The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-04-30

cannot equal It," There she Is, 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 a prison, but
he shall reign with Christ forever.
Where sin abounded grace shall much
more abound. The carbon becomes
the solitaire, ''The crystal cannot
equal it,"
Now, l have no liking for those peo-
pie who are always enlarging in Chris
tan meetings about their early dissipa-
ton. 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 Christian workers
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 meet
ing rhetoric. Besides that, it dis
courages 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 serfdon
into eternal liberty. Out of 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
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 magnificent set
ting for these jewels of eternity! l
sometimes hear people representing
heaven in way that is far from at
tractive to me- 1t seems almost vul
gar heaven as they represent it, with
great blotches of color and bands of
music making 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, 81 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 the 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 soilit. 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 multitudinously 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 Pacifcs in
crystalline magnifccnce. Three crys-
tails. Crystal light falling on crystal
river. Crystal river rolling into 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 crystals"
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 l 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, II will take away
your stony heart and l will give you a
heart of flesh"
STOP BATTING THE DOOR.
''Oh," says some one, lit is just the
doctrine / want; God is to do every
thing and l am to do nothing" My
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 crystallization; but your
heart resists. The trouble with you,
my brother, is the coal wants to stay
coal. l do not ask you to throw open
the door and let Christ in. only ask
that you stop boiling it and barring 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 crystals9 The crystal atmos-
phere would display our pollution. The
crystal river would be befouled with
our touch. The crystal sea would
whelm us with its glistening surge.
Transformation now or no transforms
ton at ALL Give sin full chance in your
heart, and the transformation will be
downward instead of upward Instead
of crystal it will be a cinder In the
days of Carthage a Christian girl was
condemned to die for her faith, and a
boat was bedaubed with tar and pitch
and filled with combustibles and set on
fire, and the Christian girl was placed in
the boat, and the wind was off shore and
the boat floated away with its precious
treasure. No one can doubt that boat
landed at the shore of heaven.
Sin wants to put you in fiery boat
and shove you off in an opposite direc-
tion-off from peace, off from God, oil
from heaven, everlastingly off; and the
port toward which you would sail
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