The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-23

postpone TO the future world for eXplana-
ton, tell you that il is the whole tendency
of Your religion to unravel and explain and
interpret and illunline and irraGiate. JOB
was right. 1t is glorious Transparency
THE CRYSTAL CANNOT EQUAL II"
remark again that religion surpasses the
crystal in its beauty. That lump OF crystal
is put under the magnifying glass OF the
crystallographer and he sees IN II indescr1o-
able beauty-Snowdrift and SpllnterS OF
hoar-frost and corals and wreaths and
stars and crowns and Oscillations OF con-
spicuous beauty. The fact is that crystal IS
so beautiful that can think of but one
thing il all the universe that is so beautiful,
and that IS the religion Of the Bible. no
wonder this Bible represents thae religion
as the daybreak. as the apple blossoms, as
the glitter OF kings banquet. II Is the
JOY OF the whole earth.
People talk too much about their cross
and not enough about their crown. Do you
know the Bible mentions cross but
twenty-seven times, while it mentions
crown eighty times2 Ask that old man
what he thinks OF religion. He has been
close observer. He has been culturing an
aesthetic taste. He has seen the sunrlSes
Of half century. He has been an early
riser. He 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 you. 1t is the most beautiful
thing | ever saw
THE CRYSTAL CANNOT EQUAL IT.
Beautiful in its symmetry. When 1t
presents Gods character IL does not pre-
seat Him as having love like great pro
tuberance on one side of b S nature, but
makes that love in harmony with His
iustice-a love that will accept all those
who come to Him, and a justice that will
| by no means clear the guilty. Beautiful
| religion in the sentiment it implantS
FIJI in, no i
| Beautiful religion in the fact that it pro-
| poses 10 garland and enthroue and empara-
| disc an immortal spirit Solomon says 1t
| is a lily Paul says 1t is crown. Inc
Apocalypse says 1t IS q fountain kissed by
| the sun. Ezekiel says Ii IS folaged &C.
| dar. Christ says II is bridegroom come
| to fetch home u bride. While JOB In the
| text takes up a whole vase of precious
stones-the topaz and the sapphire and the
chrysopraSuS-and he takes out OF this
beautiful vase just one crystal and holds
it up until it CLEANS in the warm light OF
the eastern sky, and he exclaims, The crys-
tai cannot equal II.
Oh. it IS not stale religion, it is not
stupid religion, it is not 4 toe bless bag as
| some seem to have represented it: II IS not
a Meg Mcrriies with Shriveled arm come
to scare the world. 1t is the fairest daugh-
| ter of God, heiress of all his wealth. Her
cheek the morning sky: her voice the music
OF the south Wlnuj nef step Tue udnCt VI
the sea.
COME AND WOO HER.
The Spirit and the Bride say come, and
whatsoever viii. let him come Do you agree
with Solomon and say it IS lily Then
pluck it and wear it over your heart. DO
YOU agree with Paul and say it is crown!
Then let this hour be your coronation. DO
YOU agree with the Apocalypse and say 1t is
Il springing fountain! Then come and Stake
the thirst Of your soul. Do you believe
with Ezekiel and say it is Il foliaged cedar!
Then come under its shadow. DO you be-
lieve with Christ and say it is a bridegroom
come TO fetch home a bride! Then strike
hands with your Lord the king while l
pronounce you everlastingly one. Or if you
think with Job that it is I jewel, then put
it on your hand Ike ring, on your neck
like bead. on your forehead like a star,
while looking into the mirror of Gods
Word YOU acknowledge the crystal cannot
equal it."
Again. religion is superior TO the crystal
in its transformations. The diamond is
only Il crystaiizatiou of coal. Carbonate of
lime rises till it becomes calcite or aragon-
ite Red oxide of copper crystalizes into
cubes and octachedronS. Those crystals
which adOrn our persons and our homes and
our museums have only been reSurrected
from forms that We're far from luSJrouS.
Scientists for ages have been examining
these
WONDERFUL TRANSFORMATIONS.
But | tell YOU in the gospel of the Son of
God there is a more wonderful TRANSFORMED
ton. Over souls by reason OF sin black as
coal and hard as iron, God by his comfort
ing grace stoops and says: They shall be
mine i'll the day when l make up my
Jewels"
What" say you, will God wear Jew
elry2'' II He wanted to 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 adjournment. He viii
not have that jewelry. When God wants
jewelry He comes down and digs it out of
the depths and darkness of sin. These
souls are all CryStaiiZatiCns of mercy. He
puts them on and He wears them in the
presence of the whole universe. He wears
them on the hand that was nailed, over the
heart that was pierced, on the temples that
We're stung. They shall be mine." saith
the Lord, lin the DAY when l make up my
Jewels Wonderful transformation! The
crystal cannot equal it." There she is,
waif of the street. but she shall be sister
of charity. There he is, a SOt in the ditch,
but he shall preach the gospel. There, be-
hind the bars of prison, but he shall reign
with Christ forever. Where sin abounded
grace shall much mere abound. The car
bon becomes the solitaire. THE crystal
cannot equal it
Now, have no liking for those people
who are always enlarging in Christian
meetings about their early dissipation. Do
not go into the particulars, my brothers.
Simply say you We're sick, but make no dis
play of your ulcers. The chief stock in
trade of some ministers and Christian
workers seems to be their
EARLY CRIMES AND DIsSIPATIONS.
The number of pockets you picked and the
number of chickens you stole make very
poor PRAYER meeting rhetoric. Besides
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 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 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 setting for these
jewels of eternity! l sometimes hear
people representing heaven in a way that
is far from attractive to me. 1t seems
almost vulgar heaven as they represent
it with great blo.ches of color and bands
of music making a deafening racket.
John represents heaven as eXquisitely
beautiful. Three crystals. In one place
he says, Her light was like precious
stone clear as crystal" 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 a sea of glass, clear as