Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-02-15
AT THE TABERNACLE.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches UPON
THE WORTH OF RELIGION.


Spirit-Dr. Talmage's Audience.
BROOKLYN, Feb. lin the Tabernacle
this forenoon Rev. DR.. 1almagc preached
to n crowded audience that filled the great
building to overhowng, the subject of his
sermon being "Rubies Surpassed" and the
text Proverbs viii, II, "Wisdom is better
than rubes."
You have all seen the precious stone com
monty called the ruby. 1t is of deep red
color The Bible makes much of it. 1t
glowed in the first row of the high priest
breastplate. Under another name it stood
i'll the wall Of heaven jeremiah compares
the ruddy cheek of the Nazarites to the
ruby. Ezekiel points it out in the robes of
the king of Tyre Four times does Solo
mon use it as a symbol by which to extol
wisdom or religion always setting its value
as better than rubes.
The world does not agree as to how the
precious stones were formed The ancients
thought that amber was made of drops of
perspiratiOn of the goddess &c. The thun-
Hcrstone was supposed to have dropped
from a stormcloud. The emerald was said
to have been made of the freely. The lapis
laZuli was thought to have been born of the
cry of an Indian giant. And modern min
eralogists say that the precious stones were
made Of gases and liquids To mether ruby
seems like a spark from the anvil of the
setting sun.
The home of the genuine ruby is Bur.
nah, and 90 miles from its capital. W here
lives and reigns the ruler, called Lord of
the Rubics,' under a careful govern
mental guard are these valuable mines of
-uby kept. Rarely has any foreigner visit
ed them. When ruby Of large value was
discovered, it was brought forth with elab-
crate ceremony, procession WAS formed
and, with all hammered pomp, military guard
and prnccly attendants, the gem was
brought to the kings palace.
or great value is the ruby, much more 50
than diamond, as lapida!es and jewelers.
Will tell you. An expert on this subject
writes, "A ruby of perfect color weighing
five karats is worth at the present day ten
times AS much rs diamond of equal
weight" 1t was a disaster when Charles
the Bold lost the ruby he was wearing al
the battle OF Graudson 1t was a great ar
fiucncc when Rudolph II of Austria inner
tied ruby from his sister, the queen dow
ager 1t was thought to have had much to
do with the victory Of Henry Y, as he wore
it into the battle Of Agucour.
1t is the pride Of the Russian court to
own the largest ruby of all the world. pre-
sented by Gusiavue III to the Russian en-
press Wondrous ruby! Ii has electric
characteristics, and there are lightnugs
compressed in its double six sided pri,ms.
What shall call it? 1t is frozen fire. It
is uetrifed blood, In all the world there is
o.Iy one thing more valuable and my text
makes the comparison, wisdom is better
than rubies"
EXCELLENCE OF EELIGIoN.
But it is impossible to compare two
al, Il,
If similarity AS well as Of differences / am
glad there is nothing lacking here. The
ruby is more beautiful in the might and
under the lamplight than by day. 1t i.
preferred for evening adorumcut. How
the rubies glow and burn and flash as the
lights lift the darkness, Catherine of Ar
agon had on her finger ruby That fairly
lanterned the night
Sir John Mandeviile the celcbrat ed raw
tler OF 400 years ago, said that the en-
peror OF China had ruby that made the
night as bright as the day. The probability
is that solomon, under some of the lamps
that illumined his cedar palace by night.
noticed the peculiar glow of the ruby as it
looked in the hilt of sword or hung in
some fold of the upholstery or bcautilicd
the lip of some chalice, while he was think
Ing at the same time Of the eXcellency of
our holy religion as chiefly seen in the night
of trouble and he cries out, "Wisdom is
better than rubiee.'
On, yes, it is good thing to have rcli-
gOn while the sun of prosperity ride, high
and everything i, brilliant in fortune in
health, in worldly favor. Yet you can at
such times hardly tell how much of it is
natural eXuDcrauce and how much of it j.
the grace OF God. But let the sun set and
the shadows avalanche the plain and the
thick darkness of sickness or poverty or
persecution or mental exhaustion fill the
soul and fill the house aud fiji the world;
then you sit down by the lamp of Gods
word, and under its light the consultations
OF the gospel come out-the peace Of God
which passcth all understanding appears
You never fully appreciated their power
until III the deep night Of trouble the Di-
vine Lamp revealed their eXqusitencss
Pearls and amcthysts for the day, but
rubes Tor the night.
THE CHRISTIAN Spirit.
Al of the books Of the Bible attempt in
some way the assuagement of misfortune
OF the 30 psalms of David at least 90 al
lude to trouble. There are sighiugs in
every wind and tears in every brook and
panRS i'll every heart. 1t was originally
proposed TO call the presidents residence
at Washington, The Palace" or THE
IIAt'hNiNt -hduSlbil, Dub dIltF IL was tlC
stroyed in the war of lSl4 and rebuilt it
was painted white to cover up the marks
of the smoke and fire that had blackened
the stone walls. Hence it was called The
White House. Most Of the things now
white with attractiveness We're once black
win disaster.
What the world most needs is the con
solatOry, and here it comes orr holy re
lgiun, with both hands full of anodynes
and sedatves and balsams, as i'll Daniels
time to stop mouths leoninc; rs in Shad-
racks time TO cool blast furnaces; as in
EHekiePs time to console captivity; as in
81. Johns time to unroll an apocalypse over
rocky dcsolatiOnS. Hear its soothing voice
n it declares: "Wecping may endure for a
ngnt but joy cometh in the morning."
"Tne mountains shall depart and the hills
be removed, but my loving Kindness shall
not depart from YOU" Whom the Lord
loV.th he chnsianrth - "Thev gbaII Lunrar