's gates are reached, and the
cry goes forth, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in." Amidst heaven's
most joyful music the Master passes within to the Heavenly Jerusalem,
the glad, glorious Home. Every care, every sin, every sorrow is left
outside; within all is sunshine, all is joy. And as heaven's gates are
closing, we hear the Master's voice. He leaves us a word of hope, "Where
I am, _there_ shall also My servant be."

'Oh, fishermen, oh, friends, think of that! If you are His servants,
those gates will open for you. Your life may be hard now: some of you
have large families, and heavy work, and long, cold, comfortless nights
tossing on the stormy sea; but never mind, home is coming, heaven is
coming, for "Where I am, there shall also My servant be."

'But that is not all. There is something more wonderful still. For where
is the Master now? He is not only inside the gates of the city, He is
not only walking through the golden streets; but He is in the midst of
the glory of God, He has sat down on the right hand of the throne of
God. Will you and I, dear friends, ever dare to go near that throne?
Will not the glory be too dazzling? Will not the place be holy ground,
too holy for us to approach? Will He allow us to draw near to His
footstool, and even there, close to His glory, to lie low before Him?

'Listen, O servant of Christ, again the Master says, "Where I am,
_there_ shall also My servant be."

'What, on the throne of God! Yes, even _there_ He bids you come;
for what does He say? "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with
Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father
in His throne." Oh, what a wonderful promise! We could never have
thought of it; we could never have believed it; we could never even have
dreamt of such a thing, if the Master had not told us Himself.'

And then he concluded by asking us to remember our glorious future.
'Sometimes,' he said, 'you get downhearted, full of sorrow and fear, and
you say, "I shall never hold on to the end." Oh, dear friends, it is
worth an effort, for at the end lies home, at the end stands the throne
of God, with a place waiting for you upon it. "Where I am, there shall
also My servant be."

'What if you have to bear something for the Master's sake? What if you
have to give up friends or comforts for Him? What if you have to take up
your cross and follow Him