News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-04-23
into eternal liberty. out, or darkness
into light. From coal to the solitaire.
''The crystal cannot equal it."
THE JEWELS OF ETERNITY.

into eternal liberty. out, or darkness
into light. From coal to the solitaire.
''The crystal cannot equal it."
THE JEWELS OF ETERNITY.
But, my friends, the chief transform
ing power of the Gospel will not be seen
breaks upon the soul. When that light
falls upon the soul then you will see the
crystals. Oh, what magnificent set
! ting for these Jewels of eternity! /
sometimes hear people represeE ting
heaven in a way that is far from at
tractive to me. 1t seems almost a vul-
gar heaven as they represent it, with
great blotches of color and bands of
music making a deafening racket John
represents heaven as exquisitely beauti-
full. Three crystals. In one place he
says, ''Her light was ike a precious
stone, clear as crystal" In another
place he says, II saw pure river from
under the throne, clear as crystal"
In another place he says, Before the
throne there was sea of glass clear as
crystal" Three crystals! John says
crystal atmosphere. That means health.
Balm of eternal June. What weather
after the worlds east wind No rack
of storm clouds. One breath of that
air will cure tho worst tubercle. Crys-
tai 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 the crystal cannot
equal it." John says crystal river.
That means joy. Deep and ever rolling.
Not one drop of the Thames or the Hud-
son or the Rhine to soil it. Not one tear
of human sorrow to imbitter it.
Crystal, the rain out of which it was
made. Crystal, the bed over which it
shall roll and ripple. Crystal, its inf
mite surface. But ''the crystal cannot
equal it." John says crystal sea. That
means simultaneously vast Vast in
rapture. Rapture vast as the sea, deep
as the sea, strong as the sea, ever chang
ing as the sea. Billows of light. Bill
lows of beauty, blue with skies that
were never clouded, and green with
depths that were never fathomed.
Arctics and Antarctics and Mediter-
raneans and Atlantics and Pacifics in
crystalline magnifcence. Three crys-
tails. Crystal light falling on crystal
river. Crystal river rolling into a crys-
tai sea. But the "crystal cannot equal
it."
"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 crystals2"
Yes, it may bet will be. Heaven we
must have, whatever else we have or
have not, and we come here to get it.
"How much must 1 pay for it? you
say. You will pay for it just as much |
as the coal pays to become the dia-
mond. In other words nothing. The
same Almighty power that makes the
crystal in the mountain will change |
your heart, which is harder than stone,
for the promise is, 81 will take away
your stony heart and 1 will give you a
heart of flesh"
STOP BATTING THE DOOR.
ooh, says some one, lit is just the
doctrine l want; God is to do every
hing and | am to do nothing" My
brother, it is not the doctrine you want
The coal makes no resistance 1t hears
,he resurrection voice in the mountain
md it comes to crystallization; but your
heart resists. The trouble with you,
ny brother, is the coal wants to stay
coal. do not ask you to throw open
he door and let Christ in. I only ask
hat you stop boiling it and barring it.
Oh, my friends, we will have to get rid
IF our sins. l will have to get rid of
ny sins and you will have to get rid of
your sins.
What will we do with our sins among
the three crystals The crystal atmos-
phere would display our pollution. The
crystal river would be befouled with
DUR touch. The crystal sea would
vhelIn with its glistening surge
now or no transforma-
ion at all Give sin full chance in your
cart, and the transformation will be
ownward instead of upward. Instead
f a crystal it will be a cinder. In the
avs of Carthage Christian girl was
ondemned to die for her faith, and a
oat was bedaubed with tar and pitch
nd filled with combustibles and set on
re, and the Christian girl was placed in
ne boat, and the wind was off shore and
ne boat fioated away with its precious
reasure. No one can doubt that boat
lnded at the shore of heaven. 8
Sin wants to put you in a fiery boat
nd shove you off in an opposite direc- 5
on--off from peace, off from God, off
ON heaven, everlastingly off; and the
ort toward which you would sail
'ould be a port of darkness, and the
uns that would greet you would be
he guns OF despair, and the flags that
'ould wave at your arrival would be
he black flags of death. O,my broth 1
r, you must either kill sin or sin will I
i'll you. 1t is no wild exaggeration {
hen l say that any man or woman
lat wants to be saved may be saved.
choice! A thousand peo- {
lie are choosing this moment between S
AVIATION and destruction, between c
ght and darkness, between heaven c
nd hell, between charred ruin and |
lorious capitalization. I