Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-04-20
ness into Iight. From ooal 70 the n1lisaire.

ness into light. From coal to the nSlftaire.
"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. Oh,
what a magnificent setting for these jewels
of eternityl | sometimes hear people rep
resenting heaven in a way that is far from
attractive to rue. 1t seems almost ayulgar
heaven as they represent it, with great
blotches of color and bands Of music max
ing a deafening racket. John represents
heaven as exquisitely beautiful. Three
crystals. In one place he says, "Her light
was like precious stone, clear as crystal"
In another place he says, 81 saw pure
river from under the throne, clear as crys-
tal."
In another place be says, Before the
throne there was q sea of glass clear as
crystal" Three crystalsl John says crys-
tai atmosphere. That means health. Balm
of eternal June. What weather after the
worlds east windl No rack of storm
clouds. One breath of that air will cure
the worst tubercle. Crystal light on all
the leaves Crystal light shimmering on
the topaz of the temples. Crystal light
tossing in the plumes of the equestrians
of heaven on white horses But 1.-THE crys-
tai cannot equal it," John says crystal
river. That means joy Deep and ever roll
ing Not one drop of the Thames or the
Hudson or the Rhine to soil it Not one
tear of human sorrow to imbitter 1T. Crys-
tai, the rain out of which it was made.
Crystal, the bed over which it shall roll
and ripple. Crystal, its infinite surface.
But "tbe crystal cannot equal it." John
SAYS crystal sea. That means multltu-
dinously vast. Vast in rapture. Rapture
vast as the sea, deep as the sea, strong as
the sea, ever changing as the SEA. Billows
of light. Billows of beauty, blue with
skies that were never clouded and green
with depths that were never fathomed.
Arctics and Antarctics and Mediterraneans
and Atlantics and Pacifcs in crystalline
magnificence Three crystals-crystal light
falling on n crystal river; crysta river roll
ing into crystal sea. But "the crystal
cannot equal it,"
HEAVEN WE MUST HAVE
"Oh," says some one, putting his hand
over his eyes, "can it be that who have
been in so much sin and trouble will ever
come to those crystalsW Yes, it may be-
it will be. Heaven we must have, what
ever else we have or have not, and we come
here to get it. GLOW much must pay for
itP' you say. You will pay for it just as
much rs the coal pays to become the dia-
mond. In other words, nothing. The same
Almighty power that makes the crystals
in the mountains will change your heart
which is harder than stone, for the promise
is, 81 will take away your stony heart and
| will give you heart of flesh"
ooh" says some one, sit is just the doc
trine want. God is to do everything, and
am to do nothing" Ny brother, it is not
the doctrine You want. The coal makes
no resistance 1t hears the resurrection
voice in the mountain, and it comes to
crystalizaton, but your heart resists. The
trouble with you, my brother, is the coal
wants to stay coal. do not ask you to
throw open the door and let Christ in. |
only ask that you stop bolting it and bar
ring it, Oh, my friends, we will have to
get rid of our sins. will have to get rid
of my sins, and You will have to get rid of
your sins. What will we do with our sins
among the three crystalsS The crystal at
mosphere would display our pollution.
The crystal river would be befouled with
our touch. The crystal sea would whelm
us with its glistening surge. Transforms
ton now or no transformation at all.
Give sin full chance in your heart and
the transformation will be downward in
stead of upward Instead of a crystal it
will be cinder. In the days of Carthage
a Christian girl was condemned to die for
her faith, and boat was bedaubed with
tar and pitch and filed with combustibles
and set on fire, and the Christian girl was
placed in the boat, and the wind was off
shore and the boat foated away with its
precious treasure. No one can doubt that
boat landed at the shore of Heaven.
Sin wants to put you in a fiery boat and
shove you off in an opposite direction-of
from peace, off from God, of from heaven,
| everlastingly off; and the port toward
| which you would sail would be a port of
darkness, and the guns that would greet
you would be the guns of despair, and the
flags that would wave at your arrival
would be the black flags of death. o, my
brother, you must either kill sin or sin Will
kill you. 1t is no wild exaggeration when
say that any man or woman that wants
TO be saved may be saved Tremendous
ehoicel A Thousand people are choosing
this moment between salvation and de
struction, between light and darkness, be-
tween heaven and hell, between charred
ruin and glorious capitalization.