Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-10-28

sumed in the iniquIty of the CITY,"
While he fingered the men laid hold
upon his hand and upon the hand of
his wife and upon the hand of his
two daughters; the Lord being merci-
full unto him; and they brought him
forth and set him without the city
and said, Escape for thy life" No
sooner had Lot and his little family
obeyed this voice of God than the
city was destroyed by fire.
So we might multiply illustrations
of occasions when words similar to
those of our text must have been used
by the Lord, but let me here say that
gates of temptation have been opened
before us and the voice of the tempter
has spoken in inviting tones saying,
Go through, go through the gates,
and the fact that so many, yes, that
all have hearkened to this seducing
voice and have entered into sin makes
1t necessary that we set apart these
weeks in which we may hear the voice
of God bidding us to go through the
open gates of opportunity by which
we may enter into the path which
leads to heaven.
- biiiO pei blilt Il ohOuAu iihN
to speak OF many gates which may
frequently be opened before us
Through which we should never pass
gates of evil habits that lead to vice
and shame and sin and woe and fin
ally to eternal destruction. On the
other hand, there are also many gates
of right habits which have been and
will again be opened before us thru
which the voice of God and con-
science bid us go; gates through
which We should pass for they lead
into ways of pleasantness and thru
paths of peace. and right, and to I'M
mortal life. So ii is ever ours to
choose whether we will or will not
pass through the many gates that
are open before us from day to day.
There is one gate through which
all must pass, the one that marks the
exit of life. Whether you choose ii
or not the day is speedily approach
ing when God will say, Go through,
go through the gate" and it will be
your to obey. | know not when
twill be nor how the voice will come
to you. II may be in the silent watch
es of the night, when anxious friends
are waiting by the bedside that the
gentle voice of God shall speak, Go
through, go through the gate" and
your soul will pass into eternity. II
may be at high noon when you are in
the prime of life. most uneXpect-
ed hour, as a flash of lightning from
the clear sky, that the pealing tone
shall ring out, go through, go
through the gate" but, my friend,
hear me, il matters not when nor
where, nor how. when this voice
speaks your prompt obedience will be
the inevitable result
The time will come when the boast
ing infidel will have to die. He may
laugh and scott as he revels in the
pleasures of sin on the broad way of
life, but he cannot bride death. In
that hour his fevered head will toss
from side to side and his blood shot
eyes will roll in their sockets and
his swollen tongue will loll in his
black mouth. He will hear a rap at
his hearts door, saying, Go through,
go through the gate" and he will
say. "Who is there?" Hear me, my
unconverted friend, Jesus says. 'Be
hold / stand at the door and knock.
II any man will open unto me, l will
come in" All these years you have
turned deaf ear to the gentle knock
ing of Jesus at your hearts door, but
when death raps you must answer
the summons, you will say, WHO is
there?" And the answer will come,
81 am death" You will say, IL
didn't send for you" mo. | know
you didn't but | have come. Go
through, go through the gate"
Some years ago the wife of the
son of Senator Clarke gave birth to
a son. The Senator was so reJoiced
by having the honor of being grand
father of baby boy that he mailed
his son a check for one million dol
lars. But few days later when the
mother was suffering from blood
poisoning, specialists We're rushed
from Chicago, st, Paul and Denver,
to the Clarke home in Butte, Mon
tana, in the hope OF saving her life.
The doctors arrived at the bedside
of the stricken wife and, after their
consultation. they stepped into an
adjoining room and calling the hus-
band said, There is no hope, Mr..
Clarke, your wife must die" He
drew from his pocket the million dol
lar check and threw ii on the table
before the doctors and said, Save
my wife and that money is yours. 6
They said, I'VE cannot do it," And
to this he replied. Save her men,
and you shall have copper mine, y
But they couldn't do it and the wife
of that millionaire miner obeyed the
command Marble walls and plate
glass doors cannot hush the sound
of this voice. When God says, go
through. go through the gate. -
scepter and crown must be laid aside
in the kings palace and an empty
cradle may be found in the poor
mans cottage. An epetabb on the
head of grave read:
Stranger, pause as you pass by,
AS you are now, so once was l.
AS l am now, you soon will be.
Prepare for death and follow me. "
Some one wrote on below:
81 can't consent to follow on
Until | know where you've gone. "
ii. THE HUMAN CHOICE
This leads us to the consideration
of the privilege and responsibility OF
choice, not the privilege of choosing
whether we will or vii mot pass
Through this exit. but we are taught
in the Word of God that from life
there are two exits, and that all are
free to choose by which of these two
gates they wish to pass. This fact
is confirmed by the dying testimony
of thousands. 1T is appointed unto
man once to die" We all alike face
death but death is not alike to all.
Centuries ago, prophet said, Let
me die the death of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his. >
There is a difference in the way men
die 1t is not ours to choose whether