The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-02-28

| dred. voices apostolic and prophetic and
| evangelic, but all Of them overpowered by
the voice of Christ, saying. "Come, eblessed
| of My Father. inherit the kingdom"
From her ilIumined face, think she must
hear rapturous music. Yea, she does hear
rapturous music, now soft as solos, now
thunderous as orchestras: now a sanity
voice alone now tho hundred and forty and
four thousand in concert. From her illu-
mined face, think she must breathe redol-
ence. Yea. she does inhale aroma from off
the gardens whose flowers never wither and
from the blossoms Of orchards, every tree OF
which bears twelve manner OF fruit. From
her illumined face, think she must see
glorious sight. Yea, she sees the wall that
has jusper at the base and amethyst at the
top and blood red rubies between. Goodby,
sweet soul! Why should you longer stay2
Your work all done, your burdens all carried,
your tears all wept! Forward into the
ilgnt! Up into the Joy! Out into the
grandeurs! And after you have saluted
the palaces of Lebanon cedar aud 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
chiet desire for heaven is not the radiance,
0ky ~ LohO lhO OOSSOSlAOA VI luC lCAt, hol LILO
rubescence of the scene. My one idea OF
heaven is the place to meet old friends, God,
our best friend, and our earthly friends al
ready transported. Aye, to meet the millions
whom have never seen, but 10 whom I
have administered in the gospel week by
week by journalism on both sides OF the sea.
and throughout Christendom, and through
many lands yet semibarbaric.
For the last twenty-thres years every blast
~ IN; oroiDof mo haa nultipliad nv
readers all the world over. and tho present
malignancy printed and uttered becaue our
church is in financial struggle after having
two great structures destroyed by fire and
we compelled to build three large churches
Il 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 I 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
hear and now say to the forty millions Of
the earth to whose eyes these words will
come, that one of my dearest anticipations
Is to meet them in heaven. All, 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 oil
banished, never to weep, never to
part, never to die! I tell you
that will be better than rubies. Others may
have tho 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
up from our bereft 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. it would be the
kiss OF welcome on lips jubilant with song,
while standing on floors paved with what ex-
quisiteness, 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: