The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-04-05


worth carrying all around the glob
and all around the heavens, that go
! so loved the world that he gave his onl
t begotten Son, that whatsoever believet
in him should not perish, but have ev
erlasting life. Z" Whosoever will, let hin
come through the large door. Archi
medes wanted fulcrum on which t.
place his lever, and then he said he ooulo
move the world Calvary is the full
orum, and the cross of Christ is the le
yer, and by that power all nations shall
yet be lifted.
The Swinging Door.
Further, it is door that swings boil
ways. lido not know whs$e the door o.
the ancient ark was lifted or rolled OF
hinges, but this door of Christ opens
both ways. 1t swings out toward all oul
woes; it swings in toward the raptures
of heaven. 1t swings in to let us in; it
swings out to let our ministering ones
come out All are one in Christ-Chris-
tians 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 oele
brate the victory.
But, further, it is door with fasten-
ings. The Bible says of Noah, "The
Lord shut him in. A vessel without
bulwarks or doors would not be safe
vessel to 90 in. When Noah and his
family heard the fastening of the door
of the ark, they were very glad, Unless
these doors were fastened the first heavy
surge of the sea would have whelmed
them, and they might as we'll have per
ished outside the ark as inside the ark.
''The Lord shut him in" Oh, the per-
feet safety of the arkl The surf of the
sea and the lightnings of the sky may
be twisted into a garland of snow and
fire-deep to deep, storm to storm, dark
ness to darkness-but once in the ark all
is we'll. "God shut him in" There
comes upon the good man a deluge of
financial trouble. He had his thousands
to lend. Now he cannot borrow dollar.
He once owned store in New York
and had branch houses in Boston, Phil
adelphia and New Orleans. He owned
four horses and employed man to keep
the dust off his coach, phaeton. car
riage and curricle; now he has hard
work to get shoes in which to walk.
The great deep of commercial disaster
was broken up, and fore and aft and
across the hurricane deck the waves
struck him. But he was safely sheltered
from the storm. 1.-THE Lord shut him
inI' A food of domestic troubles fell
on him" Sickness and bereavement
came The rain pelted; the winds blew.
The heavens are afame. All the gar
dens of earthly delight are washed
away. The mountains of joy are buried
Is cubits deep. But, standing by the
empty crib and in the desolated nursery
and in the doleful hall, once airing with
merry voices, now silent forever, he
cried, "The Lord gave, the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord - "The Lord shut him in.'
All the sins of lifetime clamored for
his overthrow The broken vows, the
dishonored Sabbaths, the outrageous pro-
families, the misdemeanors of 90 years,
reached up their hands to the door of
the ark to pull him out. The boundless
ocean of his sin surrounded his soul,
bowling like simeon, raving like an
euroclydon. But, looking out of the win
dow, he saw his sin sink like lead into
the depths of the sea. The dove of heav-
en- brought an olive branch to the ark.
The wrath of the billow only pushed
him toward heaven. 1.-THE Lord shut
him inp'
The Heavenly House.
The same door fastenings that kept
Noah in keep the troubles out. 1 am
glad to know that when a man reaches
heaven all earthly troubles are done
with him. Here he may have had it hard
to get bread for his family; there he will
never hunger any more. Here he may
have wept bitterly; there 1.-THE Lamb
that is in the midst of the throne will
lead him to living fountains of water,
and God will wipe away all tears from
his eyes. ;" Here he may havo hard
work to get house; but in my Fathers
house are many mansions, and rent day
never comes. Here there are deathbeds
and collins and graves; there no sickness.
no weary watching, no choking cough,
no consuming fever, no chattering chill,
no tolling bell, no grave. The sorrows
of life shall come up and knock at the
door, but no admittance The perplexi- |
ties of life shall come up and knock on
the door, but no admittance. Safe for
everl All the agony of earth in one wave
dashing against the bulwarks of the ship |
of celestial light shall not break them |
down. Howl on, ye winds, and rage, ye |
seasl The Lord he Lord shut him
inr'
Oh, what grand old doori 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. l rejoice
that do not ask you to come aboard a
crazy craft with leaking hulk and broken
helm and unfastened door, but an ark
80 cubits wide and 800 cubits long and
y door so large that the round earth,
without grazing the post, might be bowl
ed in.
Noxy 10 Tho orb ~ Christ ia eo grand |