Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-04-23

| world exact. Never counting wrong,
though he counts the grass blades and tho
stars and the sands aud tho cycles. His
providences never dealing with lis perpcE-
dtcularly when those proyidenccs ought TO
be obliquc, nor literal when they ought to
be vertical. Everything In our life ar
ranged without any possibility Of mistake.
Each life siX-sidcd PRISM. Born ut the
right time; dying at the right time. There
are no "happen-so's" in our theology. II |
thought this was q slipshod universe l
| would 30 crazy. God Il not sn anarchist.
Law, order, symmetry. precision, q
perfect square, perfect rectanglc,
perfect rhombod, n perfect circle. The
| edge OF Gods robe Of government never
| trays cut. There are no loose screws in the
worlds machinery. 1t did not just happen
| that Napoleon was attacked with indlges-
ton at liorodno so that he became incom-
pctent for the day. II did not Just happen
| that John Thomas tn missionary, OH a
| h athen island, waiting for an outfit and or
| dcrs for another missionary tour, received
| that outfit and those orders in box that
| tlOateI ashore. while the ship aud the crew
| that carried the box We're never heard of.
| The barking OF +. w. Roberison's dog, he
| tells us, led to a line OF events which brought
| him from the army into the Christian MIN
| isry, where he served God with worli-re-
nowned usefulness. 1t did not merely hap
pen so. | believe in a pariCuiar providence
| believe Gods geometry may be seen IN all
our life more beautifully than in crystal
| Biography. Job was right. The crystal
| cannot equal it,
| Again | remark that religion Is superior
| TO the crystal in transparency. We know
not when or by whom glass was first dis
covered. Beads Of it have been found IN
tue tomb OF Alexander Seycrus. Vases Of
1t are brought up from the ruins OF Hercu-
| lRncum. There were female adornments
ma lie n nd
mcnts found now attached TO the mummies
! of Egypt A great many commentators be-
| iieye that my text means glass. W hat
| would We do without the crystal? Tho
| cIyS tal in the window to keep out the storm
| and let in the day-the crystal in the watch,
| defending its delicate machinery yet allow
| ing US TO see the hour - tho crystal OF the
| telescope by which the astronomer brings
| distant worlds so near he can inspect them.
| Oh, the triumphs of the crystals in the ccle-
| brarcl windows of Rouen and Salisbury !
But there is nothing so transparent la n
crystal as in our holy religion. When the
| evC-salvc cures Our blindness then we find
| that religion is transparent.
| People talk too much about their cross
and not enough about their crown. DO you
| know the Bible mentions cross but
| twenty-sevcn times while it mentions a
crown eighty times? Ask that old man
| what he thinks Of religion. lie has been q
|
| aesthetic taste. He has seen the sunri-ps OF
a half century. lie has been an early riser.
| lie has been an admirer OF canoes and
| corals and all kinds Of beautiful things.
| Ask him what he thinks of religion and he
will tell yOr, at is the most beautiful thing
/ ever saw" THE crystal cannot equal
| it,
Beautiful in its symmetry. When 1t
presents Gods character it docs not pre-
| sent Him Us having love like great pro-
| tuberance on one side of his nature,
| but makes that love in harmony
with his justice-a love that will accept all
those who come to him, and n Justice that
| Will by no means clear the guilty. Beauti-
| ful religion in the sentiment 1t implauts !!
Beautiful religion in the hope 1t kindlcs |!
Beautiful religion in the fact that II pro-
| poses to garland aud cnthrOne and empara-
disc IN immortal spirit. SOloman Says It is
lily. Paul says 1t IS n crown. The Apoca-
lypse says it is a fountain kissed OF the sun.
| Ezekiel says it is u fOlagcd cedar. Christ
| saws it Is n bridegroom come to fetch bone
bride. While job in the text takes up a
whole vase OF precious stones-the topaz
and the sapphire and the clrysoprasus- 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
exclalms: "'rhe crystal cannot equal it."
Again religion il superior TO the crystal
only specialization Of coal. Carbonate
Of lime rises till 1t becomes calcite or ara
gonite. Red oxide OF copper crystalhzes
into cubes and octachedrons. Those crys.
tails which adorn our persons and our
homes and our museums have only been
resuri ected from forms that were far from
lustrous. Scientists for ages have been cx.
aiming these wonderful transformations.
But tell you in the Gospel of the Son OF
God there is 4 more wonderful transforma.
ton. Over souls by reason OF sin black us
coal and hard as iron, God, by his comfort
ing grace stoops and says: They shall be
mine in the day when / make up my
Jewels"
what" say you, "will God wear lew.
elry?' II he wanted it, he could make the
stars of heaven his belt and have the even.
ing cloud for the sandals OF his feet; but
he does not want that adornmcnt. He will
not have that jewelry. When God want,
lewelry he comes down and d. IS 1t out Of
the depths and darkness Of sin. These
souls arc all ciystalnZ ttions OF mercy. lie
puts them on and wears them in the pres
snce OF the whole universe. He wear:
them on the hand that was nailed
over the heart that was pierced, on
the temples that were stung. "They shall
be mine" saith the Lord, Gin the day when
| make up my jewels" Wonderful trars
formation! The crystal cannot equal IT,
rncrc she is, a waif Of the street; but she
shall be q sister OF charity. There he is,
'ot in the ditch; but he shall preach tho
Gospel. There, behind the bars Of prison
out lie shall reign with Christ forever
Where SIN abounded grace shall much NOR,
, hound. The carbon becomes the solitaire
The crystal cannot equal IT,"
But, my friends, tho chief Transforming
svcr of The Gospel will not be seen III thi
Ssrid and not until heaven breaks upon tn
Ioul. When that light falls upon tl
Ioul then YOU will sec the crystals. Oh
q what magnificent setting for these jewel
!. u eternity sometimes hear people rep
J: 'eseniing Heaven in way that IL far iron
!. attractive to me. 1t seems almost yuiga
\ heaven as they represent II with grea
t )lotches OF color AMI bands Of mu
!, iic making deafenng racket. John rep
'escuts Heaven as eXquisitely beautiful
: Three crystals. In one place he says
Her light was like precious stone, clea
crystal" In another place hc says
i saw pure RIVER from under the throne
clear as crystal" In another place b
. iays: before the throne there was u Sc
II glass clear ~ crystal" Three crystals
health. Balm of eternal June. Wha
weather after the worlds ea'
. wind! No rack Of storm clouds. On
J. breath OF that air viii cure I'll
worst tu5ercle. Crystal light on all th
leaves. Crystal light shimmering on Ii
.opaz oil the temples. Crystal light tossln
~ The piumGs OF tho equestrians Of heaye
on white horses. But 1.-THE crystal cannt
. equal It," John says crystal river. Thi
means Joy. Deep and ever rolling. NJ
; one drop OF the Thames or the Hudson
= the Kline TO soil it. Not one tear OF huma
sorrow to embItter il. Crystal, the rain oil
: of which & was made. Crystal, the he
: over which II shall roll and ripple. Crysta
4 us inlinite ,uriace. But 1.-The crystal cal
! not equal T." Johu says crystal sea. III,
e"A"' gsnlliindinGpsly vast. Vast IN rs
sea, strong - ~ - ever char cling ~ Il