The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-10-23

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cannot equal it,
Bcautiiu, in its symmetry. hen IL
nresents Gods character. it does not pre-
sent Him as having love EEe greae pro-
| tuherance en- one side OF his nature nue
| makes that love in harmony WIN his JIls-
| tice-a love that will accent all those who
come to Him and Justice that Will ny
| no means clear the guilty. Beautiful rell'
eion in the sentiment it lEplants 6eau
| tiful religion in the nose 1t klndies! Beau
| tiful religion in the fact that 1t proposes
| to garland and cnthrone and emparaaise
an immortal spirit! Solomon saws 1t IS a
| EIv Paul saws it is a crown. The Apo
| calvpse saws it is fountain kissed of the
sur. Ezekiel saws it is a foliaged cedar.
| Christ scys it is 4 bridegroom come to
fetch home a bride. While Job in the
teyt takes ND whole vase of precious
sfones-the topaz and the sapphire and
| the chrvsoprasus-he takes out OF this
| beautiful vase lust one crystal and holds.
il up until it CLEANS in the warm light 1T, OF
the eastern sky, and he eXclalms, 1ne
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,, 1T IS
come to scare the world 1t is the falrest
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
whosoever will let him come. do YOU
agree with Solomon and say it is a lily!
Then pluck it and wear it over your heart.
Do you agree with Paul and say 1t IS
crown? Then let this hour be YOU. coro-
nation. Do you agree with the Apoca..
lvpse and say it is a sprlngIng fountain:
Then come and sake the thirst of your
soul, Do YOU believe with Ezekiel and
saw it is foliaged cedar? Then come un-
der it's shadow. Do YOU believe with
Christ and say it is bridegroom come to
fetch home a bride? Then strike hands
with your Lord and King while :! pro-
nounce YOU everlastinely one. Or if you
think with Job that it is jewel, then put
it on your hand like a ring. on your neck
like bead on your forehead like a star,
while, looking into the mirror of Gods
word, you acknowledge "Tne crystal can
not equal it"
AGAIN. religion is superior to the crystal
in it's transformations. The dlamond Is
only a crystallization. Carbonate of lime
rises till it becomes calcite or aragenite.
Red oxide of copper crystalizes into cubes
and octahedrons Those crystals which
adorn our persons and our homes and our
museums have only been resurrected from
forms that were far from lustrous. Sclen-
lists for ages have been examining these
wonderful transformations. But l tell
YOU in the gospel of the Son of God there
is a more wonderful transformation. Over
souls BY reason of sin black as coal and
hard as iron God, bv His comforting grace,
stoops and SAYS, t'They shall be Nine In
the day when make up My jewels"
NJ
eiry?" II He wanted it He could make
the stars of heaven His belt. and have the
evening cloud for the sandals of His feet.
But He does not want that adornment.
He will not have that jewelry. When
God wants iewelrv He comes down and
digs it out of the depths and darkness of
sin. These souls are all crystallizatlons OF
mercy. He puts them or, 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 were stung.
''They shall be Nine" saith the Lord, I'm
Wonderful transformation! Where sin
abounded grace shall much more abound.
The carbon becomes the solitaire. 1.-The
CRYSTAL cannot equal it."
Now, I have no liking for those people
who are always enlarging in Christian
meetings about their early dissipations.
Do not go into the particulars, my broth
ers. Simply say you were sick, but make
no display of your ulcers. The chief stock
in trade of some ministers and Christian
workers seems to be their early crimes
and dissipations. The number of chickens
you stole make very poor prayer meeting
rhetoric. Besides that, it discourages
other Christian people who never got
drunk OF stole anything. But it is pleas,
ant to know that those who were farthest
down have been brought highest up. Out
of Internal serfdom into eternal liberty.
Out OF darkness into light. From coal to
the solitaire. "The crystal cannot equal
But, nv friends, the chief Transforming
mower of the gospel will not be seen in
this world and not until heaven breaks
upon the soul When that light falls upon
the soul, then YOU will see the crystals.
What a magnificent setting for these jew.
els of eternitv! I sometimes hear people
representing heaven in a way that is far
from attractive to me. 1t seems almost
vulgar heaven as they represent it. with
great blotches Of color and bands of music
making a deafenirg racket. John repre-
sents heaven as eXquisitely beautiful.
Three crystals! In one place ne says,
"Her light was like precious stone. clear
as crystal" In smother place he saws, 'T
saw a pure river from under the throne,
clear as crystal" In another place he
says. Before the throne there was a sea
of glass clear as crystal"
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 tubercle. Crystal light on all
the leaves; crystal light shimmering on
the topaz of the temples; crystal light
tossing in the plumes of the eouestrians
OF heaven on white horses. But "the
crystal cannot equal it." John says crys::
tai river. That means joy. 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;
ooh" 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, GLOW much must l pay
for it," you say. You will pay for it just
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.