The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1894-03-15

eolors into its bosom; and / like the
Jet, for it congresses the shadows OF
many midnights; and like the chryso-
praise, because its purple is lllumlned
with small Heaven of stars; and
like the chrysolite for its waves of
color, which seem on tire. But this
morning nothing so impresses me as
the ruby, for it depicts. it typifies, it
suggests ''The blood of Jesus Christ
that cleanseth from all SIM; without
the shedding of blood there is no re-
mission" Yea, Solomon ewas right
when in my text he sold: Wisdom is
better that rubies."
i To bring out contrast that will IL
lustrate my text, l put before you two
last earthly scenes. The one is in
room with rubies, but no religion, and
the other In room with religion, but
no rubies. You enter the first room,
where an affiuent and worldly man is
about to quit this life. There is ruby
on the mantel, possibly among the
vases There is q ruby in the
head-dress of the queenly wife.
On the finger of the dying man there is
a 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 roclzing-chairs roll backward and
forward on lullabys. The pillows are ex-
quisitely embroidered. All the appoint
ments of the room are a peroration to
a successful commercial or professional
life. But the man has no religion;
never has had, and never professed to
have There is not a Bible or one re-
ligiOus book in the room. The depart
ing man feels that his earthly career
is ended, and nothing opens beyond.
Where he will land stepping off from
this life is a mystery, or whether he
will land at all, for it may be amt
hilation. He has no prayer to offer,
and he does not know how to pray. No
hope of meeting again in another state
of existence. He is through with this
life, and is sure of no other. The ruby
on the mantel and the ruby on the
wasted finger of the departing one say
nothing of the ransoming blood which
they so nightly typify. SO far as Civ
ing solace or Illumination to depart
ing spirit, they are a dead failure.
Midnight of utter hopelessness drops
on all the scene.
Another room of mortal exit. Re-
ligion and no rubies. She never had
money enough to buy one of these ex-
quiSites. Sometimes she stopped at
jewelers. show window and saw a row
of them in carnadining the velvet.
She had keen taste enough to appre-
ciate 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 4 rich
er treasure, and that was the grace of
God that had comforted her along the
way amid bereavements, and tempta-
tions, and prosecutions, and sicknesses,
and privations, and trials of all sorts
Now she is going out of life. The
room is bright, not with pictures or
statues, not with upholstery. not
with any of the gems of mountain or
of sea, but there is strange and
vivid glow in the room; not the
light of chandelier, or star, or noon
day sun. but sometimes that out
shines all of them. 1t must be the
presence of supernaturals. From her
sweet voices. Yea, she docs hear
sweet voices-voices of departed kim
dred; voices apostolic and prophetic,
and evapgelic, but all of them over
powered by the voice of Christ, saying;
Come, we blessed of my Father, in
hcrit the kingdom" From her
illumined face, l think she must
hear rapturous music. Yea, she
does hear rapturous music, now
soft as solos, now thunderous as or
chestras; now a sanity voice alone, now
the one hundred and forty and four
thousand in concert. From her il
lumined face I think she must breathe
redolence. 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 il
lumined 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 joy! Out into the grandeurs. 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 CT years ago he assert
ed in this mornings text: "Wisdom is
better than rubies.'
And I here and now say to the forty
millions of the earth to whose ewes
these words will come, that one of nv
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
tbnra oil