Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-10-31

gion of the Bible. No wonder this Bible
represents that religion as the daybreak,
kings banquet. 1t is the JOY OF the
whole earth.
People talk too much about their cross
| and not enough about their crown. Do
you know that the Bible mentions cross
but twenty-seven times, while it mentions
| crown eighty times? Ask that old man
| what he thinks of religion He has been
| close observer. He has been cultivating
| an aesthetic taste. He has seen the sum
| rises of half a century. He has been on
| early riser. He has been an admirer of
canoes and corals and all kinds of beauti.
| full things. Ask him what he thinks of re-
ligion. and he will tell you: "It is the most
| cannot equal it."
Beautiful in its symmetry. When it
| presents Gods character, it does not pre-
| sent Him as having love like a great pro-
| tuberance on one side of His nature, but
makes that love in harmony with His JUS
| tice-a love that will accept all those who
come to Him and a justice that will by
no means clear the guilty. Beautiful rei-
gion in the sentiment it implants! Beau
| tiful religion in the hope it kindles Beau
tiful religion in the fact that it proposes
to garland and enthrone and emparadise
an immortal spirit. Solomon saws it is
| lily. Paul says it is a crown. The Apo
| calypso says it is fountain kissed Of the
| sun. Ezekiel says it is a foliaged cedar.
| Christ says it is bridegroom come to
fetch home bride. While Job in the
text takes up a whole vase of precious
stones-the topaz and the sapphire and
| the chrysoprasus-he takes out of this
beautiful vase just one crystal and holds
it up until it CLEANS in the warm light OF
the eastern sky, and he exclaims, "The
crystal cannot equal it"
Oh, it is not a stale religion. it is not
| stupid religion, it is not toothless hag, as
some seem to have represented it.; it is
not a Meg Merrlies with shriveled arm
come to scare the world 1t is the fairest
daughter of God, heiress of all His wealth,
her cheeks the morning sky, her voice the
music of the south wind, her step the
| dance of the sea. Come and WOO her.
The Spirit and the Bride say come, and
whosoeveerr will let him come. Do you
agree with Solomon and say it is lily?
Then pluck it and wear it over your heart.
Do You agree with Paul and say it is
crown? Then let this hour be your coro-
nation Do you agree with the Apoca-
lypse and say it is a springing fountain?
Then come and slake the thirst of your
soul. Do you believe with Ezekiel and
say it is a foliaged cedar? Then come un-
der its shadow. Do you believe with
Christ and say it is bridegroom come to
fetch home bride? Then strike hands
with your Lord and King while pro.
nounce YOU everlastingly one. Or if you
think with Job that it is jewel, then put
like bead. on your forehead like a star,
while, looking into the mirror of Gods
word, you acknowledge "The crystal can
not equal it."
What" say you, will God wear jew
elry?" If He wanted it He could make
the stars of heaven His belt. and have the
evening cloud for the sandals Of His feet
- l. i - i.
He will not have that jewelrv. When
God wants jewelry He comes down and
digs it out of the depths and darkness of
sin. These souls are all crystallizations of
mercy. He puts them on, and He wears
them in the presence of the whole uni
verse. He wears them On the hand that
was nailed, over the heart that was
pierced, on the temples that We're stung.
They shall be Nine" saith the Lord, "n
the day when / make up Nv Jewels"
Wonderful transformation! Where sin
abounded grace shall much more abound.
The carbon becomes the solitaire. "The
crystal cannot equal it."
Three crystals! John says crystal at.
mosphere. That means health. Balm of
eternal June. What weather after the
worlds east wind! No rack of storm
clouds. One breath OF that air will cure
the worst tuberce Crystal light on all
the leaves; crystal light shimmering on
|
tossing in the plumes of the equestrians
Of heaven on white horses. But "the
crystal cannot equal it." John says crys.
tai river. That means jor. Deep and
ever rolling. Not one drop of the Potomac
or the Hudson or the Rhine to soil it; not
one tear of human sorrow to imbitter it.
Crystal, the rain out of which it was made;
crystal, the bed over which it shall roll
and ripple; crystal, its infinite surface.
But "the crystal cannot equal it." John
says crystal sea. That means multitude
nously vast, vast in rapture, rapture vast
as She sea. deep as the sea, strong as the
sea, ever. changing as the sea; bilows OF
light, pillows of beauty. blue with skies
that were never clouded and green with
depths that were never fathomed; Arctics
and Antarctics and Mediterraneans and
Atlantics and Pacifcs in crystalline mag
nifcence. Three crystals - crystal light
falling on crystal river, crystal river
rolling into crystal sea. But "the crys.
tai cannot equal IT. >---,E, s;!!}fi y
"Oh," says some one, putting his hand
over his eyes, "can it be that | who have
been in so much sin and trouble will ever
come to those crystals" Yes, it may be-
it will be. Heaven we must have, what
ever we have or have not, and we come
here to get it. 'How much must l pay
as much as the coal pays to become the
diamond. In other words, nothing. The
same Almighty power that makes the crys-
tai in the mountain will change your heart,
which is harder than stone, for the prom
ise is, 81 will take away your stony heart,
and will give you heart of flesh"
"Oh," says some one, sit is just the
doctrine I want. God is to do everything,
and am to do nothing" My brother, it
is not the doctrine you want. The coal
makes no resistance. 1t hears the resur-
rection voice in the mountain, and it
comes to crystalization, but your heart re-
ssts The trouble with you. my brother,
is the coal wants to stay coal.
l do not ask you to throw open the door
and let Christ in. l only ask that you
stop bolting it and barring it. My friends,
We will have to get rid OF our sins. l will
have to get rid of my sins, and you will
have to get rid of your sins. What will
we do with our sins among the three
crystals? The crystal atmosphere would
display our pollution. The crystal river
would be befouled with our touch. Trans
formation must take place now or no
transformation at all. Give sin full chance
in your heart, and the transformation will
be downward instead of upward. Instead
of a crystal it will be a cinder.
In the days of Carthage Christian girl
f-.A IL y