Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-02-23

amid bereevemeI1ts and temptations ana per-
s2cut1ons and sickness and priyations and
trials OF all sorts. Now she is going out of
life
The reom is bright, not with pictures or
statues, not with upholstery, not with any o (
the gems of mountain or of sea- but there is
n strange and vivid glow in the room. Not
the light of the chandelier or star or noon
Gay sun: but something that outshines all of
them. 1t must be the presence Of SUPER
naturaIs. From her illumined face think
she must hear sweet voices. Yea. she does
hear sweet voices-voices of departed kim
dred, voices apostolic and prophetic ana
eVengel1c, but all Of them overpowered by
~ ote NC Toice OF Christ saying, Come, yeblessed
OF My Father, inherit the kingdom"
From her illumined face, I think she must
near rapturous music. Yea, she does hear
rapturous music, now soft as solos now
thunderOus as orchestras; now a SANITY
voice alone, now the hundred and forty and
four thousand in concert. From her iIlu-
mined face, think she must breathe reGioI-
cnce. Yea, she does inhale aroma from off
the gardens whose flowers never vither and
rom the blossoms of orchards, every tree Of
which bears twelve manner of fruit From
her illumined face, think she must See a
OrIous sight. Yea, she sees the wall that
has JuSper at the base and amethyst at the
top and blood red r1bies between. Goo ibv
sweet soul Why should you longer stay?
Your work all done, your burdens ali carried,
light Up into the joy Out into the
grandeurs And after you have sa'uted
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"
IL those FURNISHED palaces of our Go may
We all meet. For confess to you that nv
chief desire for heaven is not the radiance
n take fho IF bo foxr tb
ru5escence of the scene. Ny one idea of
heaven is the place to meet old friends. Go
our best friend, and our earthly friends a.
ready transported. Aye, TO meet the millions
whom have never seen, but TO whom l
have administered In the gospel week by
week by journalism on both sides Of the sen.
and throughout Christendom, and throu "A
many lands yet semibarbaric
For the last twentY-threa years every blast
of injustice against me has multiplied ny
readers all the world over and the present
malignancy printed and uttered becaue our
church is in financial struggle after having
two great structures destroyed by fire m
we compelled to build three large churches
I say the present outrageous injustic3 in
some quarters will multiply my audience III
all lands if can keep in good hum and
not fight back.
gentleman tapped me on the shoulder
summer before last on a street of Edinburgh,
Scotland, and said, II live in the Shetland
mons every Sabbath to an audience of neigh
ors, and my brother lives in Cape Town,
South Africa, and he reads them every Sab
ath to an audience of his neighbors." AMI
hear and now say to the forty millions Of
the earth to whose eyes these words will
come, that one of my dearest anticipatiOn5
is to meet them in heaven. All, that will be
better than rubies.
Coming up from different continents IRON
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 tho
scepters give US our old friends back again,
Christ, ''the friend who sticketh closer than
Il 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 VIII 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
spendor, amid gladness rolling over with
what doxology-far better. infinitely better,
everlastingly better than rubies!