Sharp County record., 1891-05-07

elrY. Nnen UOQ WdnlS JCNOiJ ~
comes down and digs it out OF the d depths
and darkness of sin. These souls are
all crvstallizations of mercy. lie puts
them on and He wears them in the
presence of the whole universe. lie
wears them on the hand that was nailed
over the heart that was pierced, on
the temples that were stung. "They
shall be mine," said the Lord, lin the
day when l make up my jewels" :" Won
derful transformation! "The crystal
can not 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 prison, but he shall
reign with Christ forever. Where sin
abounded grace shall much more
abound The carbon becomes the soil.
taire. "The crystal can not equal it."
Now, have no liking for those peo.
pie who are always enlarging in Chris
tian 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-meeting
rhetoric. Besides that, it discourages
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 high
est up. Out of internal serfdom into
eternal liberty. Out of darkness into
light. From coal to the solitaire. "The
crystal can not equal it.
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
crystal. Oh, what a magnificent setting
for these jewels of eternity! l some
times hear people representing Heaven
in way that is far from attractive to
me. 1t seems almost vulgar Heaven as
they represent it with great blotches Of
color and bands of music making a deaf
ening racket. John represents Heaven
as exquisitely beautiful. Three crys-
tails In one place he says: Her light
was like precious stone, clear as crys
tai" In another place he says: Il
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 atmos-
phcre. 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. Crystal 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 crys-
tai cannot equal it. 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 embi;-
ter it. Crystal, the rain out of which it
was made. Crystal, the bed over which
it shall roll and ripple. Crystal, its infn-
ite surface. But ''the crystal can not
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. Arc
tics and Antarctics and Mediterraneans
and Atlantics and Pacifcs in crystalline
Three crystals. Crystal
light falling on crystal river. Crystal
river rolling into a crystal sea. But
"the crystal can not equal it,
"Oh," says some one, "it is just the
doctrine | want; God is to do every
thing and 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. | 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 crystals? The
crystal atmosphere would display our
pollution. The crystal river would be
befouled with our touch. The crystal
sea would whelm us with its glistenng
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.
Instead Of crystal II will be
u cinder. In the days Of Car
thage a Christian girl was condemned
to die for her faith, and q boat was be-
daubed with tar and pitch and filed
with combustibles and set on fire and
the Christian girl was placed in the
boat, and the wind was off shore and
,bo hont nontod nvnv with ita nroo;oua