The Sussex Republican., 1895-04-13
where tfere is o aarkness, bud ererIaat.

! telescope powerful enough that we can
not see into the land where there is nc
darkness at all and catch a glimpse oi
the FURNISHED pinnaoles- As conquer.
ing army marching on to take city
comes at nightfall to the crest of a
mountain from which, in the midst OF
the landscape, they see the castles they
are to capture and rein in their war
chargers and halt to take good look be-
fore they pitch their tents for the night,
so now, coming as we do on this noun
tain top Of prospect, | command this
Z regiment of God to rein in their
thoughts and halt and before they pitch
their tents for the night take one good,
d long look at the gates of the great city.
"On the east. three gates; on the north,
three gates; on the south, three gates,
and on the west three gates. /"
4 In the first place, want to examine
the architecture of those gates. Pro-
n prietors Of large estates are very apt to
X have an ornamented gateway. Some
Il times they spring an arch of masonry,
the posts of the gate fianked with lions
In statuary, the bronze gate represen-
tation of INTERVIEWING foliage, bird
haunted, until the hand of architectural
I genius drops exhausted, all its life fro
zen into stone Gates of wood and iron
and stone guarded nearly all the old
cities. Moslems have inscribed upon
their gateways Inscriptions from the
Koran of the Mohammedan. There have
been great many fine gateways, but
Christ sets his hand to the work and for
the upper city swung gate such as no
eye ever gazed on, untouched of in
spiration. With the nail of his own
cross he ont into its wonderful traceries
stories of past suffering and of gladness
to come. There is no wood or stone or
bronze In that gate, but from top to
base and from side to side 1t is all of
pearl. Not one piece picked up from
Ceylon banks. and another piece from
the Persian gulf, and another from the
island of Margarotte. but one solid pearl
Spicked up from the beach of everlasting
light by heavenly hands and hoisted
and swung amid the shouting of angels.
The glories of alabaster vase and por-
phyry pillar fade out before this gate
way 1t puts out the spark of feldspar
and diamond. You know how one little
precious stone on your finger will fash
under the gaslight. But, oh the bright
ness when the great gate of heaven
swings, struck through and dripping
with the light of eternal MONDAY.
Gate of Pearl.
Julius Caesar paid 125, 900 crowns
for one pearl The government of Portu-
gal boasted of having pearl larger than
a pear. Cleopatra and Philip III dazzled |
the worlds vision with precious stones.
But gather all these together and lift |
them and add to them all the wealth of |
the pearl fisheries and set them in the
panel of one door, and it does not equal
this magnificent gateway. An almighty
hand hewed this. swung this, polished
this. Against this gateway, on the one
side, clash all the splendors of earthly
beauty. Against this gate on the other
side beat the surges of eternal glory.
Oh. the gate, the gatel 1t strikes an in
finite charm through every one that
passes 1t. One step this side Of the gate
and we are paupers. One stop the other
side of dhe gate and we are kings. The
pilgrim of earth going through sees in
the one huge pearl all his earthly tears
in crystal Oh, gate of light, gate of
pearl, gate of heaven, for our weary
souls at last swing openi
When shall these eyes thy heaven built walls
And pearly gates behold;
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong
And streets Of shining gold7
Oh, heaven is not dull plaoel
Heaven is not contracted place (;
Heaven is not a stupid place. II saw
the 10 gates, and they were 10 pearls. :"
In the second place want you TO
count the number of. those gates. Impe- /
rial parks and lordly manors are apt TO |
have one expensive gateway. and the I
others are ordinary, but look around at /
them. One, two, three, four, five, six,
gwen, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. ,
Hear 1t. all the earth and all the heav- I
ensl Twelve gatesl {
Hard on sectariapism. {
admit this is rather hard on sharp I
If Presbyterian is big I
oted, he brings his Westminster assem- a
bly, cateohism, and he makes gateway a
but of that, and he says to the world, I
you go through there or stay out. /" If o
\ member of the Reformed church is f
oigoted, he makes gate out of the Hell 4
lelberg cateohism, and he says, "You n
20 through there or stay out" If q n
Methodist is bigoted, he plants two r
POSTS, and he says, 'Now, you crowd in v
,etween those two posts or stay out" IL
Dr. perhaps an Episcopalian may say: n
Here is liturgy out of which mean v
o make gate Go through it or stay a
'ut," or Baptist may say: Here is "
water gate You go through that. or 7
'ou must stay out, 7" and SO in all our a
hurches and in all our denominations L
here are men who make one gate for q
themselves and then demand that the O
Whole world go through it, Iabhor this o.
in religious views. o ol
mall souled man, when did God give
on the contract for making gates9 Il
ell you plainly will not go in that q
ate / will go in at any one of the 10 s.
ates choose. Here is a man who says, N
/ can more easily and more closely ap- IL
roach God through prayer book. I" W
say, "My brother, then use the prayer ii
ook." Here is man who says, 81 be- h,
eve there is only one mode of baptism, m
nd that is immersion 'f Then say, tt
Let me plunge you. = Anyhow, / say, 10
way with the gate of rough panel and s,
,tten posts and rusted latch, when there bs
re 10 gates and they are 12 pearls. A
The fact is that great many of the II
,urches in this day are being doctrined tb
death. They have been trying to find th
1T all about Gods decrees, and they tb
ant to know who are elected to be 70
wed and who are reprobated to be &c
ahmed, and they are keeping on dis tn
lssing that subject when there are ri
illions of souls who need to have the of
nth put straight at them. They sit re
uniting the number of teeth in the tr,
wbone with which Samson slew the frl
hilistines- They sit on the beach and
Q vessel going to pieces in the offing,