Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-10-28
The GATE BEAUTIFUL
Sermon Delivered by Evangelist o.
A. Newlin at the Tabernacle
Wednesday Evening
go through, go through the
gates."-Isaiah 62:1O.

brass, gold and silver were melted
down and run together making that
mixture of metals called Corinthian
brass, which was valued above gold
and silver. This beautiful gate was
one of the wonders of the world. 1t
was transported from Greece by Her.
cd, and placed at the head of the
marble staircase that led to the
splendid Temple. 1t is said to have
been wrought in imitation of a vine,
with pendant branches and grapes
and was so massive that 1t took four
or five men to open and close it morn
ing and evening.
Peter and John approached this
beautiful gate as they went up to
the Temple to worship at the hour of
evening prayer. Here a beggar by
the wayside became the subject of
miraculous cure. This cripple had
been carried by his friends as near
the gate as beggars were privileged
to come, that he might ask aims of
the worshippers. But when healed
of his impotency and cleansed from
his sins, Peter reached forth and
took his hand saying, in effect, go
through, go through the Gate" and
he passed through the gate into the
Temple leaping for joy and shouting
praises to God.
1. THE DIVINE COMMAND
Go through, go through the
gates" Here is a Divine Command
which has been many times given
before the history of the world be-
gan. when all the created things of
God were within the holy confines of
the Court of Heaven. there arose one
who attempted to make himself
equal with God and by his subtility
gathered about him no small follow
ing. We read. There was war in
Heaven; and the great dragon was
cast out, that old serpent called the
devil and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world; he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him" We have it in the
holy record that Michael and his
angels "Overcame the enemy by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word
of their testimoney; and they loved
not their lives unto the death" God
must have walked with those angelic
warriors to the very battlements of
Heaven and then proclaimed to the
defeated enemies, Go through, go
through the gates" and Satan and
his rebellious host were compelled to
go forth from the presence of the
City of Endless Day.
Very soon after. God placed our
first parents in the Garden of Eden.
Satan found his way into that shad-
ed retreat and tempted the happy in
habitants to yield to sin. God had
been the companion of Adam and
his wife and had told them of Eden's
Injuries they should freely partake
excepting of the fruit from the tree
of knowledge. But this seducing
temper led them to disobey the
voice of God and they entered into
sin. In this sin they forfeited their
right to the happiness of Eden. and
God after reproving them for their
disobedience and giving them the
promise of one who was to bruise
the serpent's head, spoke in effect
the words of our text, GO through,
go through the gate" We know not
with what reluctance Adam and his
wife obeyed this command of God.
IL is probable that they did not fully
appreciate the excellency of Eden un-
til they had gone out into sin crrs
ed earth where man must ever eat
his bread in the sweat of his face.
When Adam looked back upon the
Eden he forfeited as a result of his
sin he must have seen in the Paradise
lost beautiful garden trimmed about
with blue mountains from whose YER
dant peaks hundrec cancing rills
added to the volume of natures or
chestra; there thrushes and larks
and robins and the brightest birds
of heaven must have We'd with each
other caroling praises to God; there
were paths inlaid with mountain
moss and bordered with pearls and
diamonds; there were fountains toss
ing in the sunlight and pools studded
with water lilies and rippled by the
padding of swans; there were la
goons flecked with perennial green
and a wilderness of flowers redolent
of eternal spring; there were wood
bine and honeysuckle climbing over
protruding rock, and grape vines
hanging as draperies from tree to
tree ladened with their gorgeous
clusters; there were delicious berries
and peaches and plums and blood
red cherries hanging like rubies
from the bending bough and bush;
ing themselves on the grass, and dap
pied fawns playing upon banks OF
violets, and peaceful leopards loung'
ing in cluster of magnolia, and con-
tented lions painting IN jungle OF
roses; and there In the midst OF this
garden, curtained about with sweet
scented groves of oranges and POM
egranites, on the banks OF a trucul-
ent river lived Adam and Eve, bask-
ing in the golden sunshine and breath
ing the air softened by the dreamy
haze of perpetual springtime.
Such was the Eden from which he
had been driven. But how different
the world which he now faces where
beasts that before were harmless and
full of play, put forth claw, and sting
and tooth and tusk, where birds whet
up their beaks for prey, and clouds
droop in the sky; where sharp thorns
shoot up through the soft grass and
noxious weeds make necessary toll,
where misunderstanding, and heart
aches, and woe are the repeated daily
experiences of the race. But when
God said, go through, go through
the gates" all the chords of Eden
ic harmony were mixed into a dole
full dissonance and upon the bright
est home this world ever saw, our
first parents turned their back and
led forth on a path of sorrow where
sickness, weakness and death awaits
the broken-hearted myriads of ruin
ed race.
A third utterance of this Divine
command must have been when the
angels after holding continuation
with Abraham departed to Sodom and