The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-20

Christ or the company Of such men as
Polyc4rp, who, when standing IN the midst
of the amphitheater waiting for the lions 10
come out of their cave and destroy him, and
tho people in the galleries Jeering and
shooting "The lions for Polyoarp," re-
piled: LET them come on and then stoop-
ing down toward the cave, where the wild
beasts were roaring TO get out, Let them
come ON All, yes, II Is persecution 70 put
YOU in glorious company; ana while there
are many things that you will have to post
pone to the future world for explanation,
tell YOU that it is the whole tendency Of
vour religion TO unravel and explain and
interpret and illumine and irrsdiate. Job
was right 1t is a glorious transparency.
''The crystal cannot equalit
remark again t lat religion surpasses the
crystal in its beauty. That lump of crystal
is put under the magnifying glass of the
crystsllographer and he sees in it indescrib-
able beauty-snowdrif and splinters OF
hoar~frost and corals and wreaths and stars
and crowns and oscillations Of conspicuous
beauty. The fact Is that crystal is so beau
tiful that ] can think OF but one thing in all
the universe that is so beautiful, and that
is the religion of the Bible. No wonder this
Bible represents that religion as the day
break, as the apple-blossoms, as the glitter
of a kings banquet. Ii Is the JOY of the
whole earth.
People talk too much about their cross
and not enough about their crown. Do you
know the Bible mentions a cross but twenty
seven times while 1t mentions crown
eighty timesl Ask that old man what he
thinks of religion. He has been a close
observer. He has been culturing an
aesthetic taste. He has seen the sunrises OF
a half century. He has been an early riser.
He has been an admirer of canoes and
corals and all kinds of beautiful things.
Ask him what he thinks of religion and he
II |,1I is ba haantifIll
I ever saw" The crystal cannot equal it."
Beautiful in its symmetry. When 1t
presents Gods 90 character IL does not
present him as having love like a
great protuberance on one side of his
nature, but makes that love in harmnoy
with his justice-a love that will accept all
those who come to him, and a justice that
will by no means clear the guilty. Beauti-
full religion In the sentiment 1t implantsi
Beautiful religion in the hope it kindles
Beautiful religion in the fact that it pros
poses to garland and enthrone and impara-
disc an immortal spirit. Solomon says it is
a lily Paul says it is a crown. The
Apocalypse says it is a fountain kissed Of
the sun Ezekiel says it is a foliaged cedar
Christ says it Is a bridegroom come to fetch
home a bride. While Job, in the text, takes
up whole vase Of precious stones-the
topaz and the sapphire and the chrysoprasus
and he takes out of this beautiful vase
Just one crystal, and holds it up until 1t
CLEANS in the warm light Of the eastern sky.
and he e6Clalms: line crystal cannot
equal it."
o, it is not stale religion, it is not a
stupid religion, it is not toothless bag as
some seem to have represented it, it is not a
Meg Merriies with shriveled arm come to
scare the world. 1t Is the fairest daughter
of God, heiress of all his wealth. Her cheek
the morning sky; her voice the music Of the
south wind; her step the dance of the sea.
Come and WOO her. The Spirit and the
Bride say come, and whosoever will, let him
come. Do you agree with Solomon and say
it is lilyl Then pluck it and wear it over
your heart. Do you agree with Paul
and say it is a crown. Then let
this hour be your coronation.
Do you agree with the Apocalypse
and say it is a springing fountain! Then
come and slake the thirst of your soul Do
you believe with Ezekiel and say it is
foliaged cedar? Then come under its shadow.
Eo you believe with Christ and
say it is a bridegroom come to fetch home
a bridel Then strike hands with your Lord
the King while l pronounce you ever
lastingly one. Or If you think with Job
that it is jewel, then put it on your hand
like q ring, on your neck like a bead, on
your forehead like star, while looking into
the mirror of Gods Word you acknowledge
"the crystal can not equal it"
Again, religion is superior TO the crystal
in Its transformations. The diamond is
only a crystallization OF coal. Carbonate
OF lime rises till it becomes calcite or ara
gonite Red oxide of copper crystaIlizes
into cubes and octahedrons. Those crys-
tails which adorn cur persons and our
homes and our museums have only been
ressurrected from forms that were far from
lustrous. Scientists for ages have been
examining these wonderful transforma-
tions. But tell you in the gospel OF the
Son of God there is more wonderful trans
formation. Over souls by reason of sin
black as coal and hard as iron, God by his
comforting grace stoops and says "They
shall be mine in the day when | make up
my jewels"
"W hat" say syou, will God wear jew
elrym IF he wanted it, he could make
the stars Of heaven his belt and have the
evening cloud for the sandals of his feet;
but he does not want that adornment He
will not have that jewelry. When God
wants jewelry he comes down and digs it
CUT of the depths and darkness of sin.
These souls are all crystallizations Of mercy.
He puts them on and he wears them in the
presence of the whole universe. He wears
them on the hand that was nailed, over the
heart that was pierced, on the temples that
were stung. ''They shall be mine,n saith
the Lord, I'm the day when | make up my
J6"6lS. w O11I6IAul L lb
crystal cannot equal it" There she is a
waif of the street; but she shall be sister
of charity. There he is, sot in the ditch !;
but he shall preach the gospel. There, be-
hind the bars of a prison, but he shall reign
with Christ forever. Where sin abounded
grace shall much more abound. The car
bon becomes the solitaire. 1.-The crystal
cannot equal it"
Now, have no liking for these people
who are always charging in Christian
meeting about their early dissipation. Do
not go into the particulars, my brothers
Simply say you were sick, but make no dis
play of your ulcers. The chief stock in
trade of some ministers and Christian work
ers seems to be their early crimes and dis
sipations. The number of pockets you
picked and the number of chickens you
stole make very poor prayer-meeting
rhetoric. Besides that, it discourages other
Christian people who never got drunk or
stole anything. But it is pleasant to know
that those who were farthest down have
been brought highest up. Out of internal
serfdom into eternal liberty. Out of dark
ness into light. From coal to the solitaire.
1.-THE crystal cannot equal it,
But my friends, the chief transforming
power of the Gospel will not be seen in this
world and not until heaven breaks upon the
soul. When that light falls upon the soul
then you will see the crystals. o, what a
magnificent setting for these jewels of eter-
nifty! sometimes hear people representing