The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-04-24
REV, DIR. TALMAGE.
SUNDAYS SERMON IN THE NEW
YORK ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
Subject: s.The Gates Of Heaven"

TEXT: "On the east three gates; on tne
north three gates; On the south three gates;
on the west three gates. es."-Revelatlon XXI, l5.
The Cashmere gate of Delhi, where con-
verged heroism that makes ones nerves
tlngle, the Lucknow gate, still dened ana
SCARED with sepoy bonbardment, the Made
line gate with its embazonryin in bronze, the
hundred gates o: Thebeo, the wonder OF
centuries, all go out Of sight before the
gates Of my text
Our subject speaks Of great metropolis.
the existence of which many have doubted.
Standing on the wharf and looking of upon
the harbor and seeing the merchantmen COM
ing up the bay. the flags Of foreign nations
streaming from the topgallants, you immedl-
ately make up your mind that those vessels
come from foreign ports, and you say: "Ihat
is from Hamburg, and that is from Mar
settles, and that is from Southampton, and
that Is from Havana and your Supposition
is accurate. But from the city OF which am
now speaking no weather-beaten merchant
men or frigates with SCARED bulkhead nave
ever come. There has been vast emlgra-
tion into that city, but no emigration from
It, 80 far as our natural vision can descry.
,"There is no such city," says the undeVout
astronomer. ~ have stood in high towers
with mighty telescope and have swept the
heavens, and have seen spots on the sun
and caverns in the moon, but no towers have
ever risen on my vision, no palaces, no tenn
piles, no shining streets. no massive wall.
There is no such city, Even very good peo-
pie tell me that heaven is not material Or
ganism. but grand spiritual fact, and that
the Bible descriptions OF 1t are in all cases TO
be taken lguratively. I bring in reply to
this what Christ said. and He oughtto know,
IT 60 to prepare"-not theory, not prin-
ciple, not sentiment, but 81 60 to prepare
place for you." The resurrected body i'm
plies this. Ifmy foot is to be reformed from
the dust, 1t must have something to tread on.
II my hand ID to be reconstructed, it
must have something to handle.
II my eye, having gone out In
death. Is to be rckiudled, I must have
something to gaze on. Your adverse theory
seems to imply that the resurrecte body is
to be hung on nothing, or to walk In air, or
to float amid the intangibles. You may say
II there be material organisms then soul in
heaven will be cramped and hindered in its
enioyments, but 1 answer, Did not Adam
and Eve have plenty Of room In the Garden
of Eden? Although onlya few miles would
have described the circumference OF that
place. they had ample room. And do you
not suppose that God. in the immensitles,
can build place large enough to give the
whole race room. even though there be ma
terial organisms?
Swiss guide puts his Alpine stock between
the glaciers and crosses over from crag to
crag 30 Herschel planted his telescope be-
tween the worlds and glided from star to star
until he could announce to us that we live
In part of the universe but sparsely strewn
with worlds, and he peers out into immen-
sity until he finds region no larger than our
solar system in which there are so, 900 worlds
moving. And Professor Lang says that by a
-lt l~.o fhnra p,tcti ia
where a world where there is no darkness,
but everlasting sunshine, 80 that do not
know but that it Is simply because we have
no telescope powerful enough that we can
not see into the land where there Is no
darkness at all and catch glimpse OF
the FURNISHED pinnacle AS conquer
ing army marching on to take city comes
at nightfall to the crest Of 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 a
good look before they pitch their tents for
the night, 80 now, coming as we dc on this
mountain top Of prospect, command this
regiment OF God to rein in their thoughts
and halt, and before they pitch their tents
for the night take one good. long look at the
gates Of the great city. son the east three
gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates. and on the west three
gates"
In the first place, want to examine the
architecture Of those gates. Proprietors OF
large estates are very apt to have an orna-
mental gateway. Sometimes they spring an
arch Of masonary. the posts Of the gate
fianked with lions in statuary, the bronze
gate a representation of INTERVENING foliage,
bird haunted, until the hand Of architectural
genius drops exhausted, all its life frozen
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 Moham-
medan. There have been great many
fine gateways, but Christ sets His hand
to the work and for the upper
city swung a gate such as no
eye ever gazed on, untouched Of inspiration.
With the nail Of His own cross He cut 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 Marguerite, but
one solid pearl picked up from the beach OF
everlasting light by heavenly hands and
hoisted and swung amid the shouting of
angels. The glories Of alahaster vase and
porphyry pillar fade out before this gateway.
It puts out the spark OF feldspar and dia-
mond. 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 noon
day.
julius Caesar paid 125, 900 crowns for one
pearl. The Government Of Portugal boasted
OF having pearl larger than pear.
Cleopatra and Philip II. dazzled the world s
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 gate! 1t strikes an in
finite charm through every one that passes
II. 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
light, gate Of pearl, gate of heaven, for our
weary souls at last swing open!
When shall these eyes thy heaven built wall:
And pearly gates behold;
Thy bulparks 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 the twelve gates, and
they were twelve pearls"
In the second place I want you to count
Z the number OF those gates. Imperial parks
E, and lordly manors are apt to have one eXpen-
siye gateway, and the Others are ordinary
= bafl0ok around at these entrances to HEAVIER
and count them. One two, three, four, five, six
seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Hear
1t, all the earth and all the heavens! Twelve
gates!
admit this is rather hard on sharp sectari
~ SC hf