Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-01-24
Dr.TALMAGE SERMON
THE GREAT DIVINE'S ELOQUEN
MESSAGE.
Subject: Entering the Gate-Exu1tant Ad-
mission Awaits Those Who Have Lived
For Others, while the BiCot and PEN
urious VIII Barely Squeeze Through
Copyright ls1. j

|
Copyright 1901
WASHINGTON. D. C.-In a very novel
| yay DR.. Talmage in his discourse describes
| what NAV be expected IN the next world
| by those who here bend all their energies
in the right direction; text. III Feter l.
| IL, For so an entrance shaH De minis
| tered unto you abundantly
! Different styles of welcome nt 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 hurts himself out OF
| this life is either All agnOstlc or Is de-
mented. or finds life insuferabie. 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 enroll
nent in heavenly citizenship. We want
t. get in easily. We do not want to be
challenged at the gate and asked to SHOW
our passports We do not want the gate
| keeper in doubt aS to whether we ought
to 90 in at all We do not want to be
| kept in the porticO o. the temple until
| consultation Is made as to where we came
| from and who we are and whether 1t Is
safe to admit Us. lest we be di3cord in
! The eternal harmonies lower the spirit
| of heavenly Worship. When the Apostle
| Peter in the text addresses the people.
| ''For so an entrance shall be administered
unto you abundantlv. he lnlples 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 viii
| arrive anxious and excited and apprehen
sive and wondering whether it will be
| "Come." or Co. The Bible speaks Of
such persons as ''scarceIy saved and in
| loo 90 I'D fir ar
! another place as escaped by the skin OF
! the teeth
/ Carrying out the suggestion OF my text.
| / propose to show you what classes of
| Christians VIII get into heaven with a
hard push and those who will bound III
| amid salutations infinite. In the hrst
! class [ put that man who gets into the
! kingdom Of God at the close Of a life ali
! given to WorldlinesS and sin. ears 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 hte.
would seek God and prepare 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 last 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
rival. None there obligated to him for
| kindness done or aims distributed or splr-
| itual help administered. He will find some
place to stay but I do not envy that man
| his heaven. He got ill., but it was not an
! abundant entrance.
| Sometimes in our pulpits give a
! 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 the Christ that
pardoned him in the last hour, but do not
| let us admire the dying thief. When he
was arrested | 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 example TO
J follow. What gigantic meanness to de-
vote the Wondrous equipment OF BRAIN and
nerve and muscle and bone with which we
are endowned. these miracles of sight and
hearing and speech, to purposes unworthy
! or profane and then. through hasty re-
pentance at the last enter heaven. Cheat
ing God all ones lifetime and then taking
| advantage of bankrupt law and made
free of all liabilities. I should think that
some men would be ashamed to enter
heaven
Again, the bigot will not have what my
text calls 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 catechsm in another pocket and
it may be good creed and a good cate
chism. but he uses them as sharp swords
against those who will not accept his the
cries You must be baptized in his way
or come to him through apostolic success
sion or be foreordained Of eternity or YOU
are In an awful way. He shrivels up and
shrlvels up and becomes more splenetic
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 watching. What do they
want with him in heaven. where they
have all gone into eternal catholicity, one
grand commingling Of Methodists and
! Baptlsts and Episcopalians ab9 Lutherans
and Congregatlonalists and Presbyterians
and score OF other denominations lust
as good as any ] have mentioned9 They
2ll ION in the halleluiah chorus accompan-
led by harDers on their harDs and trump
eters on their trumpets, 'Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive blessing
and riches and honor and glory and pow
err
Denominations OF Christians on earth
were necessary in order TO better work
and TO SUIT preferences. as an army must
he divided into regiments. vet one army: |
as a neighborhood must be divided into
families, though one neighborhood. But
there Is no need for such divisions in heav-
en-. and therefore I'll belong to one de-
nomination of s2inthood. What will be
the hlgOts amazement when he sees
seated side by side on the banks of the |
river OF life Calvin and Arminius. Arch |
bishop Cranmer and some dissenting
preacher of the gospel who never gradu- |
ated one VINO on earth was a robed and |
SllcDIIPPd ST b. i