Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-02-28

mond has no flash, and a pearl no light, and
berry no aquamarine, and a ruby no ruddi.
ness. My gracious Lord! My glorious
Godl My precious Christ Roll over on US
4 few billows of that rapture. And now
ask you, as fair minded men and women,
accustomed to make comparisons, is not
such joy as that worth more than anything
one can have in a jeweled casket? Was NOT
Solomon right when he said, ''Wisdom Is bet
ter than rubies?'
There is also something in the deep car
mine OF the ruby that suggests the sacrifice
On which our whole system Of religion de-
pends. While the emerald suggests the
meadows, and the sapphire the skies. and
the opal the sea, the ruby suggests the blood
Of sacrifice. The most emphatic and start.
ing Of all colors has the ruby. Solomon, the
author OF my text, knew all about the sacri-
ice Of lamb and dove on the affairs of the
temple, and he knew the meaning Of sacri-
iciai blood, and what other precious stone
could he so well use to symbolic It as the
ruby? Red, intensely red, red as the blood
| he centuries Drive the story Of the cruel.
ixion out OF the Bible and the doctrine o.
he atonement out of our religion, and there
would be nothing of Christianity left for ouI
worship or our admiration.
Why should it be hard to adopt the Bibll
| theory that our redemption vas purchased
| y blood? What great bridge ever sprung its
I arches. what temple ever reared its towers,
what Nation ever achieved its Independence,
What mighty good was ever done without
sacriiice Of life? The great wonder Of the
world, the bridge that uaites these two cities,
cost the life of the first architect. Ask the
3hipyards Of Glasgow and New York how
many carpenters went down under accidents
1esO-e tho steamer was launched ask the
! :hree great transcontinental railroads how
many in their construction were buried IN
Ter crumbling embankments or crushed un-
2 - l.
Iabulate the statistics ofhow many mothers
nave been martyrs to the cradle OF sick chill
iren. Tell US how many men sacrificed nerve
and muscle and brain and life in the effort
o support their households. Tell us how
many men in England, ia France, in Ger
many, in Italy, in the United States, have
He'd Tor their country. Nicarious suffering
as Old as the world, but the most thrilling,
he most startling, the most stupendous
sacrifice ST all time and eternity was on
piuH back Of Jerusalem when one Being took
lpOn Himself the sins, the sgonies, the per-
iition OF great multitude that no man can
number between II o'clock of darkened
loon ana o'clock in the afternoon, purchas
NJ The ransom Of ruined world.
Dive in all the seas, explore all the mines,
'rOwHar all the mountains, view all the
.rowned jewels Of all the emperors, and find
ne any gem that can so Overwhelmingly
'vmbolize that martyrdom as the ruby
Mark you, there are many gems that are
,omewnat ike the cuby. So is the cornelan.
so Is the garnet, so is the spinel, so is the
,Tlas, so the gems brought from among the
raves of CeylOn AMI New South Wales but
mere is only one genuine ruby and that
.pmes from the mine OF Burmah. Anith
: only one Christ, and H. comes from
reaven. One Redeemer, one Ransom. one
Son OF God, only "Ona name given under
2eIven among men by which We can be
ived."
Ten thousand times 10 900 beautiful imita
ions of that ruby, but only one ruby. Christ
lai no descendant. Christ had no counter
1art. In the lifted up grandeur and glory
md love and sympathy of His character He
the Incompatible, tho Infinite One! The
)niy wise God. our Saviour" Let all hearts,
al homes, all times, all eternities, bow low
1e.Ore Him! Let His banner be lifted in all
5ur souls
In oIden times Scotland was disturbed b,
'reebooters and pirates. To rid the sea:
AMI ports OF these desperadoes the hero
William Wallace fitted out "A merchant yes
sells, but filed il with armed men and put
put to sea. The pirates, with their flag in
s,rihei Of a deaths head, thinking they
would get an easy prize, bore down upon
.he Scottish merchantmsn, when the armed
men OF Wallace boarded the craft OF toe
pirates and put them in chains AMI then
sljled for port under the Scotch flag flying.
And TO our souls, assaied OF sin and death
thi Aeil, through Christ are rescued, AMI
me black flag Of sin is torn down, and the
striped flag OF the cross Is hoisted. Blessed
be God Tor any sign, for any signal, for any
precious stone that brings TO mind the price
aaid for such 4 rescue.
l like the coral. for it seems the soliItsel
'3am of breakers, andI like the jasper, for
z gathers seventeen colors into it,
.osOu. AMI like the let. for if compressss
.hs saa. lows OF many miiniyhts- AMI IIl,s
he .nrv-orrasa because its rurnIe il lin.
,,ir "a vim a small heaven ri sIars anil
ike the chrv-olite for its waves of color
which seem on fire. But this nornin, moth
me- 50 i,,nrs-s-e me as he rut,v for II Do
Ta-l,. Chr.St trlt clnan-n;h from All si, %
Without tbr shed lin, OF blo1i t1er, is uo
-.p,fs.,or.r Yea solomon was ricnt yyn,.n
IN my text he said. s.Nislon IS better than
-abi6s
r., r-inr- o-,. q contrast that will iIIu=.r,.a
roytrxr. 4 nut before Won two last e.r;1ly
scenes. The one IS in a room with ruJie5.
nj no religion. AMI the other in a room
with religion. but no rubies. You enter the
FIRST room. wnere an afTiuent and worldly
man $ aiou-to quit this life. There is Il
rl.y ON rne mantrl pysSibIy auOl., tn.
cl-.s. There is a ru,y in the hea Idr.,s o.
la Uneaniy wife.
On the finger os the dyin, nan thara is a
Turv. The presence Of these rubies implies
,.u enc. o, all kinds. The picture, on the
walls are hpiriOOms or the trophies OF Eu-
r.,u..tu travel. Tht. curtains arr from .ors,.sr
looms. The rugs are from Damascus or
CAIRO. The sofas ar. stuffed with easa an
rutrtule. The rocking chairs roll back.
ward aud forward on luilabies. The pillow-
are eNqu sitely embroidered. All the ap
Uointments OF the room are peror4tion TO .
surr ss al commercial or professional E.e
But the man has 10 religion, never Eas Ia
an never proIesSei TO have. There - not
Bible Or on" religious boUI in ths roo u.
Iuo deprrtinS man feels that his earthly
r9raHr is enter, AMI nothing opens beyont.
Where he will land stepping off from this life
il 20 mystery or whether he will land Mt all,
for it may be annthilation. He has no
prayer 10 offer. and ne does not know how TO
pray. No hope OF meeting again in another
state Of existence, He is through with this
lie AMI is sure OF no other. The ruby on
the mantel and the ruby on the wasted fin
ger OF the departing one say nothing of the
Susnming blood which they so nightly
.tvpi.y. So far as giving solace or illumina-
ton 70 departing spirit, they are daa
i1ilur'. Midnight OF utter hopelessnes'
drops on all the scene.