The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-01-25

messed to meet her at the gate. and tf
here are no others TO meet her, father
md mother viii be there to thank her
for all she did for them when their
strength failed and the grasshopper be-
came a burden, and they viii say: "My
daughter, how kind ytu Were to Us even
until the last, How good it is TO be to-
gether in hea<eni That is the Kings
chariot come for you. Mount and ride
to your everlasting homc.." Now, that is
what / call an abundant entrance.
Know right well that in whatever sta
ton or life you now moye, n whether
your intellectual faculty be brilliant or
dull and your worldly resources opulent
or poor, you may have at the gate OF
heaven jubilant and triumphant recep-
ton. All soldiers cannot be Hannibas
and M~arlboroughs, all admirals annot
be Duponts and Farraguts, all authors
canno be Bacons and Southeys. neither
can all Christians be Pauls and Richard
Cecils- Do your best right. where you
are, asking Gods help, and you will not
only win glorious admission, but you
will make all your life in heaven a grand
er and higher life. 1t is q good thing to
v a healthy ambition in this world, and
why not an ambition not to stand among
the comparative failures OF heaven
saved as by fire." but to be classified
among those who did something worthy
Of immortals? The Bible distinctly tells
that there will be grades in heaven, Gas
one star differeth from another star in
glory" Will o be among the lower
grades when you may be among he
higher? OF course, cherubic and seraphic
orders are fixed, and you cannot enter
them, but in what low or high order Of
the sainthood you may live and reign for
ever you are now deciding by your. pres
emit half heartedness or enthusiastic ar
dor. Be the means of salvation of one
man or one woman, and you stir all the
heights celestial, for there is joy in heav-
en- among the angels of God. over one
sinner that repenteth.
The Stranger In Heaven.
But, imagine one of these scarcely
saved" Christians entering the shining
realm! He passes in a stranger. Saint
says to saint, ''Who there?" And
angel to angel, "Who is that?" He moves
up and down the streets and meets no
one whom he helped to get there. He
goes into the great temple and finds
among the throngs of the white robed
not one soul whom he helped to join the
d~oxologies. He goes into the "house of
many mansions" and finds not one spirit
whom he helped to start for that high
residence. | am glad that he got in, but
/ an amazed that in the 80 or 40 or 20
years of his life he did nothing for God
and the betterment of the world which
woke the heavenly echoes. Oh, child of
God, if you had never thought of it be-
fore, I present the startling fact that you
are now deciding not only the style of
you heavenly reception, but the grade Of
your association and enjoyment of the
world without end. Are you satisfied
with yourself that you can afford to
throw away raptures and ignore heaven
ly possibilities and elect yourself to lower
status and classify yourself amid the
less efficient when you may mount a
higher heaven?
While l thus discourse I am aware that
some have not taken the first step toward
heaven, and they feel like Jacob Strawn,
who took some ministers of the gospel on
the top Of his house to show his farms,
reaching in every direction as far as eye
could see. He was asked how many
acres he owned, and he replied 10000.
How much is it worth per acre?" was
asked. and he replied, Fifty dollars at
least" Then" said the minister, ..you
are worth $2,OOO,OOO." EYES," said
Strawn, land L made it all myself
Then the minister said: you have
shown me these vast earthly possessions,
and now will you look up yonder (point-
ing to the heavens)-how much do you
own up there?" And Strawn answered.
with tears in his eyes, ooh, I am .afrai,l
/ am poor up there" Alas, how many
there are who have acquired all earthly
properties and advantages, but have m
treasures in heaven! They are poor up
there.
But l am today chiefly addressing
those who are started for heaven and
would have them know that while we arc
apt to speak of a Lanphier, the founder
Of Fulton street prayer meetings, as hay
ing an abundant entrance; and Alfred
Goodman, the flaming evangelist, as hav-
ing an abundant entrance; and Thomas
WEIGH and Fletcher, the glorious preach
ers of the gospel, as having al. abundant
entrance, and John Rogers and Latimer
and Ridley ascending, like Elijah, in a
chariot of fire, as having an abundant en-
trance, you also, if you love and serve
the Lord and fulfill your mission, wheth-
er it be applauded or unknown, will have,
when your work on earth is ended and
you are called to come up higher, al
easy, a blissful, an enrapturing. an abun-
| dan entrance.
copyright. 100 by Louis Klopsch.l