The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-02-15

i II In this journey OF life we have iearnst
anything. We have learned that this world
neither with its emoluments nor gains. car
satisfy the soui. Why. here come as man,
| witnesses NJ wish to call 10 tho stand a.
testify that before high heaven and tn,
world. In companionsbip with Jesus Chris,
and good hope OF heaven. they feel a 10,
that all the resources OF their vocabulary iai
| TO express. Sometimes II evidences itself IN
\ eiaculations OF hosanna sometimes in doxol.
ogy sometimes in tears A converted na.
\ tive OF India In letter said s'How long
\ for my bed. not that may sleep--I lie awake
often and long-but TO hold sweet commu.
rIon with my God"
IL 80 mighty Is worldly Joy that Julius RI.
| hearing his armies were triumphant, ex.
pired. and ~ Talva. hearing that the Rom an
senate had decreed him an honor. expired.
and II Dionysius and Sophocles. overcoms
OF Joy, expired. aud II n shipwrecked pur.
ser. waiting on the coast OF Guinea In want
and starvation at the sight OF a vessel
bringing relief. fell dead from shock OF de-
light. Is Il any surprise 10 you that the joys
| OF pardon and heaven rolling over the soul
should sometimes be almost too much for
the Christian TO endure and live? An aged
aunt said 10 me de Witt three times |
have tainted dead away under too great
Christian Joy. II was In all three cases at
the holy communion
An eminent Christian man while in PRAYER
said stop. Lord | cannot bear any more
OF this glsdness. II Is too much for mortal.
Withhold withhold! 90 We have heard of
poor workmen or workwomen getting "A let.
ter suddenly telling them that fortune had
been LETT them, and how they were almost
beside themselves with glee. taking the first
snip TO claim the estate. But. oh. what Il is
to wake up out OF the stupor OF sinful life,
and through pardoning grace find that all
our earthly existence will he divlnsly man.
aged for our best welfare. and that then an
heaven will roll in upon the soul
Compared with that spring morning IL
stupid. and an August sunset il luane. and
aurora has no pillared splendor. and a dia-
mond has no fash, and pearl no light. and
berry no aquamarine. and ruby no ruddi-
ness. My gracious Lord NY glorious
God My precious Christ Roll over on Ills
q lew billows Of that rapture. Aud now
ask you. rs fair minded men and women.
accustomed to make comparisons. is not
such Joy as that worth more than ANYTHING
one can have in n jeweled casket? Was not
solomon right when he said, Wisdom is bet
ter than rubies?'
There is also something in the deep car
mine OF the ruby that suggests the sacrifice
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 rudy Solomon. the
author OF mytext, knew all about the sacri-
nee OF lamb and dove on the atars OF the
temple, and he knew the meaning of sacri-
dcial blood. and what other precious stone
could he so well use to symbolize IL as the
ruby2 Red, intensely red. red as the blood
ofthe greatest martyr OF all time-Jesus-
the centuries Drive the story OF the cruel
hxion out OF tho Bible and the doctrine of
the atonement out OF our religion. and there
mn h..W. W..Nsl H.. -.
worship or our admiration.
Why should II be hard to adopt the Bib,e
theory that our redemption was purchased
by bloodp What great bridge ever sprung its
arches. what temple ever reared its towers.
what Nation ever achieved its independence
what mighty good was over done without
sacrifice OF iiie? The groat wonder OF tho
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
before the steamer was launched ask the
three great transcontinental railroads how
many in their construction were buried un-
der crumbling embankments or crushed un-
der timbers or destroyed BY the powder blast
Tabulate thestatistics of how manyn rtha
aave been martyrs TO the cradle Of c.
=. Toll us how man w.
.na ..dss.e auu yrain ana iiIe In q, , efIorg
lany men in England. In France, in Ger
many in Italy, in the United States. have
died Tor their country. Vicarious suffering
Is as old as the world, but the most thrilling,
the most startling, the most stupendous
sacrifice OF all tlmo and eternity was on
bluff back OF Jerusalem when one Being took
upon Himself the sins, the agonies the per-
dItion OF great multitude that no man can
number between 12 o'clock of a darkened
noon and o. clock In the afternoon, purchas-
ing the ransom OF ruined world.
Dive In all the seas, explore all the mines.
crowbar all the mountains, view all the
crowned jewels OF all the emperors, and find
mo any gem that can so overw helmingly
symbolic that martyrdom rs the ruby.
Mark you, there are many gems that are
somewhat like the ruby. SO is the cornelian.
so IL the garnet, so Is the spinel so Is the
balas so the gems brought from among the
gravels OF Ceylon and New South Wales, but
there is only one genuine ruby, and that
comes from the mine OF Burmah. Andthere
Ia only one Christ, and He comes from
heaven. One Redeemer, one Ransom. one
Son OF God, only "one name given under
heaven among men by which we can be
saved"
Ten thousand times 10, 900 beautiful imita-
tions, of that ruby but only one ruby. Christ
had no descendant. Christ had no counter
part, In the lifted up grandeur and glory
ana love anu sympathy OF ms chttcteI Ho
IL the Incompatible, the Infinite One 'The
only wise God. our Saviour" Let all hearts.
all homes. all times, all eternities, bow low
before Him. Let His banner be lifted in all
our souls
In olden times Scotland was disturbed by
freel3ooters and pirates. To rid tho seas
and ports OF these desperadoes the hero
William Wallace fitted out merchant YES
sells, but filled II with armed men and put
out 70 sea. The pirates, with their flag In
scri ed OF deaths head, thinking they
would get an easy prize, bore down upon
| the sgcottish merchantman, when the armed
men of Wallace boarded the craft OF the
| pirates and put them In chains and then
sailed for port under the Scotch hag flying
And 10 our souls, assailed OF sin and death
and hell, through Christ are rescued, and
the black flag OF sin is torn down, and the
striped dag OF the cross Is hoisted. Blessed
be Cpd for any sign, for any signal, for an.
precious stone that brings 10 mind the price
paid for such rescue.
/ like the coral, for II seems the solidi fed
foam OF breakers, and II like the jasper, for
II gathers seventeen color5 into II,
bosom, and like the jet, for 1t compresses
the shadows OF many midnights, and l like