The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-04-12


from side to side it is all pearl
Not one piece picked up from Cey
lon banks, and another piece from tn,
Persian gulf, and another from Tho
island of Marguerite, but one solit
pearl picked up from the beach of ever
lasting light by Heavenly hands ano
hoisted and swung amid the shouting
of angels The glories of alabastei
: vase and porphyry pillar fade out be.
fore this gateway. 1t puts out the
spark of feldspar and diamond. You
know how one little precious stone on
your finger will flash under the gas
light. But, oh, the brightness when
the great gate of Heaven swings,
struck through and dripping with the
light of eternal MONDAY!
Julius Caesar paid 125, 900 crowns for
one pearl. The government of Portu-
gal boosted of having a pearl larger
than pear. Cleopatra and Philip ii.
dazzled the world vision with precious
stones. But gather all these together,
and lift them, and to add to them all
the wealth of the pearl fisheries, and
set them in the panel of one door, and
/
gateway. An almighty hand hewed
this, swung this. polished this.
Against this gateway, on the one
side dash all the splendors of earthly
beauty. Against this gate, on the
other side, beat the surges of eternal
glory. Oh, the gate, the gate! 1t
strikes an infinite charm through ev-
cry one that passes it. One step this
side of the gate and we are paupers.
One step the other side of the gate,
and we are kings. The pilgrim of
earth going through seas in the one
huge pearl all his earthly tears in
crystal. gate of light, gate of pearl
gate of Heaven, for our wear souls at
last spring open.
When shall these eyes thy heaven built walls
And pearly gates behold:
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong
And streets of shining gold?
Oh, Heaven is not dull place! |
Heaven is not a contracted place.
Heaven is not a stupid place. II saw
twelve gates. and they were twelve
pearls"
In the second place, want you to
count the number of those gates. I'm
perial parks and lordly manors are apt
to have one expensive gateway, and
the others are ordinary, but look
around at these entrances to Heaven
and count them. One, two, three, four,
Eve, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, i
twelve. Hear it all the earth and all
the Heavens. Twelve gates.
admit this is rather hard on sharp
If Presbyterian is
bigoted, he brings his Westminster
catechism, and he makes
gateway out of that, and he says to
he world, You go through there or
stay out" If member of the Re-
'ormed church is bigoted, he makes a [
rate out of the Heidelberg catechism,
md he says, "You go through there or
tay out" Ii a Methodist is bigoted, {
lie plants two posts, and he says, &
Now, you crowd in between those Z
wo posts or stay out" Or perhaps an t
lpiscopalian may say, Here is /
liturgy out of which / mean to make 4
ate; go through it or stay out" Or a e
BAPTIST may say, Here is a water gate; '
on go through that or you must stay n
ut" And so in all our churches and i
I all our denominations there are men a
tho make one gate for themselves e
nd then demand that the whole r
'orld go through it. abhor this con- @
.actedness in religious views. Oh, n
nall souled man. when did God give \
on the contract for making gates? / Il
Ill you plainly / will not go in that E
ate. l will go in at any one OF the O
velve gates choose. Here is man S;
no says: II can more easily and O
ore closely approach God through a r,
rayor book" l say: "My brother, n
len use the prayer book" Here is a O.
an who says; II believe there is only b
he mode of baptism, and that is inn Il
ersion." Then 1 say: ''Let me plunge IL
,u." Anyhow, say, away with the 81
tie of rough panel and rotten posts M
I'd rusted latch when there are twelve D;
ties, and they are twelve pearls H
The fact is that great many of the tt
lurches in this day are being doc n,
ined to death. They have been try SC
g to find out all about Gods DEGREES, OF
I'd they want to know who are elect ST
to be saved and who are reprobated il
be damned, and they are keeping on al
scussing that subject when there are VI
illions of souls who need to have the it
nth put straight at them. They sit m
uniting the number of teeth in the B,
wbone with which Samson slew the st
lilistines. They sit on the beach ar
ID see vessel going to pieces in ar
e offing, and instead of getting into al
boat and pulling away for the wreck ed
ey sit discussing the different styles su
oarlock. God intended us to know
me things and intended us not to tn