Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-02-23

1red, voices apostolic and prophetic and
evangelic, but al OF them overpowered by
the voice of Christ, saying, "Come, yeblessed
OF Ny Father, inherit the kingdom.
From her illumined face, / think she must
hear rapturous music Yea, she does hear
rapturous music, now soft as solos, now
thunderous as orchestras now sanity
voice alone, now the hundred and forty aud
four thousand in concert. From her ilIu-
mined face, think she must breathe redo
ence. Yea, she does inhale aroma from oil
the gardens whose flowers never wither and
from the blossoms of orchards, every tree OF
which bears twelve manner OF fruit. From
her illumned face, think she must see
glorious sight. Yea, she sees the wall that
has iusper at the base and amethyst at the
top and blood red rubies between. Goo by,
sweet soul j Why should you longer stay?
Your work all done, your burdens all carried,
| your tears all wept Forward into the
| light Up into the joyl Out into the
| grandeurs And after you have salute1
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 con Tess to yol that my
chief desire for heaven is not the radiance,
| or, to take the suggestion of the text, not the
rubescence OF the scene. My one idea OF
| heaven is the place to meet old friends, GOJ.
our best friend, and our earthly friends al
ready transported. Aye, TO meet the millions
| whom have never seen, but 10 whom
| have administered in the gospel week by
| week by journalism on both sides of the sea,
and throughout Christendom, and through
many lands yet semibaroaric.
For thu last twentY-thres years every blast
| OF injustice against me has multiplied my
readers all the world over. and the present
maIignancy printed an 1 uttered becaue our
| church is in financial struggle after having
| two great structures 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.
| A gentleman tapped me on the shoulder
summer before last on street of Edinburgh,
Scotland. and said. II live in the Shetland
, Islands. North Scotland, and read your SER
mons every Sabbath to an audience OF neigh
bors. and my brother lives in Cape Town,
South Africa, and he reads them every Sab
bath to an audience OF his neighbors." And
I hear and now say to the forty millions OF
the earth to whose eyes these words Will
come, that one of my dearest anticipatlons
is to meet them in heaven. Alb, that will be
| better than rubies
Coming up from different continents, from
different hemispheres, from opposite sides
Of the earth to greet each other in holy love
In the presence of the glorious Christ who
made it possible for us to get there. Our
sins all pardoned, our sorrows all
banished, never to weep, never to
part. never TO die l tell you
that will be better than rubies.- Others may
have the crowns, and the thrones, and the
scepters give US our old friends back again,
Christ. ''the friend who sticketh closer than
brother" and all the kindred who have got
ND from our bereit households, and all our
friends whom we have never yet seen, and
YOU may have all the rubies, for that will be
"better than rubies.
Instead of the dying kiss when they looked
SO pale and wan and sick. 1t would be the
kiss of welcome on lips jubilant with song,
while standing on floors paved with what ex-
uuisiteness, under ceilings hung with what
glory, bounded by walls facing us with what
splendor, amid gladness rolling over US with
what doxology-far better, infinitely better,
everlastingly better than rubies