The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1894-02-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
'lIE BROOKLYN DIYINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.

Il
| monty called the ruby. II ia of deep red
| color Tho Bible makes much of H. 7,
| Eiowed in the first row Of the high priests
hreastplate. Under another name it stood
! IN tho wall OF heaven jeremiah compares
! the ruddy cheek ofthe Nazarites TO the ruby.
| Ezektei points II out in the robes of the king
| oi Tyre -Four times does Solomon use il as
| a symbol by which to extol wisdom or ralig-
Ion. always setting its value as better than
| ruhcs.
The world docs not agree "a TO how the
precious stones were formed. The ancients
thought that amber was made of drops OF
| perspiration Of the goddess Ge, Tho thuu-
derstono was supposed to have dropped from
n stormclcud. The emerald was said 10
have been made OF the flrcly The lapis
lazuii was thought to have been born OF the
| cry OF an Indian giant. Aud modern min
cralogists say that the precious stones were
made of gases and liquids. To me the ruby
| seems like spark from the anvil OF the set
ting sun
| Tho home of the genuine ruby is Burmah.
and sixty miles from its capital, where lives
and reigns the ruler called Lord of the
Rubics.' Under a careful Goyernmenta nj
| guard are tAese valuable mines of ruby kent
Rarely has any foreigner visited them When
n ruby OF large value was discovered il was
brought forth with elaborate ceremonv, n
procession was formed. and with all ban
nored pomp, military guard and princcly at
tendants, the gem was brought TO the kings
palace
or great value is tho ruby much more so
than diamond, as lapidarics and jewelers.
| Will toll you. An expert on this subject
writes. "a ruby of perfect color weighing
five carats is worth Mt the present day ten
times az much as n diamond OF equal weight 4"
II was disaster when Charles the Bold Iost
the ruby t." was wearing at the battle Of
Grandson. IL was a great afflucnce when
Rudolph ii Of Austria inherited ruby from
his sister. the queen dowager. IL was thought
to have had much To do with the victory Of
Henry V. as he wore II into the baltic Of
Agincourt.
the largest ruby of the world. presented by
Gustavus III to the Russian Empress Won
drous ruby il hNs electric chara les
and thcrC arc lightnings compressed in its
double six sided prisms. What shall call
IT, II is frozen fire, II is pstriicd blood |!
In all the world thcrc is only one thing more
valuable, and mytcxt makes the comparison
"Wisdom ia better than ruhies"
But II Is impossible 10 compare two things
together unless there are some points of sim
ilarity as well rs Of difference. I am glad
there IL nothing lacking here. The ruby is
moro beautiful in tho night and under tho
lamplight than 10y day. II IL preferred for
evening adornmcnt. How the rubies glow
Bni burn AMI fash as the lights lift the dark
ness ! Catherine OF Aragon had on her nnger
ruby that fairly lantcrnnd the night.
Sir John Vaudeville, the celebrated tray-
el"r OF 400 years ago, said that the Emperor
W 'nlllt uN'l " TnNN lnnt maze thN night
bright as day, Tho probability IL that Solo
mon, under some OF tho lamps that illumincd
hiS "cdRr nalac" 10y night. noticed tho pccu-
liar glow Of the ruby as II looked i'm tho hiIt
or u sword. or hung in sOmC fold of the up-
holstcry. .orbcautined the lin OF some chslIca
while he was thinking mt tho same time Of
tho cxcelcncy of our holy religion as chiefly
seen in the night Of trouble and he cries our.
"Wisdom is better than rubies"
Oh, yes, II is a good thing TO have religion
,t-l.l ll.,f
everything II brilliant In fortune, In health
In worldly favor. Yet you can at such time
hardly tell how much Of II Is natural cxuber-
ance and how much Of II is the grace Of God
But lot the sun set. and the shadows ava
lanche tho plain and the thick darkness OF
sickness or poverty or persecution or mental
exhaustion I'LL tn" soul and III the house
and I'LL the world then YOU sit down by the
lamp Of Gods word, and under its light ths
consultations of the gospel come out tho
peace OF God which pHsseth all understand
Ing appears. You never fully appreciated
their power until in the deep night oftrouhie
the Divine Lamp revealed their exuuisite-
ness. Pearls and amethysts for tho day. but
rubies for tho night
All OF the books OF the Bible attempt in
some way the assuagemcnt OF misfortune
OF tho 100 psalms OF David at least ninety
alludc to trouble. There are BighinRs in
every wind, and tears ia every brook. and
pangs in every heart II was originally pro-
at
Washington "The Palace or "the Exccu-
tive Mansion but after It was DESTROYED in
the war OF 1914 AMI rebuilt in WIS paint cd
white TO cover up the marks OF the smoke
and FIR" that hat hlackcnrd the stone walls
Hence n was called "Jho White Hons, "
Most "tthingS now white with attractivcncss
were one" black with disaster
what tho world most needs iS the consola-
tory, and hero II comes, our holy religion,
with both hands full Of anoiyncs AMI seda-
al IHla a ....NH.
mouths l"oninc ~ in Shndrachs tims to
cooi blast furnaces rs in EZckicl's time to
consol" captivity rs in ST. Johns time to
unroll an apocalypse over rocky desolations
Hear its soothing voice ~ II declares
"WCnping may endure for a night but ioy
comcth In the morning" ''The montains
shall depart and The hills be removed, but
My loving kindness shall not depart from
you Whom the Lord loveth IIo chas-
teneth.' "Ihcy shall hunger no more
neither thirst any more, neither shall the
sun light Oh them, nor any heat for the
Lamb which is I'm the midst Of the throne
shall lead them 10 living fountains Of water
and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes"
The most wholesome thing on earth Is
trouble, II met in Christian spirit. 70 make
Paul what he was II took ship wreck. and
whipping onthe bare back and penitentiary
and pursuit Of wild mohS. and the sword OF
decapitHtion. 10 make David what hn was
II took all that Ahithophci and Saul and Nb-
salon and Goliath and all tho plilstino
hosts could do against him. II took Robert
Chambers's malformation OF feet To make
him the literary conqurTor.
II was bereavement that brought William
Hawortb, OF Wesley time, from wckctn"ss
to an evangelism that won many thousands
for heaven. The world would never have
known what heroic stun Ridley was made OF
had not the fires been kindlcd around HE
feet, and not liking this slow work he cried
81 cannot burn. Let the fire come To me.
cannot burn" Thank God that there are
gems that unfold their best glorics under the
lamplight Thank God for the ruby
Moreover, am sure Solomon was right In
saying that religion or wisdom is better than
rubies, from the fact that thing Is worth
what II will fetch. Religion will fetch solid
happiness, and the ruby viii moi. in MI
your observation did YOU ever iini n person
thoroughly ielicitat nd by an incrustm,nt II
jewels? As you know more of yourself thvn
any one else are you happier now With
worIdiy adornments Hnd SUCCESSES thar be-
fore you won thcm2 Does the picture that
cost YOU hundreds or thousands .. dollars on
your wall bring you ~ much satisfaction .s
the engraving that al the expense Of Ab was
hung upon tho wall when you first began TO
keep hOuse1
DO all the cutlery and rare plate that gilt
ter on your extension dining table surround
ed by flattcrng guests, contain more of rua-
bliss than the plain ware ot NOur flrst table.
vrI f,,h ~ NIL a..