The Penn's Grove record., 1894-02-16
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Rubies Surpassed"

TEXT: "Wasdom is better than rubies."-
Proverbs WILL, II.
You nave all seen the precious stone com
monty called the ruby. 1t is OF deep RET
color. The Bible make much of IT. ]
glowed in the first row of the high priest
br~eastplate. Under another name 1t stoo.
in the wall OF heaven. jeremiah compare
the rudy cheek ofthe Nazlrites to the ruby
! Ezekiel points 1t out In the robes of the kim
OF Tyre. o times does Solomon use it "A
a symbol b. which to extol wisdom or relig
ion, always setting its value as better thai
rubies.
The world does not agree as to how tn,
precious stones were formed. The ancient
thought that amber was made of drops o
perspiratton of the goddess &c. The thun
derstone was supposed TO have dropped from
a stormcloud. The emerald was said t.
have been made OF the FREELY. The lapi
lazuli was thought to have been born of tn,
cry OF an Indian giant. And modern min
eralogists say that the precious stones wert
made of gases and liquids. To me the rub,
seems like a spark from the, anvil of the set
ting sun.
The home of the genuine ruby is Burmah,
and sixty miles from its capital, where lives
and reigns the ruler, called ''Lord of tht
Rubies." Under q careful Governmental
ohL 4 NAAt'S ihthb AIAAALo VI AAbI htEt
Rarely has any foreigner visited them. Wher
a ruby Of large value was discovered, it was
brought forth with elaborate ceremony, {
procession was formed, and, with all ban
nered pomp, military guard and ~princely at
PENDANTS, the gem was brought to the king:
palace
OF great value is the ruby. much more SC
than diamond, as %lapidaries and jewellers
will tell you. An expert on this subject
writes, ga ruby of perfect color weighing
five carats 10 worth at the present day ten
times as much as a diamond of equal weight. ;
1t was a disaster when Charles the Bold lost
the ruby he was wearing at the battle Of
Rudolph II of Austris inherited a ruby from
his sister, the queen dowager. 1t was thought
to nav had much to do with the victory Of
Henry v, as he wore 1t into the battle o.
Agincourt.
1t is the pride OF the Russian court to own
fhe largest ruby OF the world, presented by
Gustavus Ill to the Russian Empress. Won.
drous ruby. 1t has electric characteristics
and there are lightnings compressed in its
double six sided prisms. What shall l cal
1t? 1t Is frozen fire! 1t is p~etriiled blood
In all the world there is only one thing more
valuable, n mytext make the comparison,
"Wisdom is better than rubies."
But it is impossible TO compare two things
together unless there are some points of sim
AlhTlty do Wch u VI utltfCuCts L I'LL RluO
there is nothing lacking here. The ruby is
more beautiful in the night and under the
lamplight than by day. 1t is preferred for
evening adornment. How the rubies glow
and burn and flash as the lights lift the dark.
ness! Catherine Of Aragon had on her finger
a ruby that fairly lanterned the night.
Sir John Vaudeville, the celebrated trav
eler of 400 years ago, said that the Emperor
OF China had a ruby that made the night rs
bright as day, The probability is that Solo.
mon, under some of the lamps that illumined
bis cedar palace by night. noticed the peeu.
liar glow OF the ruby as 1t looked in this hill
Of n sword, or hung in some fold OF the up
holstery, or beautifed the lipof some chalice
while he was thinking at the same time Of
the excellency of our holy religion as chiefly
seen In the night of trouble, and he cries out
''Wisdom is better than rubies."
oh, yes, 1t is a good thing to have religion
while the sui OF prosperity rides high and
everything is brilliant in fortune, in health,
in worldly favor. Yet you can at such time
hardly tell how nue. Of it is natural exuber.
anee and how much of 1t is the grace OF God.
But let the sun set, and the shadows ava.
Ianche the plain, and the thick darkness OF
sickness or poverty or persecution or mental
exhaustion fill the soul and I'LL the house
and Oil the world ; then you sit down by the
lamp of Gods word, and under its light the
consultations of the gospel come out the
peace OF To- which passeth all understands
ing appears. You never fully appreciated
their power until In the deep night oftrouble
the Divine Lamp revealed their exquisite.
ness. Pearls and amethysts for the day, but
rubies for the night.
All Of the books of the Bible attempt IL
way the Arrangement of misfortune
OF the $50 psalms of David at least ninety
allude to trouble. There are sighings in
every wind, and tears in every brook, and
"a ~ q, avarxy haorf IA xro nrtOtpailx an
posed to call the Presidents residence al
Washington 'The Palace or "the Execu.
tive Mansion" but after it was destroyed In
the war of 1914 and rebuilt in was painted
white to cover up the marks of the smoke
and fire that had blackened the stone walls.
Hence it WAS called tsThe White House."
Most of things now white with attractivenes'
were once black with disaster.
What the world most needs is the consola
tory, and here it comes, our holy religion
with boil hands full of anodynes and soda.
tives and balsams, as in Daniels time to stop
mouths leonine; as in Shadraeh's time to
cool blast furnaces as In Ezekiel's time to
console captivity as in St. Johns time to
nnroil an apocalypse over rocky desolatfons,
Hear its soothing voice as it declares
weeping may endure for a night, but Joy
coneth in the morning." 1.-THE montains
shall depart and the hills be removed, bpt
Ny loving kindness shall not depart ~
you."- Whom the Lord loveth He Gas
'sThey shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither shall the
sun light OF them, nor any heat, for the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall lead them to living fountains OF water,
and GOD shall wipe away all tears IRON theb
The most wholesome thing on earth i.
trouble, II met in Christian spirit. To make
Paul what he was it took ship wreck. and
whipping onthe bare back, and penitentiary,
pursuit Of wild mo5s. and the sword OF
decapitation. To make David what he was
it took all that Ahithophel and Saul and Abb
salon and Goliath and all the Philistine
hosts could DO against him. 1t took Robert
Chambers's malformation OF feet to make
him the literary conqueror.
II was bereavement that brought William
Haworth, OF Wesley's time, from wlckedness
to en evangelism that won many thousands
for heaven. The world would never nave
known what heroic stuff Ridley was made of
had not the fires been kindled around his
feet, and not liking this slow work he cried
81 cannot barn. Let the Ere come TO me. j
cannot burn" Thank God that there are
gems that unfold their best glories under the
lamplight E! Thank God for the ruby.
Moreover, / am sure Solomon was right in
that religion or wisdom is better than
from the fact that a thing is worth
It will fetch. Religion will fetch solid
happiness, and the ruby will not. In all
your observation did you ever find a person
thoroughly felieitated by an incrustment OF
As you know more OF yourself than
any n else, are you happier now with
~adornments and successes than be-
fore you won them? Does the picture that
cost you hundreds or thousands OF dollars Oh
your wall bring you as much satisfaction as
the engraving that at the expense of So was
hung upon the wall when you first began to
keep house?
Do all the cutlery and rare plate that gilt
ter on your extension dining table, surround.
by fiattering guests, contain more OF rea
bliss than the plain ware of your first table,
at which sat only two? Does a wardrobe
crowded with costly attire give you more
than your first clothes closet
its four or five pegs2 Did not the plain
ring set on the third finger OF the left hanI
the day OF your betrothal give more glad
ness than the ruby that is now enthronsd on
third finger OF your right hanaf
IF in this journey OF life we have learned
anything, we lave learned that this world
neither with Its e~moluments nor gains, can
the soul. Why, here come as many
Witnesses as l wish to call to the stand tc
testify that before high heaven and the