Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-04-24

a CROWN Then let this hour be your eoro-
nation. Do you agree with the Apocalypse
and say il Is springing fountain lhen
come and slack the thirst Of your soul. DO
you believe with Ezekiel and say IL is
foliaged cedar! Then come under its shadow
Do you believe with Christ and say IL Is
bridegroom come to fetch home a prldef
Then Strike hands with your Lord the King
while pronounce you everlastingly one UT
If you think with Job that it is jewel, then
nut it on your hand like a ring, on your NECK
like a bead, on your forehead like star,
while looking into the mirror OF Gods Worj
YOU acknowledge 1.-THE crystal cannot equal
It."
Again. religion is superior 10 the crystal
in its transformations. The diamond Is oaly
a crystalliz alton OF )al. Carbonate OF ll,h5
rises till il bsc,msscllcits or aragonits hsi
oxide of coposr crystallizss into cubes an
oc5oheiro1s. rho53 crystals which fora
our persons AMI oI- hons and our mussu ms
have only been resurrectsl from forms that
were far from lustrous. Scientists for ages
have bsen examining these wonderful trans
form atoms But tell You in the gospel OF
the Son OF Col there is mora wonderful
Transformation. Over souls by reason OF sin
black as coal and hard as iron God by HIS
comforting grace stoops and says, "Iasy
shall be Mine in the day when make u2 Ny
j;wels"
"What." say You, twill God wear jewell
ryw II He wanted He could make the
stars OF heaven His belt an have the even
ing cloud for the sandals Of His feet, but he
does not want that adornment He will not
have that ievelry. When God wants jewel
ry He comes dowh AMI digs it out OF the
depths AMI darkness of sin. These souls are
al crystallizations of mercy. He puts them
on, an1 He wears them in the presence OF the
holy universe He wears them on the hand
that was naie1, over the heart that was
pierced, on the temples that were stuny.
"They shall be Mine" saith the Lord, ''in
the day when make up Ny jewels" Won
derful Transformation THE crystal cannot
equal it," There she is, a waif of the
street, but she shall be a sister Of charity.
There he is, sot in the ditch, but he shall
preach the gospel. There, behind the bars
OF prison. but he shall reign with Christ
forever When sin abounded grace shall
much more abound. The carbon becomes
the solitaire. The crystal cannot equal II"
Now, I have no liking for those people
who are always charging in Christian meet
ings about their early dissipation. Do
not go into the particulars, my brothers.
Simply say you were sick, but make
no display of your Ulcers. The CHIEF
stock in trade Of some ministers and Chris
tl1U NOIhtIS htbula W D5 iUcll NiAhA-o
and designations The number of pockets you
picked and the number of chickens you stole
make very poor prayer meeting rhetoric.
Besides that, it dscourages other Christian
people who never got drunk or stole anything.
But it is pleasant TO know that those VINO
were farthest down have been brought high
est up. Out of internal serfdom into eternal
liberty. Out of darkness into light From
coal to the solitaire The crystal cannot
equal it,
But, my friends. the chief transforming
power of the gospel will not be seen in this
wor d, and not until heaven breaks upon the
soul When that light falls upon the soul
then YOU will see the crystals. Oh, what
magnificent setting FOR these jewels OF etern-
ity, I sometimes hear people representing
heaven in way that is far from attractive
TO me. II seems almost a vulgar heaven as
they represent it, with great blotches OF
color and banis of music makinga deatenlng
racket John represents heaven as exquisite.
" beautiful Three crystals. In one place
he SAYS. Her light was like precious stone,
clear as crystal" In another place he says,
Il saw a pure river from under the throne,
Gear as crystal
In another place he says, Before the
throne there was a sea of glass clear as crys-
tai -" Three crystals John says crystal at
DlOSDutIts ludl nlcduo htolNA DNih VI
eternal June. What weather after the
worlds cas-. wind No rack of storm clouds
One breath OF that air will cure the worst
tubercle Crystal light on all the leaves.
Crystal light shimmerng on the topaz OF the
temples Crystal light tossing in the plumes
of the equestrians Of heaven on white horses
But 1.-THE crystal cannot equal it. John
saws crystal river. That means joy. Deep
and ever rolling. Not one drop of the
Thames or the Hudson or the Rhine to soil
it. Not one tear of human sorrow to lmbit'
ter it, Crystal, the rain out OF which 1t was
ma lie. CRYSTAL, the bed over which it shall roll
and ripple Crystal, its infinite surface. But
1.-The crystal cannot equal it John says
crystal sea. That means Unanimously
vast. Vast in rapture. Rapture vast as the
sea, deep as the sea, strong as the sea ever
changing as the sea. Biliows Of light. Bill
lows of beauty blue with skies that were
never clouded AMI green with depths that
were never fathomed Arctics and Autarc-
tics and Mediterraneans aud Atlantlcs ami
Pacifcs in crystalline rnagnihcence. Three
crystals-crystal light falling on crystal
river; crystal river rolling into crystal
sea. But the crystal cannot equal 1t.
oh says some one, putting his hant
over his eyes, 'can it be that ! who have
been in so much sin and trouble will ever
come to those crystals? Yes, 1t may be
it will be. Heaven we must have, whatever
else we have or have not, and we come here
to get it, How much must | pay for it."
you say. You will pay for it just as much
as the coal pays to become the diamond.
In other words, nothing. The same Almighty
power that makes the crystals in the mount
aims 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"
"Oh." says soma one, st is just tho doc
trine want Col is to do everything, and
am to do nothing" My brother, it is not
the doctrine You want. Th3 coal makes no
rssistlncs II hears the resurrection voice
/ l thu m )1ntain, an it CO n IS from crystal
lizttio1, but you- heart resists. The trouble
with yol, my brother, is tls coal wants II
stay coll. I do not want you to throw
open the DOR AMI le, Christ in | only ask
that YOU stop boiling it AMI barring it. Oh,
my friends. we will have 70 get rit of our
sins. What will we d. with our sins among
tn three crystals: III, crystal atmosphere
would display our pollution. The crystal
rive would be bsfou'el by our touch. The
crystal sci woull waelm us with its glsten-
in su,ge Transformation now or no trans
formation at all.
Give sin full chance in your heart an1
lb TRANSPORTATION VIII Ds uDNDMdTl III
stead of upward. Instead o, a crystal it
will BE- a cinder In the days of Carthage
Christian glrl was condemned to die for her
faith, AMI bat was belaubsi with tar AMI
pitch and filei with con5ustiblss and set on
fire, aud tn Christian girl was PLACID in the
boat. and the wind was OF shore an the
b,ath away with its precious treasure
No one can doubt that boat landed at the
shore o. heaven.
Sin wants 70 PIT you in a fery boat and
shove yoI off IN an opposite direction-of
from peace, of from God, of from heaven,
everlastingly off; and the port toward which
you would sail would be a port Of darkness,
aud the guns that would greet you would be
tn guns of despair, and the flags that would
wave at your arrival would be the black flags
Of death. 0, my brother, you must either
kill sin or sin will kill YOU. 1t is no wild
exaygeratiol when | say that any man or
woman that wants to be saved may be saved.
Trenen ious choicel A thousand people ara
choosing this moment between salvation and
destruction. between light and darkness, be-
tween heaven aud hell, between charred ruin
an1 glorious capitalization.
1t is considered that the ovary OF tic