The Globe-republican., 1894-02-16

IuStrate nv text, put before You two
last earthly scenes The one is in a
Z room with rubies. but no religion. and
the other in a room with religion, but
no rubies- You enter the first room.
I where an affluent and worldly man is
!; about to quit this life. There is ruby
on the mantel, possibly among the
vases There is ruby in the head
dress of the queenly wife. On the
| finger of the dying man there is ruby.
The presence of these rubies implies
opulence of all kinds The pictures on
the walls are heirlooms. or the trophies
of European travel The curtains are
from foreign looms The rugs are
from Damascus or Cairo. The sofas
are stuffed with ease and quietude.
The rocking chairs roll backward and
forward on lullabys The pillows are
exquisitely embroidered All the APP
pointments of the room are a
peroration to a successful CONNER
cial or professional life But the
man has no religion; never has had.
and never professed to have There is
not a Bible or one religious book in
the room. The departing man feels
that his earthly career is ended. and
nothing opens beyond Where he will
land stepping off from this life is
mystery, or whether he will land at
all, for it may be humiliation. He has
no prayer to offer, and he does not
know how to pray. No hope of meet
ing again in another state of existence.
He is through with this life, and is
sure of no other.
Another room of mortal exit. Re-
ligion and no rubies She never had
money enough to buy one of these eX-
ouisites- Sometimes she stopped at a
jewelers. show window and saw row
of them incarnadining the velvet She
had keen taste enough to appreciate
those gems, but she never owned one Of
them. She was not jealous or unhappy
because others had rubies while she
had none. But she had richer treasure,
and that was the grace OF God that
had comforted her along the way
amid bereavements. and temptations,
and prosecutions. and sicknesseS and
privations and trials of all sorts. Now
she is going out of life. The room is
not with upholstery, not with any Of
the gems of mountain or of sea, but
there is a strange and vivid glow in the
room; not the light of chande
lier, or MONDAY sun. but some
times that outshines all of them.
1t must be the presence of super
naturals. From her illumined face
I think she must hear sweet voices.
Yea, she does hear sweet voices-voices
of departed kindred; voices apostolic
and prophetic, and evangelic, but all
of them overpowered by the voice of
Christ. saying: Come. We blessed of
my Father. inherit the kingdom"
From her illumined face, 1 think she
must hear rapturous music From
her illumined face, think
she must see a glorious
sight Yes, she sees the wall
that has jasper at the base, and anne
thyst at the top. and blood-red rubies
between. Good-by, sweet soul! Why
should you longer stay? Your work all
done: your burdens all carried; your
tears all wept. Forward into the light!
Up into the joys. Out into the grand
eurs! And after you have saluted
Christ and your kindred, search out
him of the palaces of Lebanon cedar,
and tell him that you have found to be
gloriously true what thousands of years
ago he asserted in this mornings text:
Wisdom is better than rubies."
In those FURNISHED palaces of our God
may we all meet. For confess to you
that my chief desire for Heaven is not |
the radiance. or. to take the suggeS-
ton of the text, not the rubescence of !
the scene. NV one idea of Heaven is |
the place to meet old friends. God, |
our best friend. and our earthly friends |
transported. Aye. to meet the |
millions whom have never seen. but |
to whom l have administered in the
gospel week by week through journal
ism on both sides of the sea. through
out Christendom, and through many
lands vet semi barbaric. For the last |
years every blast of in
justice against me has multiplied my
readers all the world over, and the
present malignancy printed and uttered
because our church is in financial strug.
eSO oAICA Liz WV SASoS SSA uStuACS
destroyed by fire, and we compelled
to build three large churches-I say
the present outrageous injustice in
some quarters, will multiply my
audience in all lands if can keep in
good humor and not fight back. And
here and now say to the forty millions
Of the earth to whose eyes these words
will come. that one of my dearest an
ticipations is to meet them in Heaven.
All! that will be better than rubies
Coming up from different continents,
from different hemispheres, from op.
posite sides of the earth to greet each
other in holy love in the presence OF
the glorious Christ who made it posi-.
bic for US to get there. Our
sins all pardoned. our sorrows
Ill banished. never to weep,
never to part, never to die. l tell
vou that will be better than rubies.
Others may have the crowns, and the
thrones, and the scepters: give US our
no.