The times., 1898-01-17
CRAhDEURS OF The RUBY
Subject of Yesterdays Sermon by
Reverend Doctor TaImage.
Tenth Sermon OF the Course on God
EyerywLere-Solo Wis.
dem EXsoiled.

l4le subject OF III OiS-
| course. delivered at the First Presby-
terian church yesterday morning. was
"Mineralogy of the Bible; or, God
Among the Precious Stones" the text
| upon which the sermon was based be-
| ing Proverbs viii:I1-"Wisdom is bet
ter than rubies."
| The pastor, in opening his discourse,
pure ruby, which he said is more
beautiful in the night and under the
| lampiight than by day"
The probability is that Solomon,
! under some OF the lamps that illumi-
| mated his cedar palace by night, no.
ticed the peculiar glow of the ruby as
it looked in the hilt of a sword, or
hung in some fold of the upholstery, or
beautified the lip of some calice, While
he was thinking at the same time of
the eyceilency of our holy religion as
chiefly seen in the night of trouble, and
he cries out: Wisdom is better than
rubieS.'
Il am sure said the preacher, that
Solomon was right in saying that reli-
gion, or wisdom, is better than rubies.
from the fact that thing is worth
what il will fetch. Religion will fetch
solid happiness. and ruby will not.
Il like the coral" said he. for il
seems the solidified foam Of breakers,
and l like the jasper, for it gathers
seventeen colors into its bosom, and j
like the jet for it congresses the shad
ows of many midnights, and / like the
chrysolite, for its waves of color which
seem on fire. But this morning moth
ing 50 impresses me as the ruby, for il
depicts, II typifieS. it suggests the
blood of Jesus Christ that cleanseth
from all sim; Without the shedding of
blood there is no remission. Yea, Sol
ONION was right when he said: Wis
dom is better than Tubies.'
To bring out "a contrast that will
illustrate my teNt put before you two
last earthly scenes. The one Is in
room with rubies. but no religion; and
the other in a room with religion, but
no r,lbies. You enter the first room.
where an affiuent and worldly man is
about to quit this life. There is a ruby
on the mantel, possibly among the
vases. There is a ruby in the head
dress of the queenly wife. on the fin
ger Of the dying man there is ruby.
The presence of these rubies implies
opulence of ali kinds. But the man has
no religion: never has had, and never
professed TO have. There is not BIZ
bic or one religious book in the room
The departing man feels that his
earthly career is ended and nothing
opens beyond. Where he viii land step
ping off from this life is a mystery, or
whether he viii land at all, for ii may
be annihilation. 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. Mid
night of utter hopelessness drops on
ali the scene.
Another room Of mortal exit. Reli-
gion and no rubieS. She never had
money enough to buy one of these ex-
quisites. Sometimes she stopped at
jewelers. shop window and saw row
of them incarnadining the velvet She
had keen taste enough to appreciate
those gems. but she never owned one
of them. She was not jealous or un-
happy because others had Tubies while
she had none But she had richer
treasure, and that vas the grace of
God that had comTorted her along the
way amid bereaNementS. and tempta-
tions. and prosecutions. and sicknesses,
and prinations, 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 q strange and yiViu glow IN
the room. not the light of chandelier,
of star. of MONDAY sun, but some
thing that outshines all OF them.
She sees the wall that has jasper at
the base. and amethyst at the top, and
blood-red rubies between. Goodbye,
sweet soulI Why should you longer
stay? Your work all done, your bur
dens all carried, your tears all wept!
Forward into the light! Up into the
joy, Out into the grandeurs! And af-
ter 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 of years ago he as
serted in this mornings teXt-'Wisdom
is better than rubeS.'
In those FURNISHED palaces of our
God may we all meet. For | confess
to you that my chief desire for heaven
is not the radiance. or to take the sug-
gestion of the text, not the rubescence
of the scene. My one idea of heaven
is the place to meet old friends God,
our best friend, and our earthly friends
already transported. There we will
talk over our earthly failures and sue
cesses. and our honest work, however
poor it might have been, will be di-
vinely recognized.
And, once there, our sins all par
doned. our sorrow banished, never to |
weep, never TO part, never 10 uie-
tell you that Will be better than ruhies.
Others may have the crowns. and the |
thrones, and the scepters; give us our |
old friends back again, Christ. the |
friend who sticketh closer than a |
brother and all the kindred who have |
gone Ilp from our bereft households. |
and you may have all the rubies. for |
that will be better than rubieS. In |
stead of the dying kiss when they look !
ed so pale and wan and sick, it will be |
the kiss of welcome on lips jubilant /
with song, while standing on floors |
paved with what exquisiteness, under |
ceilings hung with what glory, bound |
ed bv walls facing us with what splen- /
dor. amid gladness rolling over us with !
what doxology. Far better, infinitely I
better, everlastingly better than ru-
bies.'