The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-04-30
day break, as the ple-blossoms, as
the glitter OF a kings banquet. 1t is

the glitter or a kings banquet. 1T 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 men
tons CROSS but 81 times while it
mentions crown so times? Ask that
old man what he thinks OF religion.
He has been a close observer. He
has been culturing an aesthetic TASTE
He has seen the sunrises of half cen
fury. He has been an early riser. He
has been an admirer of canoes and
carols and all kinds of beautiful things.
Ask him what he thinks of religion
and he will tell you, cit is the most
beautiful thing 1 ever saw" '"The
crystal cannot equal it,"
Beautiful in it's symmetry. When it
presents Gods character it does not
present him as having love like agreat
protuberance on one side Of his nature,
but makes that love in harmony with
his justlce-a love that will accept all
those that come to Him, and a JUS
tice that will by no means clear the
guilty. Beautiful religion in the senti-
ment it implants Beautiful religion
in the hope it kindles! Beautiful relig-
ion in the fact that it proposes to gar
land and enthrone and emparadise an
immortal spirit. Solomon says it is
a crown. The Apocalypse says it is q
fountain kissed by the sun. Ezekiel
says it is q foliaged cedar. Christ says
it is a bridegroom come to fetch home
a 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 crystal cannot equal
it,"
Oh, it is not a stale religion, it is
not stupid religion, it isnot a tooth
less bag as some seem to have
represented it.
Again, religion is superior to the
crystal in it's Transformation. The
diamond is only q crystallization Of
coal. Carbonate of lime rises till it
becomes calcite or aragonite. Red
oxide of copper crystallizes into cubes
and octachedrons. Those crystals
which adorn our persons and our
homes and our museums have only
been resurrected from forms that
were far. from lustrous. Scientists for
ages have been examining these
wonderful transformations. But I
tell you in the gospel of the Son Of
God there is
A MORE WONDERFUL. TRANSPORTATION.
Over souls by reason of sin black as
coal and hard as iron, God by his
comforting grace stoops and says:
They shall be mine in the day when I
make up my Jewels"
Now, I have no liking tor those
people who are always enlarging in
Christian meetings about their early
dissipation. Do not go into the par
ticulars, 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 designations. 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 meyer got drunk
or stole anything. But it is pleasant
to know that those who were furthest
down have been brought highest up.
Out OF Internal serfdom into eternal
liberty. Out Of darkness into light.
From coal to the solitaire. E'The
crystal cannot 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 crystals. Oh, what a magnif-
lcent setting for these jewels of eter-
nifty! [ sometimes hear people rep
resenting heaven in a way that is far
from attractive to me. 1t seems
almost vulgar heaven, as they rep
resent it with great blotches Of color
and bands OF music making q deafen-
ing racket. John represents heaven
as exquisitely beautiful. Three crys-
tails. In. one place he says: "Her
light was like a precious stone, clear
as crysta l." In another place he says:
"Before the throne there was a sea- of
glass clear as crystal" Three crys-
tails! 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 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 crystal 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 embitter
1T. Crystal, the rain out of which it
was made. Crystal, the bed over
which it shall roll and ripple. Crystal,
it's infinite surface. But ''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. Bill.
lows of light. Billows of beauty, blue
with skies that were never clouded and
green with depths that were never
fathomed. Arctics and Antarctics and