Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-04-12

third gate shut Egypt in. aud the
fourth gate shut Spain in, and the fifth
| gate shut France in, and the sixth gate
shut England in, and the seventh gate
shut Norway in, and the eighth gate
shut Switzerland in. and the ninth
gate shut. Hindustan in, and the tenth
gate shut Siberia in and the eleventh
gate shut. All these gates are closed but
one Now, let America so in with all
the islands Of the sea and all the other
nations that have called on God. The
captiyes all freed The harvests all gath
cred. The nations all saved. The flash
ing splendor of this last pearl begins to
move on its hinges Let two mighty an
gels put their shoulders to the gate and
heave IL to with silvery clang. 1t is
donel 1t thundersl The twelfth gate
shuti
Open and Wide.
Once more want to show you the
gatekeepers. There is one angel at each
one of those gates You say that is right.
OF course it is. You know that no earth
" palace or castle or fortress would be
safe without a sentry pacing up and
down by night and by day, and if there
were no defenses before heaven, and the
doors set wide open with no one to guard
them, all the vicious Of earth would go
up after awhile, and all the abandoned
of hell would go up after awhile, and
heaven, instead of being a world of light
and Joy and peace and blessedness,
would be a world of darkness and hor-
ror. So am glad to tell you that, while
these IL gates stand open to let a great
multitude in, there are IL angels to
keep some people out. Robespierre can
not 90 through there, nor Hildebrand,
nor Nero nor any of the debauched OF
earth who have not repented Of their
wickedness. If one Of those nefarious
men who despised God should come to
the gate, one of the keepers would put
his hand OH his shoulder and push him
into outer darkness. There is no place
in that land for thieves and liars and
whoremongers and defrauders, and all
those who disgraced their race and
fought against their God. If miser
should get in there, be would pull up
the golden pavement If house burner
should get in there, he would set fire to
the mansion. If libertine should get
in there, he would whisper his abomina-
tions standing on the white coral Of the
seabeach. Only those who are blood
washed and prayer Tipped will get
through. Oh, my brother, if you should
at last come up to one Of the gates and
try to get through, and you had not a
pass written by the crushed hand of the
son Of God, the gatekeeper would, with
one glance, wither you forever.
There will be password at the gate
of heaven. Do you know what that
password is? Here comes a crowd OF
souls up to the gate, and they say; Let
me in; let me in. was very useful on
earth. l endowed colleges, built church
es and was famous for my charities,
and having done so many wonderful
things for the world / come up to get
my reward" A voice from within says,
II never knew you" Another great
crowd comes up, aud they try to get
through. They say: 1--WE were highly
honorable on earth, and the world bow
ed very lowly before us. We were hon
ored on earth, and now we come to get
our donors in heaven. And a voice
from within says, Il never knew you. "
Another crowd advances and says, eve
were very moral people OH earth, very
moral indeed, and we come up to get
appropriate recognition. A voice an
swers, Il never knew you.
The Entrance Fee.
After awhile see another thrOng APP
proach the gate, and one seems to be
spokesman for all the rest, although their
voices ever and anon cry, Amen,
amenp' This one stands at the gate
and SAYS: Let me in. was wanderer
from God. / deserved to die. | have
come up to this place, not because de-
serve it, but because / have heard that
there is a saving power in the blood Of
Jesus" The gatekeeper says, That is
the password, Jesus Jesusp" And they
! 20 in and surround the throne, and the
cry is, Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive blessing and riches and
honor and glory and power, world with
out endp'
l stand here this hour to invite you
into any one of the IL gates. l tell you
now that unless your heart is changed
by the grace of God you cannot get in.
do not care where you come from, or
who your father was, or who your
mother was, or what your brilliant sur
roundings-unless you repent Of your
sin and take Christ for your divine Sa-
viour you cannot get in. Are you will
ing, then, this moment, just where you
are, to kneel down and cry to the Lord
Almighty for his deliverance?
You want to get in, do you not? Oh,
you have some good friends there. This
last year there was some one who went
out from your home into that blessed
place. They did not have any trouble
getting through the gates, did they?
No, they knew the blessed password,
and, coming up, they said Jesus! and
the cry was, Lift up your heads, ye
everlasting gates, and let them come
in" Oh, when heaven is all done and
the troops Of God shout the castle taken,
how grand it will be if you and l are
among theml Blessed are all they who
enter in through the gates into the city.