The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-04-30
pie who never got drunk or stole any,
thing. But it is pleasant to know that

thing. But it is pleasant to know that
those who were farthest down have been
brought highest up. Out OF internal
serldom into eternal. liberty. Out of
darkness into light. From coal to the
solitaire. THE crystal cannot equal il -
But. my friends, the chief transfor M
ing power of the Gospel will not be se en-
IN this world and not until heaven
breaks upon the soul. When that iioht
falls upon the soul then you will see fbe
crystals. Oh, what magnificent SETTING
Tor these jewels Of eternity! l Some.
tlmes hear people representing Heaven
IN way that is far from attractive TO
me. 1t seems almost vulgar Heaven
as they represent it with great blotch-
es OF color and bands of music makino n
deatening racket.
John represents Heaven as exouis,tc.
ly beautiful. Three CRYSTALS. In one
place he says: "IIer Ii ight was like a
precious stone, clear as crystal" In
another place he says: II saw a purc
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
tubcrcle. Crystal light on all the leaves
CRYSTAL light shlmmcring on the topaz
OF the temples. Crystal light tossing
In the plumes of the equestrians Of hcav.
en- on white horses. But 'the crystal
cannot equal lt.' John says 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 embit-
ter it. Crystal, the rain out of which
II was made. Crystal. the bed over
winch 1t shall roll and ripple. Crystal,
It's INFINITE surface. But 1.-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 changing as the sea. Billows of
light. Blllows of beauty, blue with
skies that were never clOudcd and green
with depths that were never fathomcd.
ArctlCs and Antarctics and Mcditerra-
means and Atlantlcs and Pacitcs in
crystalline magniliCcncc. Three crys-
tails, CRYSTAL light falling on Il clystal
river. Crystal river rolling into n crys-
tai sea. Bat ''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, 1t may
bet will be. Heaven we must have.
Whatever else we have or have not; and
we come here TO get it. "IIcw much
must pay for it?" you say. You will
pay for it.iust as the coal pays to become
the diamond. 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 | will give you heart
OF flesh"
"Oh" says some one, cit is Just the
doctrine l want; God ls to do everything
and l am to do nothing" My brother,
it is not the doctrine you want. The coal
makes resistance. Ithcars the resurrcc-
ton voice in the mountain and it comes
to capitalization, but your heart rcsists.
The trouble with you, 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 boiling and
barring it. Oh, my friends, we will have
to get rid Of our sin. l 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 crystals? The
crystal atmosphere would display our
pollution. The crystal river would be
bcfpulcd with our touch. The crystal
sea would whelm us with its glstcning
surge. Transformation now or no trans
formation at all. Give sin full chance
IN your heart and the transformation will
be downward instead Of upward. In
stead Ola crystal it will be a cinder. In
the days Of Carthage a Christian girl was
condemned to die for her faith, and q boat
was bcdaubed with tar and pitch and
1llled with com mbustibles and set on fire
and the Christian girl was placed in the
boat, and the wind was Off shore and the
boat hoated away with its precious treas
urc. NO one can doubt that boat landed
at the shore of Heaven. Sin wants to
put you IN fiery boat and shove you oq
IN an opposite direction-Ott from peace.
OIL from God, Off from heaven, cverlast-
lngly Oil; and the port toward which YOU
would sail would be port OF darkness,
and the guns that would greet you would
DC the guns Of despair, and the flags
mat would wave at your arrival would
be the black flags of death. Oh, my
brother, you must either kill sin or sin
Will Kill you. 1t is no wild cXaggeratiOn
when l say that any man or woman that
wants to be saved may be saved Trc-
mendous choice! A thousand people
are choosing this moment between SAL
vatlon and destruction, between liyht
and darkness, between heaven and he'll.
between charred ruin and glorious crys-
tallizatlon.
Much Ado About Nothing.
lAURENs, April 15--Senator Irby's
irritation at the invitation extended by
Prof Evans to Col Haskell to make Il
literary address before his school in June
has not been previously mentioned in
this correspondence because 1t was
thought that subject might iniure
i'aurens's chances Tor getting the girls
industrial school.
In conversation this morning Col
lrby stated to me that his sympathics