The Gate Beautiful

He Gate Beautiful in the temple cannot certainly be identified. We know it was very costly, made probably of Corinthian brass and in the highest style of art. Everything about the temple was beautiful, and this gate was probably one of the most splendid ornaments of the house. God loves beauty. If he did not, he would not have made this world so full of lovely things. Everywhere we go we see beauty. The blind, whose eyes are closed, are sore losers in their great deprivation. The Gate Beautiful has many interesting suggestions for our thought. It was the gate into the temple of God. Everything about God’s worship should be beautiful. God himself is beautiful. When Charles Kingsley was dying, his daughter saw his

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lips moving, and bending her ear close to him, heard him say, “How beautiful God is!” Some people think of God as terrible, as a being who is angry, vengeful, not a gentle friend, but a stem, severe judge. They think of him with fear. One who thinks of God in this way wrote, “I love Jesus Christ, but I cannot love God.” Jesus was beautiful — gentle, compassionate, loving, pitiful. The children loved him and nestled in his arms. None were afraid of him. But God is the same. Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Jesus was the human expression of God. It is God’s beauty that we see in the face of Jesus Christ.

Since God is beautiful, we should make his house beautiful. When David had built for himself a palace of cedar, his heart smote him that while he had such a fine dwelling for himself, God was living in a weather-beaten tent. He resolved to build a glorious temple for God. An English writer says,” It is ever a fatal sign when men permit the house of [4]

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God to be meaner than their own.” We should make our churches beautiful in every line and feature. We should keep them clean, bright, attractive. It is dishonoring to God to let his house fall into decay, to allow it to have broken windows, stained walls, unswept floors, faded carpets, tawdry furniture. The Beautiful Gate should always open into a beautiful sanctuary. God will meet his people in a tent, in a hall, in a barn, in the rudest place, in the open field, if that is the best they can do; but we should always prepare for the meeting place with him the most beautiful temple we can provide.

The worship of God should be beautiful. In one of the Psalms the poet speaks of “the beauty of holiness.” When we enter at the Gate Beautiful into the Lord’s house, our behavior should be beautiful, and every part of the service we render should be in keeping with the sanctity of the place. We are in the presence of Almighty God. In Isaiah’s wonderful vision the prophet saw the seraphim, each with six wings. With two of their [5] wings they covered their faces — reverence; they were not worthy even to look upon the divine splendor. With two they covered their feet — humility; they would hide their unfitness in God’s presence. Then with two they did fly — service; going instantly wherever they were sent. We should be reverent and humble and obedient before God. We need often to remind ourselves of this duty of reverence for God’s house, “lest we forget.” We should have the same spirit in all religious meetings, as well as in formal church services. One of the Hebrew prophets has this word to which we should always listen when we enter any room where God is being worshiped: “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Every part of our worship should be rendered to God. Jenny Lind, when asked the secret of her wonderful power in song, swaying thousands, answered, “I sing to God.” When we sing in worship, we should sing to God. When prayer is offered, we should be sincere — we are talking to God. [6] “Worship the Lord in the beauty of hoHness.” “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God.”

The Gate Beautiful, through which we enter into the temple, suggests that we should make our Christian lives beautiful. God is beautiful. Holiness is beautiful. It is not enough that we worship in a beautiful house, and that our worship shall be orderly, devout, reverent. Our character also must be beautiful. Some of the ancient Christian fathers taught that in his personal appearance Jesus was not lovely. They seem to have interpreted a word in Isaiah to mean this: ‘* His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” They said that his face was repulsive. “Base of aspect,” said one. “His body devoid even of human loveliness,” said another. But this was not true. Jesus was beautiful. The heart makes the face, and his heart was full of all beautiful quahties. We are to be like Christ, not in our faces, but in our lives. He was gracious, and we are to be gracious. [7]

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He loved, and we are to love. St. Paul, in one of his great pictures of worthy Christian life, names “whatsoever things are lovely” as part of his description of a true life. Only lovely things should be in our life. The beauty of Christ should be upon us. One who bears Christ’s name and is not beautiful in his spirit, is dishonoring the Master.

In St. Paul’s great chapter about love, he mentions some qualities that are not part of love. Love is not provoked — bad temper is not beautiful. You do not admire a man who flies into a passion of anger at the slightest provocation. Love doth not behave itself unseemly — that is, not unbeautifully. Selfishness is not beautiful, greed is not, irritability is not, anger is not, dishonesty and falsehood are not. We admire the man or the woman who bears insults patiently, quietly, meekly, who, when reviled, reviles not again, who overcomes evil with good.

The Beatitudes show lines and traits of [8]

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beauty. The Beautiful Gate opens for us to-day to all beautiful things in life, in disposition, in conduct, in behavior, in character. George Macdonald says, “I should like to know a man who just minded his duty and troubled himself about nothing; who did his own work and did not interfere with God’s. How nobly he would work — working not for a reward, but because it was the will of God! How happily he would take his food and clothing, receiving them as gifts of God! What peace would be his! What a sober gaiety! How hearty and infectious his laughter! What a friend he would be! How sweet his sympathy! And his mind would be so clear he would understand everything. His eye being single, his whole body would be full of light. No fear of his ever doing a mean thing — he would die in a ditch, rather. It is fear of want that makes men do mean things.”

The life of faith is always beautiful — unbelief is never beautiful. Peace is beautiful — unrest, distraction, anxiety, fret, worry, dis- [91 content, are unlovely. We should set for ourselves the ideal of beauty for every act, every word, every disposition, every feeling and thought of our lives. At the Beautiful Gate Peter and John saw a beggar. For years this man had been brought every morning by his friends to this place, and left there all day to ply his task. No doubt he was there when Jesus used to pass and repass, entering and leaving the temple. Perhaps he had reached out his hand ofttimes and may have received alms from him. But not having faith to ask for healing, he had remained unhealed all the while. So year after year multitudes of people lie unblessed and unhealed about the very gates of God’s sanctuary, while the Healer is continually passing. It is not enough to live near a church, even close to a church door. Some one tells of a sexton who has cared for one church more than thirty years, and yet is not a Christian.

The beggar saw Peter and John coming up to the church door. He did not know who

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they were, but he readied out his hand for alms. He expected to get a little money. He did not know they were able to do something far better for him than drop a coin into his hand. So always in our prayers we ask for little things, bits of coin or bread, or some mere earthly thing, not knowing, not realizing that there are infinitely better things we might ask for and get. We are fooled by life’s illusions. The things we think are the most important are really the least important. We kneel in the morning and ask for daily bread, for little things — pleasure, comfort, health, a day of success — these are good enough things in their way, but think of the things we might ask for and get, when it is God at whose feet we are bowing. Many people pay no heed to beggars, do not even deign to give them a kindly look or a gracious word. How do we know who this beggar may he? At least we are sure that he is a child of God, though perhaps a prodigal child. The beggar that sits by the wayside and holds out his hand to you may meet you Cie eate laeauttfui

in heaven some day, wearing white garments. At least you know what Jesus said, “I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in.... Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me.” Notice the fine courtesy which Peter shows to this poor beggar at the Gate Beautiful. We need not always give money to beggars — Peter gave no money to this man. Nevertheless he did not ignore him, did not pass him by with contempt. Peter was not too fine a gentleman to stop and have a little talk with the beggar. He did not forget that he, too, was a man, a gentleman, with a human heart under his rags, a heart that would be hurt by a rough word, by a discourtesy. Peter’s treatment of this beggar was very beautiful. It showed nobility that was very Christlike. We should treat even a beggar as we shall wish we had done if we learn some day that he was an angel in disguise, or Jesus himself.

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Peter’s way of helping was also beautiful. “Look on us,” he said kindly. The beggar began to hope for money. Instead, however, of giving a coin, Peter said, “I do not have any silver or gold.” Yet he did not pass the beggar by because he could not give him the money he wanted. He said, “What I have, that give I thee.” Then he said to the lame man, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

There are many people who cannot give money even to those who need money help; yet they need not conclude that they can do nothing at all. Indeed, money is usually the poorest alms we can give. Kind words are better, love is better. So far as we know, Jesus never gave anyone money, yet there never was such a giver as he. He gave love, he gave sympathy, he gave thought. It is not money people usually need most, even when they think nothing else will do. What they really need is sympathy, cheer, encouragement. In one of the Psalms is the striking expression,” Blessed is he that consid- [13]

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ereth the poor.” It is not, “Blessed is he that giveth to,” but “he that considereth the poor.” Many who give largely to charity never consider the poor, never give them a moment’s thought. They fling the beggar a coin, but they have no interest in him, not a particle of sympathy with him. To consider is to think about, to take up the case and ask what it is best to do for the person. To consider the poor is to become their friend, to love them, to make plans for their good.

What did Peter do for this lame man.? He bade him to walk. So the man stood up and walked away. If Peter had given him a coin, it would only have helped him along a little farther as a beggar. But when he healed him, the man did not need to be helped any more. He was now able to take care of himself. Was that not a truer, better, wiser, kindlier way to help him than to have left him helpless, giving him only a little temporary relief.?

There is something else that Peter did. He [14] gave the man his hand. The human is needed as well as the divine. It is only a pitiful mockery to pray for one who needs help, and then do nothing for him. We must take him by the hand and help him.

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f* The truest words we ever speak

Are words of cheer. Life has its shade, its valleys deep; But round our feet the shadows creep.

To prove the sunlight near. Between the hills those valleys sleep —

The sun-crowned hills, And down their sides will those who seek With hopeful spirit, brave though meek,

Find gently flowing rills.”