The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1894-02-17

hk'hs 10 u huN SuEDTlSs 10 you TN" tue Joys
OF pardon and heaven rolling over the soul
should sometimes he almost too much for
the Christian to endure and live2 An aged
aunt said to me ''De Witt, three times /
have tainted dead away under too great
Christian JOY. IL was in all three cases at
the holy communion
An eminent Christian man while In prayor
said stop, Lord (; l cannot bear any more
of this gladness. IL IL too much for mortal
withhold withhold" " We have heard OF
poor workmen or workwomen getting let
ter suddenly telling them that n fortune had
been left them, and how they were almost
beside themselves with glee. taking the first
ship to claim the estate. But. oh, what IL is
TO wake up out OF the stupor OF sinful life.
and through pardoniug grace ind that all
our earthly existence will be divinely mau-
aged Tor our best welfare. and that then all
heaven will roll in upon the soul
Compared with that q spring morning is
stupid, and an August sunset Is luane, and
aurora has no pi!lared splendor, and n dia-
mond has no flash. and pearl no light and
ness. My gracious Lord My glorious
God! My precious Christ Roll over on us
few billows of that rapture. Ani now
ask you, as fair minded men and women,
accustomed to make comparisons. is not
such n JOY rs that worth moro than anything
one can have in n jeweled casket? Was not
Solomon right when he said, Wisdom is bet
ter than rubies?'
Ihcre Is also something in the deep car
mine Of the ruby that suggests the sacrific.
on which our whole system OF religion de-
pends. While the emerald suggests the
meadows and the sapphire the skies, and
the opal the sea, the ruby suggests the blood
OF sacrifice. The most emphatic and start
ling OF all colors has the ruby. Solomon. the
author of my text, knew all about the saori-
fee OF lamb and dove on the altars OF the
temple, and he knew the meaning OF eacri-
hcial blood, and what other precious stone
could he so well use to symbolic II as the
ruby Red, intensely red, red as the blood
ofthe greatest martyr OF all tIme-Jesus-of
the centuries Drive the story of the cruel
hNton out Of the Bible and the doctrine of
the ntonement ont OF our religion, and there
would be nothing of Christianity left for our
worship or our admiration.
why should Ii be hard to adopt the Bible
theory that our redemption was purchased
by blood? What great bridge ever sprung its
arches, what temple ever reared it's towers.
what Nation ever achieved its independence
what mighty good was ever done SIthc1t
sacrifice of life? Tho great wonder of tb.
world. the bridge that unites these two cities.
cost the life OF the first architect Ask the
shipyards OF Glasgow and New York how
many carpenters went down under accidents
be1or" tho steamer was launched ask tho
three great transcontinental railroads how
many in their construction were buried un-
der crumblinR cmbankments or crushed un-
der timberS or destroy by the powder blast
Tahulate the statistics OF no W many mothers
havc been martyrs to the cradle of sick chill
drcn. Toll VA how many men sacrificed nerve
and muscle and brain and life in the effort
TO support their households. Tell us how
many men in England, in France in Cor
many, I'm Italy. in the United Stntes have
died Tor their country. Vicarious suffering
Is IA old rs tho world, but the most thrilling
the most startling, the most stupendous
sacrifice OF all timo and eternity was on n
biun back OF Jerusalem when one Being took
oil q /.
dition Ola great ranlttude that no man can
number between II o'clock OF a darkened
noon and clock In the afternoon, purchas.
ing the ransom Of a ruined world.
DIVE IN All the seas, explore all the mnes
crowhar all tho mountains, view all tho
crowned jewels OF all the emperors. AMI f,nj
me any gem that can 40 overwhelmingly
symbolic that martyrdom as the ruby
Mark you, there are many gems that are
somewhat like tho ruby. so is the cornelian.
so is the garnet, so IL the spinel, so IL the
balas, so the gems brought from among the
graveis OF Ceylon and New South Wales, but
there IL only one genuine ruby, and that
comes from the mine OF Burmah. And there
IL only one Christ. ami He comes from
heaven. One Redeemer, one Hanson ono
Son Of God, only zone nnme given under
heaven among men by which we can be
saved"
Ten thousand times 10 900 beautiful imita-
tions OF that ruby, hut only cne ruby Christ
hnd no descendant. Christ had no counter
part; In the lifted up grandeur and glory
and love and sympathy of His character He
Ii the Incompatible, tho Infinite One '.Thc
only wise God, our Saviour" Let all hearts
oil homes, all times, all eternities, bow low
before Him Let His banner loo lifted In all
our souls
In olden times Scotland was disturbed by
freebooters and pirates. To rid tho seas
and ports OF these despcradoes the hero
Wiiiam wallace lifted out IA merchant ves-
sells, but filed II with armed men and put
out to sea. The pirates. with their flag in
scribed OF deaths head, thinking they
would get an easy prize. bore down upon
the Scottish merchantmen, whom tho armed
men Of Wallace boarded the craft OF the
pirates end put them I'm chains and then
sailed Tor port under the Scotch flag flying.
And to our souls assailed of sin and death
and hell, through Christ arc rescued, and
the black nag of sin II torn down, and the
striped flag OF the cross IL hoisted. Blessed
be God for any sign, for any signal for any
precious stone that brings 70 mind the price
paid for such II rosru".
like the coral for il scoms the soiidit fed
ioam OF breakers, and lik. the jasper, for
II gathers seventeen Colors into its
bosom, and lik" the jet, for II congresses
the shadows OF many mi Inights. and 4 Ike
'he chrysoprasc because its purple is illu-
mir et with "a small heaven ot STARS, and I
Ia" the chrysolite for its waves of color
Mhl'h seem on nre. But this morning moth
inH 80 imprcsses me ~ the ruby. for Il de-
p'cts. II sSpiii"s, II suggests "Thc blooi OF
Jesus Christ that cleanseth from alt sin
without the shed ling of blood there is no
remission Yea. solomon was right when
IN my text ne said, Wisdom IL better than
rubcs.
TO bring out n contrast that will illustrate
mNt"Nt put before you two last earthly
scenes. the one Ia in u room with rubiee
Tut no religion, aud tho other In n room
with religion, tut no rubics. You enter the
ii'st room. where an afiiusnt and worldly
man ~ about To quit this life There ia a
ruby on tn" mLntci, possibly among the
vases. There Is = ruby In the heahdress Of
IN" pucCnIy wife.
On the finger of the dying man there ia n
rhhy. The pt"s"nc" Of these rubies implie,
opu'encs Of al kinds. The pictures on the
walls are heirlooms or the trophies of Ru-
ropcan travel. The curtains are from foreign
looms. Tho rugs are from Damascus or
Cairo. The sofas are stuffed with ease and
quictuie. The rocking chairs roll back.
ward and forward on lullabies. The pillows
arc "Nqu sitoly embroidered. All the ap-
pontmenis oi the room are a peroratinn to a
stee's=!a! commercial ~ professional !!so.
But the man has no religion, never has had
and mover proiessel TO have. There ~ not
Bible or one religious book in the room.
fHhp 1gna ma faaI had