The free press., 1894-03-01
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Rubies Surpassed"

You have all seen the precious stone com
monty called the ruby. 1t is OF deep rec
| color. The Bible makes much of it. |
| glowed in the first row of the high priest
| breastpIate, Under another name it stooc
| in the wall OF heaven. Jeremiah compare:
| fhe ruddy cheek ofthe Nazarites to the ruby
| Ezekiel points it out in the robes OF the kin:
| of Tyre -Four times does Solomon use it a.
a symbol by which to extol wisdom or relig
| ion. always setting its value as better thar
| ruhies.
The world does not agree az to how tht
| precious stones were formed. The ancients
| thought that amber WAS made OF drops o.
perspiration of the goddess Ge. The thur
derstone was supposed to have dropped from
stormcloud. The emerald was said to
have been made Of the FREELY. The lapis
lazuli was thought to have been born of the
cry of an Indian giant. And modern MIN
eralogists say that the precious stones were
made of gases and liquids. To me the ruby
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 the
Rubies' Under careful Governmental
guard are these valuable mines of ruby kept
Rarely has any foreigner visited them. When
a ruby of large value was discovered, it was
brought forth with elaborate ceremony, a
procession was formed. and, with all ban
nered pomp military guard and princely at
tendants. the gem was brought to the king s
palace
OF great value is the ruby, much more so
than diamond, rs lapidaries and jewelers.
will Tell Won. An expert on this subject
writes. "a ruby OF perfect color weighing
five c:,rats IS worth at the present day ten
times as much as a diamond OF equal weight. ="
1t was n disaster when Charles the Bold lost
the ruby he was wearing at the battle of
Grandson. 1t was great affiuence when
Rudolph ii of Austria inherited ruby rom
his sister. the queen dowager. 1t was thought
to have had much to do with the victory OF
Henry V. as he wore it into the battle OF
Agincourt.
1t is the pride OF the Russian court to own
the 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 IFS
double six sided prisms. What shall call
it? 1t is frozen fire. 1t is petriied blood
In all the world there is only one thing more
valuable and mytext makes the comparison.
"Wisdom is better than rubies.
But it is impossible to compare two things
together unless there are some points OF sim
ilarity as well as of difference. | am glad
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 auornmeHt. HOW tHo TuDleS grow
and burn and flash rs the lights lift the dark
ness Catherine of Aragon had on her finger
a ruby that fairly anterned the night.
Sir John Vaudeville, the celebrated trav-
eler of 400 years ago. said that the Emperor
of China had ruby that made the night as
bright as day. The probability is that Solo
mon. under some of the lamps that illumined
his cedar palace by night. noticed the pecu
liar glow OF the ruby as it looked in the hilt
If ri bup N al pf bo lr,
holstery, or beautifed the lip of some chalice,
while he was thinking at the same time of
the excelency OF our holy religion as chiefly
seen III the night of trouble. and he cries out,
''Wisdom is better than rubies.'
oh. yes. it is a goo thing to have religion
while the sun of prosperity rides hign and
is brilliant in fortune. in health.
in worldly favor. Yet you can at such time
hardly tell how much of it is natural exuber-
ance and how much of it is the grace of God
But let the sun set. and the shadows ava
lanche the plain, and the thick darkness Of
sickness or poverty or persecution or mental
exhaustion fill the soul and fill the house
and ill the world then you sit down by the
lamp OF Gods word, and under its light the
OF the gospel come out the
peace OF Gcd which passeth all understand
ing appears. You never fully appreciated
their power until in the deep night oftrouble
the Divine Lamp revealed their exquisite
,oar pnorlo i ,,,,o+h,-,., c. Al, L., -.
f; ca on. ioi 'no u'y' 'u'
u,'i1s .m foi H. .ne ,,o p;,>,o ..4 :,
sor,,a 1ra, NV tbo nsena,,oant e ns , n.isfnIt m
Cs VIZ tto .n9 G;1 u
u, ", .iie ioo ps",ihn Vi H"'Iu d. ieesl ninety
'i'1, anuue ~ 'iouY,e. A.cio arc 9ISl,nss IA
oaoiy w. Winu al aeai' ~ esis pioon. anu
@ @panSs III eseiy AR; 1t was orlBlnaily pro
PUssu ~ caii tne iresp,eht Iesioehce a'
=, Ma9n,nSton ,.' ,,So >; ihe Laidce ol tne EAecu-
.Ne hahs.on, put 'ite, !! was ueetroyeu III
,ne war oi lolf anu reoollt III was paihteu
wh,'e 10 cover up the nlarEs Vi .ne sll'oke
anu nre tIlat iiau piackeneu NE stone waiis;
,,onoe :. was o"''ou ne "nno iiouSe'
4uos' oi thlhgs now wh,.e WIN atirac'iVehess
Were ohce piack WIN uisas'sr,
"hat the woriu most needs is tne consoia-
tory ana mere II comes, our hoiy rehgloh,
w'th poth hahos luli Oh ahoayhes ana seda-
tiVes ana paisaihs, rs IN Dnhiei time 10 stop
mouths leohihe as III ohaoracn time 10
cool piast furnaces as IN EZekleis time 10
console captivity as IN 81. John S time 10
uhroii an apocalypse over rocky desoiatlons.
near us soothihg voice as IL declares
weeping may endure ior nISnt, put Joy
cometh III the morning. Inc mohtaihs
snail depart ana the mis- pe removed. put
MY iovlng kinGness snali not depart from
you. Whom the Lord loveth he chas-
tenetn. lhey shall munger no more
neltDer tnlfSt any more, neltner SNAIL Lnt