Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-01-18
FOR GODS CHILDREN.
A Warm Welcome Awaits Those
Who Faithfully Serve Him.
DE-. Talmage Tells What the True
Disciple of Christ May Expect
An the Next World Re-
ward of SeIf-Sacriace.

In a very novel way.Dr. Talmage in
this discourse describes what may be
expected in the next world by those
who here bend all their energies in
the right direction; text, II Peter
j, IL: For so an entrance 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 sim
ners. 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 agnostic or is
demented or finds life insufferable
and does not care where he lands.
This is the best world we ever got
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 to get in easily. We do not
want 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 consulta-
ton is made as to where we came
from and who we are and whether
1t is safe to admit us, lest we be
ddscord in the eternal harmonies cr
lower the spirit of Heavenly worship.
When the apostle Peter in the text
addresses the people: For SO an en-
trance shall be administered unto
you abundantly," he implies that
some will find admission into Heaven
Easy, rapturous and acclamatory,
while others will have to squeeze
through the gate of Heaven, if they
get in at all. They will arrive anx-
lous and excited and apprehensive and
wondering whether it will be "Come!"
Or Sol" The Bible speaks of such
persons as scarcely saved" and in
another place as ''saved as by fire."
and in another place as escaped "by
The skin of the teeth"
Carrying out the suggestion of my
text, 1 propose to show you what
classes of Christians will get into
Heaven with hard push and those
who will bound in amid salutations
Infinite. In the first class I put that
man who gets into the kingdom of
God at the close of life all given
to worldlinesS and sin. Years ago he
made the resolution that he would
serve himself and serve the world I'M
til body, mind and soul were exhaust
ed and then, just before going out of
this life, would seek God and pre-
pare to enter Heaven. He carries out
his resolution. He genuinely repents
the last day or the last hour or the
last minute of his life. He takes the
hast seat in the last car of the last
train bound Heavenward. His re-
leased and immortal spirit ascends.
Not one wing bears down toward him
with a welcome. No sign of g,adness
1T his arrival. None there obligated
to him for kindness done or aims dis
tributed or spiritual help admins
tered. He will find some place to
stay, but 1 do not envy that man his
Heaven. Ho got in, but it was not
IN abundant entrance.
Sometimes in our pulpits we give
wrong turn to the story of the
dying thief to whom Christ said:
This day shalt thou be with me in
Paradise" We ought to admire the
mercy of Christ that pardoned him in
the last hour, but do not let us ad-
mire the dying thief. When he was
arrested, I 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
Tor his crimes. He repented, and
through great mercy arose to Para
disc, but he was no example to fol-
low. What a gigantic meanness to
devote the wondrous equipment Of
brain and nerve and muscle and bone
with which we are endowed, these
miracles of sight and hearing and
speech, to purposes unworthy or pro-
tame. and then, through hasty repent
ance at the last, enter Heaven!
Chea ting God all ones lifetime and
then taking advantage of a bankrupt
law and made free of all liabilities.
[ 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 man
ner of fruits and the social life is not
so exalted.
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
80 gain celestial residence. He has his
creed in one pocket and his catechism
In another pocket. AID it may be a
good creed and a good catechism, but
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 through apostolic success
zion or be foreordaineu of eternity, or
you are in an awful way He shrivels
up and shriveis up and becomes more
splenetic until the time of his denar-