Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-04-11

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 al
mighty hand hewed this, swung this,
polished this. Against this gateway,
on the one side, dash all the splendors
of earthly beauty. Against this gate
way on the other side beat the surges
of eternal glory o! the gate! the gate!
1t strikes an infinite charm through
every 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 sees in the one huge
pearl all his earthly tears in crystal.
Q! gate of light! gate of pearl! gate of
heavI-.! For our weary souls at last
swing open.
When shall these eyes thy heaven-built
walls
And pearly gates behold;
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong,
And streets of shining gold?
The Sight of Heaven.
o! heaven is not dull place. Heaven
is not a contracted place. Heaven is
not stupid place. II saw the twelve
gates, and they were twelve pearls"
In the second place 1 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, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.
Hear it all the earth and all the
heavens. Twelve gates!
/ admit this is rather hard on sharp
sectarianisms! If Presbyterian is
bigoted, he brings his Westminster as
sembly catechism, and he makes gate
way out of that, and he says to the
world: you go through there or stay
out" If a member of the Reformed
church is bigoted, he makes a gate out
of the Heidelberg catechism, and he
says: You go through there or stay
out" If a Methodist is bigoted, he
plants two posts, and he says: Now
you crowd in between those two posts
or stay out" Or perhaps an Episcopal
liam may say: Here is a liturgy out
of which / mean to make a gate; go
through it or stay out" Or Baptist
may say: Here is a water gate; you
go through that or you must stay out
And so in all our churches and in all
our denominations there are men who
make one gate for themselves, and then
demand that the whole world go
through it. 1 abhor this contractedness
in religious views. Oh! small-souled
man, when did God give you the con-
tract for making gates? l tell you
plainly that | will not go in that gate.
l will go in at any one of the twelve
gates I choose. Here is a man who
says, 81 can more easily and more
closely approach God through prayer
book" I say, My brother, then use
the prayer-book. Here is man who
says, II believe there is only one mode
of baptism, and that is immersion"
Then / say, Let me plunge you" Any
how, say, away with the gate of rough
panel and rotten posts and rusted latch
when there are twelve gates and they
are twelve pearls.
All Will Pass Through.
Well now l see all the redeemed OF
earth coming up toward heaven. Dc
you think they will all get in? Yes
Gate the first: the Moravians come up
they believe in the Lord Jesus; they
pass through. Gate the second the
Quakers come up; they have received
the inward light; they have trusted ir
the Lord; they pass through. Gate the
third; the Lutherans come up; they had
the same grace that made Luther what
he was and they pass through. Gate the
fourth: the Baptists pass through. Gate
the fifth: the Free-Will Baptists pass
through. Gate the sixth: the Reformed
Church passes through. Gate the
seventh: the gregationalists pass
through. Gate the eighth: the German
Reformed Church passes through. Gate
the ninth: the Methodists pass through
Gate the tenth: the Sabbatarians pass
through. Gate the eleventh. the Church
of the Disciples pass through. Gate the
twelfth: the Presbyterians pass through
But there are a great part of other de.
nominations who must come in, and
great multitudes who connected them.
selves with no visible church, but felt
the power of goodness in their heart
and showed it in their life. Where is
their gate? Will you shut all the re.
manning hest out of the city? No. They
may come in at our gate. Hosts of God
if you cannot get admission through
any other entrance come in at the twelfth
Sdte. nv" NASS ttIOie the
throne.
Looking up at the one hundred an6
forty and four thousand, you cannot tel
which gate they came in. One Lord
One faith. One baptism. One CLASSY sea
One doxology. One triumph. One
heaven! why, Luther, how did you get
in? II came through the third gate
"Cranmer, how did you get in?" 81
came through the eighth gate" "Adon.
IRAN Judson, how did you get through
II came through the seventh gate.
Hugh McKail. the martyr, how die
you get through" Il came through the
twelfth gate" Glory to God! twelve
gates, but one heaven.
For All Lands.
In the third place, notice the points OF
the compass toward which these gates
look. They are not on one side, or on
two sides, or on three sides, but on four
sides. This is no fancy of mine but a
distinct announcement. On the north
three gates, on the south, three gates
on the east, three gates, on the west
three gates. What does that mean
Why it means that all nationalties are
included, and 1t does not make any diff
ference from what quarter of the earth
man comes up; if his heart is right