The Iola register., 1891-04-24
Christianity Incompatible.

DhOOhLfN. N l., april 2U.-Dr
Talmage preached yesterday on the pur
ity of the christian religion. His tex
was: THE crystal can not equal it.
Job, xviii, 7.
Many OF the precious stones of tn,
bible have come to prompt recognition
But for the present l take up the les
valuable crystal. job in my text, com
pares saving wisdom with a specimar
OF topaz. An irfidel chemist or miner
alogist would pronounce the latter wortt
more than the former, but Job makes al
intelligent comparison, looks at relig
ion and then looks at the crystal anG
pronounces the former as of far superio,
value to the latter, exclalming in the
words OF my text. 'the crystal can not
equal it."
Now, it is not part of my sermonic
design to depreciate the crystal, wheth-
er 1t be found in Cornish mine or Hartz
mountain or Mammoth cave. or tinkling
among the pendants of the chandeliers
OF palace. The crystal is the star of
the mountain: it Is the queen of the
cave; the eardrop of the hills: it finds
its heaven in the diamond. Among all
the pages of natural history there is no
page more interesting to me than the
page crystallographic. But | want to
show you that Job was right when talk
ing religion in one hand and the crystal
In the other, he declared that the for
mer is Of far more value and beauty
than the latter, recommending it to all
the people and to all the ages. declar-
ing: Crystal cannot equal it." In the
first place / remark that religion is su
perior to the crystal in exactness. That
shapeless mass of chrystal against
which you accidentally dashed YOUR foot
is laid out with more exactness than
any earthly city. There are six STYLES
OF crystallizatiOn and all of them di-
vinely ordained
Religion is superior to the crystal in
transparency. We know not when or
by whom glass was first discovered.
Beads OF it have been found in the tomb
OF Alexander Severus. Vases of it are
brought up from TIE ruins OF Hercula
neum. There were female adornmeuts
made out OF it 1900 years ago-those
adornments found now attached to the
mummles OF Egypt. a great many
commentators believe that nv text
means glass. What would we do with
out the crystal? The crystal in the vim
dow to keep out the storm and let in the
day-the crystal over the watch defend
ing Its delicate machinery. vet allow
ing US TO see the lQur-the crystal Of
the telescope BY which the asiSonomer
brings distant worlds so near he can in
spect them. o, the triumphs of the
crystals II the celebrated windows of
Fouen and Salisbury! But there is
nothing so transparent in a crystal as in
our holy religion. 1t is a TRANSPARENT !
religion. You put it to your eye and |
you see man-his sin, his soul. his des- |
tiny. You look at G9d and you see |
something OF the grandeur OF His char i
acter. 1t is transparent religion. In
tidels tell us it is Opaque. Doyou know
why they tell us it is opaque? Il is be-
cause they are blind. The natural man
recelveth not the things of God because |
they are spiritually discerned. There |
IS no trouble with the crystal: the trou- |
bic is with the eyes which try to look |
through it. Wepray for vision. Lord |
that our eyes might be opened. When |
the eye saIve cures our blindness then
We find that religion is transparent.
1t Is a transparent bible. All the |
mountains OF the bible come out: Sinai
the mountain of the law: Pispah. the
mountain OF prospect; Olivet. the noun
tam OF instruction: Calvary. the noun
tain OF sacrifice. All the rivers of the
bible come out: Hidekel. or the river
OF paradisaical beauty; Jordon. or the
river OF holy chrism: Cherith. or the
river OF prophetic supply: Nile. or the
river OF palaces. and the pure river. of
life from under the throne. clear as a
crystal. While reading this bible after
our eyes have been touched bv grace.
We lind II alf transparent, and the earth
rocks, now with crucifxiOn agony and |,
now with judgement terror. and Christ
appears In some of His 2.J6 titles. As far
as l can count them-tEe bread, the
rock, the captain, the commander. the
the star, and on and beyond
any caplcty of mine to rehearse them.
Transparent religion.
The providence that seemed dark he
.ore becomes peilucid. Now YOU find
sod Is not trying TO put you Goxn. Now
you understand why you lost that child
and why you lost your property: it was
10 prepare you for eternal treasures.
And why sickness came. it being the
precursor OF immortal juvenescence.
And now you understand why they lied {
about you and tried TO drive you hither
and thlther. 1t was to put you in the
glorious company of such men as ICna- {
,ius, who, when he went out to be de- !
'troyed by the lions, said: Il am the /
wheat, and the teeth of the wild beasts l
must grind me before l can become 7
Dure bread for Jesus Christ" or the c
company of such men as Polycarp. who I
When standing in the midst of the am I
'hltheater waiting for the lions tocome
,ut OF their cave and destroy him, and r
he people in the galleries jeering and n
houting The lions for Polycarp:r re- Y
lied: Let them come on" and then a
topping down toward the cave where p
he wild beasts were roaring to get out, c
Let them come on" All. yes. il is t
10 put you in glorious COM u
any: and while there are many things Il
hat you will have to postpone to the q
lture world for explanation, tell Won a
hat 1t Is the whole tendency OF YOUR "
eligiOn to unravel and explain and in o
arpret and illuminate and irradiate.
OBJ was right. 1t is glorious trans 6
arency' The crystal can not equal a.
Beautiful in its symmetry. When il 81
resents Gods character it does not p
resent Him as having love like a great 81
on one side of His nature. p,
Ut makes that love in harmony with Il
Lis justice-a love that will accent b
u those who come to Him, and a nus III
ce that will bv no means clear the 81
Utility. Beautiful religion in the senti- g
Ient il implants. Beautiful religion in al
le hope it kindles! Beautiful religion sa
/ the fact that it proposes to garland Il
nd enthrone and emparsdise an immor- II