Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-01-16


who here bend all their energies in the
right direction; text, IL. Peter l., II, '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 sinners. But not now.
No man healthy of body and mind wants
to 90 now. The man who hurts 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 into, and we
want to stay here al long as God will let
us stay. But when the last page of the
volume of our earthly life is ended W.
want enrolment 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 ing d, bt 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 who we are
and whether il is safe TO admit u.s. lest
we , a discord in the eternal harmones
or lower the spirit Of heavenly worship.
When the apostle Peter in the text ad-
dresses the people, For so an entrance
shall be administered unto you abundant
w." he implies that some will find adj
mission into heaven easy, rapturons and
acclamatory, while others will have to
squeeze through the gate Of heaven, il
they get in at all They will arrive anx
ious and excited and apprehensive and
wondering whether it will be "Come!" or
Cor The Bible speaks of such per-
sons as scarcely saved" and in another
place as saved as by fire" and in an
other place as escaped 'by the skin of the
teeth"
Carrying out the suggestion of my text,
I propose to show you what classes of
Christians win get into heaven with
hard push and those who will bound in
amid salutations infinite. In the first
class | put that man who gets into the
kingdom of God at the close of a life all
given to worldliness and sin. Years ago
he made the resolution that he would
serve himself and serve the world until
body, mind and soul were exhausted and
then, just before going out of this life,
would seek God and prepare TO enter
. heaven. He carries out his resolution.
! He genuinely repents the last day or tie
4 last hour or the last minute of his Ire.
He takes the last seat in the last ear of
the last tisin bound heavenward. His
released and immortal spiiit ascends. Not
one wing bears down toward him with a
welcome. No sign of gladness at his ar
rival. None there obligated to him for
kindness done or aims distributed or
spiritual help administered He will find
some place to stay, but do not envy
that man his heaven. He got in. but it
was not an abundant entrance.
The Mercy of Christ.
Sometimes in our pulpits we give
{ wrong turn to the story of the dying thief
\ to whom Christ said, This day shalt
v thou be with me in paradise" We ought
% to admire the mercy of the Christ that
2 pardoned him in the last hour, but do not
Il let us admire the dying thief. When he
was arrested, | think his pockets were
full of stolen coin, ana 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
example to follow. What gigantic
meanness to devote the wondrous equip
ment of brain and nerve and muscle and
bone With which we are endowed, these
miracles Of sight and airing and speech,
10 purposes unworthy or profane, and
then, through hasty repentance at the
last, enter heaven, Cheating 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 manner of
fruits and the social life is not so exalted
Again. the bigot viii not have what my
text calls an abundant entrance. He has
his bedwaffed opinion as to what all
must believe ana do in order to gain CO.
lcstial residence. He has his creed in one
pocket and his catechism in another peck
ct. and it may be a good creed and a good
catechism. but he uses them as sharIl
swords against those who will not accept
his theories You must be baptized in his
way or come to him through apostolic
succession or be foreordai ned of eternity.
or you are in an awful way. He shrivels
up and shivels mp and becomes more
splenetc 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 viii he 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 Lsutherans and Com
gregationalists and Presbyterians and
score of other denominations just as good
as any / have mentioned? They all join
in the halleluiah chorus. accompanied by
harpers on their harps and trumpeters
on their trimpets Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive blessing and
riches and honor and glory and power.
Tho bgot ascends With just enough
grace 70 save him. As he comes up TO
the shining gate he sees standing inside
Of Ii some whom he used To meet every
Sunday morniug on the street :, ny To
some other church Gf some oll.rr a,'HoHsi-
nation. and be cries out: Are you there:
/ never expected T., see sou in such s!o-
riDus place. You were all wrong in youI
religious theories on earth and in your
form Of church government. How did
you ger iat" saved rs grace" is the
heavenly repl-. Saved l,y grace The
bi@o. is embarrassed and feels Tor his
creed and has eateehisuI. and. 30. they
were left on the bankS VI the river .Ior-
dan as b. passed through, aud he cries
OUT II think l viii have to entee On jhe
same terms. Saved by grace. Saved by
grace