Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-05-01

seen the sunrises OF half q century. he has
been an early riser. He has been an adj
mirer Of canoes and corals and all kinds Of
things Ask him what he thinks OF
religion, and he will tell you. "It is the most
thing | ever saw THE crystal
cannot equal IT,
Beautiful in its symmetry When it pre-
sents Gods character II does not present Him
as having love like a great protuberance
on one side OF His nature, but makes that
love in harmony with His tustice-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 senti-
ment IL implants, Beautiful religion in the
hope it kindles Beautiful religion in tho
fact that 1t proposes to garland and enthrone
and imparadise an immortal spirit. Solomon
says IL is lily, Paul says it is a crown.
The Apocalypse says it is fountain kissed
OF the sun Ezekiel says IL is a foliaged
cedar Christ says il is bridegroom come
to fetch home bride. While job in the
text takes up a whole vase Of precious stones
the topaz and the sapphire, and the
chrysoprasug--an he takes ont of this beau
tiful vase Just one crystal and holds IL up
until IL CLEANS in the warm light OF the east
ern sky, and he exclaims, The crystal can
not equal it."
Oh, il is not stale religion. il is not a
stupid religion, it is not a toothless hag. as
some seem to have represented il; il is not a
Meg merrlleS with shrivelci arm come to
scare the world. II is the farest daughter
OF God, heiress OF all His wealth Her cheek
the morning sky; her voice the music of the
south wind; her step the dance OF the sea.
Come and WOO her. The Spirit and the bride
say come, and whosoever will let him come
Do you agree with Solomon and say 1t is a
lily. Then pluck it ard wear it over your
RI llN "a MI nd ig
a CROWN Then let this hour he your coro-
nation. Do you agree with the Apocalypse
and say 1t is n sprlnging fountaini Then
come and slack the thirst OF your soul. Do
you believe with Ezekiel and say it is a
foliagsd cedar! Then come under its shadow.
DO you believe with Christ and say it is a
bridegroom come to fetch home bride'
Then strike hands with your lord the King
while pronounce you everlastingly one Or
II you think with job that it is jewel, then
put it on your hand like a ring. on your neck
like a bead, on your forehead like star,
while looking into tha 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
n capitalization Of { al. Carbonate OF lime
rises till il becomes caIClte 1r aragonite Red
oxide OF copper crys.alhZcs into cubes and
octohedrons. Those crystals which adorn
our persons and our home, and our museums
have only been resurrccte1 from forms that
were far from uStrous Scientists for ages
have been examining these wonderful trans
formations. But tell You in the gospel OF
the Son OF God there is more wonderful
transform alton. Over souls by reason OF sin
black AS coal and hard as iron God by His
comforting graCs stOoDs and says, They
shall be Mine in the day when | make up Ny
Jewels"
What" say YOU, "will God wear Jewel.
~" II He wanted He could make the
stars Of heaven His belt and have the even
ing cloud for the sandals Of His feet but He
Hoes not want that adornmeut. He will not
have that jewelry When God wants jewel
~ He comes down AMI digs II out OF the
depths AM darkness Of sin. These souls are
all crystalliEations OF mercy. He puts them
On, aud He wears them IN the presence OF the
holy universe. He wears them on the hand
that was nailed, over the heart that was
pierced, on the temples that were stung.
They shall be Mine" saith the Lord, "in
he day when make up.My jewels Won
lerful transformation, The crystal cannot
equal It," There she is, walf 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 behind the bars
0f prison but he snail reign with Christ
forever When sin abouuded grace shall
much more abound The carbon becomes
the solitaire. "The crystal cannot equal II. y
Now, | have no liking for those people
who are always enlnrgns in Christian meet
lngs about their early dissipation. Do
not go into tho particulars, my brothers.
Simply say You were slcG, but make
no display OF your ulcers. The chief
stock in trade OF some ministers and Chris
ITthA
and dissipations. The number OF pockets you
picked and the number of chickens you stole
make very poor prayer meeting rhetoric.
Besides that, it dscJurages other Christian
people who never got drunk or stole any thing.
But II is pleasant to know that thoss who
were farthest down have been brought high
sSt up. Out OF Internal scridom into eternal
liberty. Out OF darkness into light. From
coal to the soitsre. Tho crystal cannot
squal it.'
But, my friends the chief Transforming
power of the gospel will not be seen In this
word, aud not until heaven breaks upon the
soul When that light fails upon the soul
then you will see the crystals. Oh, what
magnificent setting for these jewels of etern
Hyt | sometimes hear psopio representing
heaven in a way that is far from attractive
TO me. IL seems almost a vulgar heaven as
they represent it with great blotches OF
color aud bands Of music makiuya deafeninZ
racket. John represents heaven as exquisite
ly beautiful. Three crystals In one place
he says, "Her light was like a precious stone
clear as crystal" In another place he says,
II 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 crys-
tai - Three crystals! John says crystal at
mosphere. That means health Balm Of
eternal June What weather after the
worlds east windl No rack of storm clouds
One breath OF that air will cure the worst
tubercle. Crystal light on all the leaves,
Crystal light shinmering on the topaz OF the
temples. Crystal light tossing in the plumes
OF the uestrians 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 imbit.
ter it. Crystal the rain out of which IL was
made. Crystal the bed over which it shall roll
and ripple Crystal, its 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. Billows OF light. Bill
lows of beauty, blue with skiea that were
never ClOuueu anu green WIN ucptho tuu'
we're never fathomed. Arctics and Antarc.
tics and Mediterraneans and Atlantics and
Pacitics in crystalline magnihcence. Three
crystals-crystal light falling on a crysta
river; crystal river rolling into .crysta
sea. But "tho 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 aud trouble will evel
come to those crystalsF' Yes, 1t may be-
it will be. Heaven we must have, whatever
else we have or have not, and we come herr
to get 1t. "How much must l pay for itY
you say You will pay for it just as mucl
as the coal pays to become the diamond
In other words nothing. The same Almighty
power that makes the crystals in the mount
nins will change your heart which is harder
than stone for the promise is, II will taxi
away your stony heart and will give you
heart of 6esh."
"Oh," says some one 't is just the doc
trine want God is to do everything, ant
am to do nothing" Ny brother, it Is no
| the doctrine you want. The coal makes NJ