Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-01
PRECIOUS STONES.
Beautiful Gems Bespeak Na,ion's
Destiny
and Garnish the Walls OF the Imperial
transcription Wore n Blue stone
OF Austerlitx-The Green Estzb-
lished the Name OF Erin's
Isle-Ialmage Sermon.

DIR. Talmage returned from his south
ern tour of preaching and lecturing FOR
ten days in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Georgia and South Carolina, and
resumed his course of sermons in Brook
lyn on God Everywhere" Having
preached on THE Astronomy of the
Bible, or God Among the Stars" 1.-The
Chronology of the Bible, or God Among
the Centuries" The Ornitholoyy OF the
Bible, or God Among the Birds" he Sun
day spoke on THE Precious Stones OF
the Bible. or God Among the Anne
shyKtS" Subject, Tho Wall of Heaven" "
1cxt-Rcvelations xxi. 10: THE foun-
dations of the wall of the city were
garIishcd with nll manner of precious
stoves"
:Aan be frank and tell YOU wha;
are my designs on you to-day? They
are to make you homcsiclS for Heaven;
10 console you concerning your depart
ed Christian friends by giving you some
idea of the Lcilliancy OF the scenes in
which they now comminglc; 10 give all
who love the Lord more elevated idea
as 70 where they are going to pass the
most of the years of thoir existence.
and to set all the indifferent and neg
lectful 20 quick and immediate propara-
ton, that they have il likewise Yea,
1t is 10 induce many of our young peo-
pie to study a volume OF God that few
ever open. but without some acquaint-
ancc with which IL is impossible TO un-
ierstand the Bible-I mean the precious
stones; their disqualification, their pow
~ Of rnF~.aefa,, IL ~
fracture, their luster, their phosphorcs-
cence, their transparency, their infiui-
~ of color and shape, and what they
had TO do with the welfare and doom OF
families and the destiny of nations; aye.
the positive revelation they make of
Sod himself
My text stands us in the presence OF
the most stupendous splcndor OF the
universe, and that is the will of Heaven,
and says of its foundations that they
arc garnished with all manner Of pre-
,ious stones. All the ancient cities had
walls for safety, and Heaven has n wall
Tor everlasting safety. You may say
that wall made mp of ell manner of
precious stones is tgurative, but you
,an not understand the force and signif-
icance of the figure unless you know
something about the real structure and
color and value OF the precious stones
mentioned. Now, propose this morn
ing, so far as the Lord may help me, TO
attempt to climb-not the wall OF Heav-
sn-but the foundations of the wall,
and l ask yon 20 join me in the attempt
TO scale some of the heights. We shall
only get part of the way up, but better
that than stay down on the stupid level
where the most of us have all our lives
been standing. We begin clear down
at the bottom and where the wall be-
gins
The first layer of the foundation.
reaching all around the city and for fif-
teen hundred miles, 10 n layer of jasper.
Indeed, there is more of jasper in the
wall of Heaven than of any other bril-
liant because it not only composcs a
part of the foundation, but makes up
the chief part of the superstructure.
The jasp is combination of many
colors. Is brown; it is yellow; il is
green; IL is vermilion; il is red; IL Is
purple; IL is black; and so is striped
with colors that much OF IL is called
ribbon jasper II is found in Siberia
and Egypt but il is rare in most lands
and of great value, for it is so hard the
ordinary processes can not break il off
from the places where il has been de-
posted. The worlSmen bore holes into
the rock of jasper, then drive into these
holes sticks of dry birch wood, and then
the sticks and keep them sat-
uratcd until they swell enough to split
the rock. and the fragments are brought
out and polished and transported and
cut into canoes and put behind tho
glass doors of museums
The portraits of Roman emperors
were cut into it The finest intnglio
ever seen is in tho Vatican museum
the head OF Minerva in jasper. BY
divine arrangement jasper adorned the
oreastplate of the high priest in the
ancient temple. But its most signifi-
cant position is where it CLOVIS, and
burns and darlIens, and brightcns. and
breaches from the lowest strata OF the
wall of Heaven. Glad am that tho
very first row OF stones in the wall Of
Heaven is jasper Of many colors, and IL
You like purple it is purple, and IL you
like brown it IS brown. and II you like
green II is green. and il you like ochre
yellow It is ochre yellow, and IL YOU
like black II is black. IL suggest TO me
that Heaven is place Of all colors-
colors Of opinion, colors OF creed. colors
OF skin. colors OF taste
But we must pass up in this inspection
OF the foundations OF the great wall Of
Heaven, and after leaving the Jasper.
the next precious stone reached is sap
phirc, and II sweeps around the city
fifteen hundred miles All lapidaries
agree IN saying that the sapphire OF the
Bible is what we now call lapis lazuli
job speaks with emotion OF The Place
OF Sapphircs, and God thought so much
OF this precious stone that he put Il in
the brcastplatc OF the high priest COM
The second row shall be an
emerald. a sapphire and a diamond. q"
The sapphire is blue. but varies from
the faintest hue 90 the deepest ultra
marine. 10 is found a pebble in the
rivers OF Ccylon. 10 Is elsewhere in
compact masses Persia and Thibet
and Hurmuh and New South Wales and
North Carolina yield exquisite sueci-
mems. It's blue eye IS seen in the valley
OF The Rhine
After n burial Of thousands Of years
30 bias been brought 60 sight en- Egyptian
monuuctns and Assyrian cylinders At
Moscow and ST. Petersburg and Con-
stantinop.c 7 have seen great masses Of
the sapphire commonly called lapis
lazuh Tho closer you study its veins
tho more enchanting. and ! do not
econ. nr at..t H... ........e.t..