The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-12-24

get in. We can not i've just as we pieass
and at the last enter heaven; we might II
it were not enclosed. The Bible tells Us
south. the east and west, but we are
obliged to pass through the gates, and it is
NOT ALWAYS easy. Straight is the gate and
narrow is the way" one might be liable to
miss it. "Strive to enter in" says the
| Bible: so one must be very earnest. Chriss
said. "T am the way, the truth, the life"
81 am the door," and again. No man conn
eth unto the Father but by Me-" Some
people think that God is so merelini @ that
after awhile they may stand IN HIS pres
ence. but He is Just as well rs merciful,
and He has provided the way by which
every one must enter heaven. 1t is through
| the gate. Reformation will not do. moral:
| ity can not answer; ii is giving up yourself
to Him. putting your hand in His and let
ting Him lead you all the journey OF life,
until you pass through the gates. a
child dying said to his father, i
wouldn't he afraid to go it mamma .IlaI,
would 90 with me-, But" he said; 'httie
II want you to 60" and he said, my dar::
ling. / can't 60" Then when the child
had prayed to Him who had promised to
walk through the valley OF the shadow.
after a little while he said. "I am not
afraid now. for Christ has said that He
will he with me, and He will" Lift up
YOUR heads. oh, We gates. lift them up. for
the time is coming when with Jesus we
shall pass through.
GATES OF PEARL.
am sure that there is some meaning IN
| the fact that the gates are OF pearl. DO
You know the history Of pearls? Humanity
| discovered it is at the risk of the pearl
| fsher's life. It is said that pearls are
| formed by the intrusion OF some foreign
| substance between the rantel OF the mol
| lusk and it's shell. This is a source OF irri.
tation. suffering and pain. and . substance
| is thrown around abont that which Is in
! truded to prevent suffering. and thus the
pearl IS formed. Do you begin to see the
significance of the fact that the gates are
Of pearl. and not of gold? There was a
time when there was no entrance into
heaven for us; sin had closed it: man had
| grievously sinned. he had broken every
| law Of God, and there was no hope for him
| at ALL Then it was that the Babe was era.
| died in the manger. became youth, grew
| to manhood, endured thirtv.three years OF
suffering, eliminating in the agony upon
| Calvary, when in the tremendous tension
| His heart broke. Then it was He died,
| the just for the unjust. the innocent for
the guilty; then it was that He arose from
the dead. went out unto Bethany, ascendod
| into heaven to swing wide open the gates:
| And thus it ls they are open to-day: and
one never hears of the gates OF pearl but
| he must realize in some measure what sal.
vaton cost. not 70 much to you and to me,
but 10 Him-humiliation. sorrow, suffer.
| ing, death. and do yon realize that every
one who refuses allegiance to Him is ar.
raved AGAINST Him. for He said. "Yon are
either for Ne or against Ne, there is no
"'' TWELVE GATES.
How full the word of God is! In ns
teaching beauty and sweetness come from
it with every touch. 1t Is a rock; yon
| can not touch it but the water OF life Will
come forth. It is flower; you can not
come near it without being blessed by its
fragrance. There is something to me even
in the number OF heavens gates. The
twelve gates were twelve pearls, three on
every side. and the city lieth four square.
| Is this not an indication that God has
made abundant provision Tor our entrance
into the city above? It is man who has
narrowed down the way. The Bible invi::
tation is. "Whosoever will. let him come"
stand at the Judgment and say anything
hut this. "Lord, might have entered. but
| I would not" Twelve gates, and If Won
are not in it. it is your fault alone. God
has done all that He could do. The Trim:
| ity has been exhausted, almost, on sinful
world. and He will do no more: it is for US
ourselves to choose to enter in, it IL very
easy to be saved.
| In one of the schools OF great city by
the falling of a transom a cry OF fire was
started. The children were panicc-stricken,
the building mair5 were injured: some
were killed. When it was found that the
alarm was false, returning to her room one
| of the teachers found sitting at her desk
a young girl who had not stirred. When
asked the reason for her braveness, she
said. MY father is n fireman. and he told
me il ever there was an alarm OF fire In
the building just to sit still! where l was
and he would save me. Ny father IL hire.
man and he knows. and I lust trusted
him" That confidence in Jesus Christ
would bring salvation. :,
Said man in Glasgow to distinguished
| evangelist. II am verv anxious to be
saved: what must I do" The evangelist
quoted many passages of Scripture 20 him,
among them John ill.,. 18: "For God SO
loved the world that He gave His only be-
| gotten Son that whosoever believeth in
Him." and when he had gone this far the
man stopned him, saying. But / do be.
lievp." Then the evangelist quoted the
sixth chapter OF John and the forty.sev'
enth verse, Christ's OWL. words: Verify,
verify. saw unto you. he that belicveth
on Me hath everlasting life" The man
saw it in a moment and cried out reioc-
| ing. 81 have got it. have got it." That
kind Of acceptance OF God brings everlast.
| ing life. Twelve gates, and every gate a
pearl. and every gate exactly alike, SO Of.
| ter all there IS only one way.
THE GATES ARE OPEN.
am so glad that the gates are open to
! day. We read that they shall not be shut
at all by day. and as there. is no night
there the conclusion is that they are open
constantly They are open now. Some
have been going in since we have been
speeds away. / wish that might 90 as
did Alexander Cruden. seventy years OF
age. giving to the world his concordance,
| diving in want because he had given SO
| freely to others. Going into his room
they found him knecling. his face buried
in the Bible, his white hair falling down
upon the chair. mis- spirit gone, the very
angels filling the room where he had been
I wish that I might 60 rs did David Liv.
inrstonc. They looked into his tent door
and siid one to another. Keep silence,
on his knees. After little while they
rame hack, and he seemed to be still pray.
ing; then half an hour later again. and
when they touched him they found that
Livingstone was dead. The chariots OF
| God had halted while he prayed. and Liv-
| ingstonc, entering in. was caught up into
the skies. Oh. the JOY OF such an entrance
| into heaven.
| Dr.. Pierre. returning 70 France from In
dia after long journey. said that his men
when they came in sight of their native
land were rYfttcd for duty. Some Of
them wistfrl'y eazcd upcn the lnnd they
| loved Some OF them shouted. some