
twining foliage. bird haunted until the
hausted. all its life frozen into the stone.
Gates OF wood and iron and stone guarded
nearly all the old cities Moslems have
inscribed upon their gateways inscrip-
tions from the Koran OF the Mohammedan.
There have been great many finc gate
ways, but Christ sets his hand to the
work. and for the upper city swung a
cato such as no eye ever gazed on, I'M
touched OF inspiration. With the nail OF
his own cross he cut into its wonderful
traceries stories Of past suffering and Of
gladncss to come. There is no wood or
stone or bronze in that gate. but from top
10 base and from side to side II Is all OF
pearl Not one piece picked up from Cey-
lon banks, and another piece from the
Persian gulf and another from the island
OF Margarctto, but one solid pearl picked
up from the beach OF everlasting light by
heavenly hands and hOisted and swung
amid the shouting Of angels. The glories
Of alabastcr vase and porphyry pillar fade
out before this gateway. IL puts out the
spark OF feldspar and diamond. You know
how one little precious stone on your fin
ger will fash under the gaslight. But,
oh, the brightness when the great gate OF
heaven swings struck through and drip
ping with the light Of eternal noondayi
Some Fine Pearls.
Julius Caesar paid l25 600 crowns for
one pearl The government Of Portugal
bOasted OF having pearl larger than
pear Cleopatra aud Philip ii dazzled
the worlds vision with precious stones.
But gather all these together, and lift
them, and add u them all the wealth OF
the pearl fisheries and set them in the
pand 81 one door and 1t does not equal
this magnificent gateway An almighty
hand hewed tins. swung this. polished
this Against this gateway. ON the one
side dash all the spicndors Of ear hly beau
~ Against this gate. on the other sida.
bat tho surgcs Of eternal glory oh. tho
gate. the gate, I; strikes TN infinite
charm through every one that passes IT,
one step this side 81 tie gate, and we are
paupcrs Ono step the other side of the
gate, and W. atr kiu.,s Tho pilgrim Of
earth going tEfotIg! sers IN the one huge
pearl all hts earthly tears IN crystal. o
gate 81 light, gate ~ pearl, gate 81 heaven,
for our weary souls AZ last swing openi
When shall ih,sr eyes thy heaven built walls
And poury yates i-'hud:
Thy hulwariEH with salvation strong
And streets 81 shining goldf
oh, heaven is not duh place! Heaven is
not u contracted place. Heaven Is not n