The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-01-17
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
HEAVEN AWAITS TRUE DIscl-
PIES OF CHRIST.

HEAVEN AWAITS TRUE DIScl-
PIES OF CHRIST.
Tells What May Be Expected In tho
Next World by Those Who Faithfully
Serve God and Help Their Fellow Hen
Reward of Self sacrifice.
Copyright 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. "
Washington, Jan. 13.-In very novel
way DR., Talmage in this discourse de-
scribes what may be expected in the
next world by those who here bend all
their energies in the right direction;
text. II. Peter L.. IL: For so an en-
trance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly."
Different styles OF welcome at the
gate OF heaven are here suggested. We
all hope to enter that supernal capital
through the grace that is ready to save
even the chief Of sinners. But not now.
No man healthy of body and mind
wants to go now. The man who hurls
himself out Of this life is either an
agnosttc or is demented or finds life
insufferable and does not care where
he lands. This is the best world we
ever got into, and we want to stay here
as long as God will let us stay. But
When the last page Of the volume Of
our earthly life is ended we want en-
rollment in heavenly citizenship. We
| want Synf IN o1i1r 10 ~
to be challenged at the gate and asked
TO show our passports We do not
want the gatekeeper in doubt as to
whether we ought to go in at all. We
do not want to be kept in the portico
OF the temple until consultation is
made as to where we came from, and
| VINO we are. and whether it is safe to
admit us. lest we be a discord in the
eternal harmonies or lower the spirit
OF heavenly worship. When the apos-
Tie Peter in the text addresses people,
For SO an entrance shall be admin
lstered unto you abundantly," he i'm
plies that some will find admission into
heaven easy, rapturous and acclama
tory, while other will have to squeeze
through the gate of heaven, If they get
In at all. They will arrive anxious and
excited and apprehensive and wonder
Ing whether it will be "Come!" or
Co" The Bible speaks of such per-
sons as scarcely saved" and in an
other place as Saved as by fire." and
IN another place as escaped "by the
skin of the teeth"
The Mercy of Christ.
Sometimes in our pulpits we give a
wrong turn to the story of the dying
thief to whom Christ said, "Th!s day
shalt thou be with me in paradise" We
ought to admire the mercy of the
Christ that pardoned him in the last
hour. but do not let us admire the
| dying thief. When he was arrested, 1
think his pockets were full of stolen
coin. and the coat he had on his back
was not his own. He stole right on
until he was arrested for his crimes.
He repented, and through great mercy
arose to paradise, but he was no ex-
ample to follow. What a gigantic
meanness to devote the wondrous
equipment of brain and nerve and mus
Gle and bone with which we are en-
dowed. these miracles Of sight and
hearing and speech, to purposes I'M
worthy or profane, and then, through
hasty repentance at the last, enter
heaven! Cheating God all ones life
time and then taking advantage of a
bankrupt law and made free of all liza
bilities. I should think that some men
would be ashamed to enter heaven or
would prefer some medium place in the
wide universe where the palaces are not
SO effulgent and the trees bear not more
than six instead of twelve manner of
fruits. and the social life is not so ex-
allied.
Again, the bigot will not have what
my text calls an abundant entrance.
He has his bedwarfed opinion as to
what all must believe and do in order
to gain celestial residence He has his
creed in one pocket and his catechism
in another pocket, and it may be good
creed and good catechism, land he uses
them as sharp swords against those
who will not accept his theories. You
must be baptized in his way or come
to him though apostolic succession or
be foreordained of eterniay, or you are
in an awful way. He shrivels up and
shrivels up and becomes more splene-
tic until the time of his departure is
at hand. He has enough of the salt of
grace to save him, but his entrance into
heaven will be something worth watch
ing. What do they want with him in
heaven, where they have all gone into
eternal catholicity, one grand commin-
Cling of Methodists and Baptists and
Episcopalians and Lutherans and Con-
gregationalists and Presbyterians and
score of other denominations just as
good as any have mentioned? They
all join in the halleluliah chorus, ac-
companied by harpers on their harps
and trumpeters on their trumpets,
worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive blessing and riches and
honor and glory and power!"
Necessity of Denominations.
Denominations of Christians on earth
were necessary in order to better work
and to suit preferences-as an army
must be divided into regiments. vet
one army; as neighborhood must be
divided into families, though one neigh
borhood. But there is no need for such
divisions in heaven, and therefore all
belong to one denomination Of saint