Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-04-18

nv loNtu lic WoTlu, liEtI TIC gave III
only begottcn son. that whosocve
bclievcth in him should not perish bu
have everlasting life" Whosoevcl
will, let him come Though the larg,
door. Archimcdes wanted fulcrun
on which to place his lever, and thel
he said that he could move the world
Calvary is the fulcrum, and the cross
of Christ is the lever; and by that
power all nations shall yet be lifted
| Further, it is a door that swings
both ways. do not know whether
the door of the ancient ark was lifted
or rolled on hinges; but this door OF
Christ opens both ways. 1t swings
out toward all our woes; it swings in
toward the raptures Of heaven. L,
swings in to let us in; it swings out
to let our ministcring ones come out
All are one in Christ-Christians on
earth and saints in heaven.
One army of the Living God,
AT his command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the
flood,
And part are crossing now.
Swing in, o blessed door! until all
the earth shall go in and live. Swing
out until all the heavens come forth
to celebrate the victory.
But, further, it is a door with fast
cnings. The Bible says of Noah.
"Thc Lord shut him in" A vessel
without bulwarks or doors would not
be a safe vessel to so in. When Noah
and his family heard the fastening of
the door of the ark. they were very
glad. Unless these doors were fastcn-
cd. the first heavy surge of the sea
would have whelmcd them; and they
might as well have persisted outside
the ark as inside the ark. 1.-The Lord
shut them in" Oh, the perfect safety
of the ark! The surf of the sea and tie
lightning of the sky may be twisted
into garland of snow and tire-decp
TO deep. storm to storm. darkness to
darkness; but once in the ark, all is
well. God shut him in"
There comes upon the good man a
delusc of financial trouble. He had
his thousands to lend; now he can
not borrow dollar. He once owned
Il store in New York. and had branch
houses In Boston, Philadelphia and
New Orleans. He owned four horses
and employed man to keep the dust
OIL his coach, phacton. carriage. and
curriclc; now lie has hard work to get
shoes In which to walk. The great
deep of commercial disaster was brok
en- up. and fore and aft, and across the
hurrlcane deck. the waves struck him.
But he was safely sheltered from the
storm. "The Lord shut him in." A
hood of domestic trouble fell on him.
Sickness and bereavement came. The
rain pelted, the winds blew. The
heavens are atlamc. All the gardens
OF earthly delight are washed AWAY.
he mountains of joy are buried fif-
teen cubits deep. But standing by
III" empty crib, and in the dcsolated
nursery, and in the dolcful hall. once
a-rinS with merry voices, now silent
forever, he cried: "'rhe Lord gave
the Lord hath taken away: blessed be
the name of the Lord." "Tho Lord
shut HIM in" All the sins of life
time clamored for his overthrow.
The broken VOWS. the lishonorcd Snh
baths, the outrageous profanities. the
of twenty years. reach.
cd up their hands to the door of the
ark to pull him out. The boundless
ocean of his sin surrounded his soul
howllng like a simeon. raving like n
euroclydon. But, looking out of the
window, he saw his sins sink like lead
into the depths of the sea. The dove
of heaven brought an olive branch f.,
the ark. The wrath OF the billow only
pushed him toward heaven. "The
Lord Shut him In"
me same door fastenings that KEEP,
Noah in keep the troubles out. am
,Fiad to know that when a man reaches
heaven all earthly troubles are Zone
with him. Here he may have had 1t
liard to get bread for his family:
mere he will never hunger any more.
Here he may have wept bitterly; there
the lamb that is in the midst % the
throne will lead him to living foun-
tains OF water, and God will ,-:be
away all tears from his eyes," Here
he may have hard work to get n house.
but in my Fathers house there are
many mansions. and rent day never
comes. Here there are deathbeds
and cottins and graves: there no sick.
ness. no weary watching: no choking
cough. no consuming fever, no chat
.erihg chill, no tolling bell, no grave.
! ne sorrows of life shall come up and
KNOCK at the door, but no admittancc.
The perpleXities of life shall come nm
and knock Mt the door, but no admit
lance. Safe forever! All the agony of
earth In one wave dashing against the
Dulwarks of the ship of celestial light
snail not break them down. Howl on.
We winds. and rage We seas! The Lord
the Lord shut him I'M"
Oh, what grand old door! So wide.
so easily swung both ways, and with
such sure fastenings. No burglars
key can pick that lock. No swarthy
arm Of hell can shove back that bolt
1 rejoice that l do not ask YOU to
come aboard n crazy craft with leak
ing hulk, and broken helm, and un-
fastened door; but an ark 80 cubits
wide and 300 cubits long. and n door
SO large that the round earth, without
grazing the post. might be bowled in!
Now, If the ark of Christ is so grand
a place in which to live, and die. ana
triumph, come into the ark. Know
we'll that the door that shut Noah in
shut others out; and though, when the
pitiless storm came pelting on their
heads, they beat upon the door say