Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-10-10

CHRISTIAN martyr who, when standing
in the midst of the amphitheater wait
ing for the lions to come out of their
cave and destroy him and the people
in the galleries jeering and shouting,
"The lions!" replied, Let them come
on" and then. STOPPING down toward
the cave. where the wild blasts were
roaring to get out, again cried, Let
them come on" All, yes. it is perse-
cution to put you in glorious company
and while there are many things you
will have to postpone to the future
world for explanation 7 tell you that
it is the whole tendency of your relig-
ion to unravel and explain and inter-
pref and Illuminated and iradiate. Job
was right. 1t is a glorious traspar-
ency. The crystal cannot equal it."
Harmony and Symmetry.
Beautiful in its symmetry. When
1t presents Gods character it does not
present him as having love like grea,
protuberance on one side of his nature,
but makes that love in harmony with
his justice-a love that will accept all
those who come to him, and a justice
that will by no means clear the guilty.
Beautiful religion in the sentiment 1t
implants! Beautiful religion in the
hope 1t kindles! Beautiful religion in
the fact that 1t proposes to garland
and enthrone and emparadise an i'm
mortal spirit. Solomon says it is a
lily. Paul says it is a crown. The
Apocalypse says it is fountain kissed
by the sun. Ezekiel says it is a
foliaged cedar. Christ says it is a
bridegroom come to fetch home a
bride. While Job in the text takes up
a whole vase OF precious stones-the
topaz and the sapphire and the chryso-
prasus-he holds out of this beauti-
full vase just one crystal and holds 1t
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 tooth
less bag. as some seem to have repre-
sented 1t; 1t Is not a Meg Merrilies
with shriveled arm come to scare the
world; it is the fairest daughter of
God. heiress OF all his wealth; her
cheek the morning sky, her voice the
music of the south wind, her step the
dance of the sea. Come end WOO her
The Spirit and the Bride say come.
and whatsoever will, let him come. Do
you agree with Solomon and say 1t is
lily? Then pluck 1t and wear it over
your heart. Do you agree with Paul
and say it is crown? Then let this
hour be your coronation. Do you agree
with the Apocalypse and say 1t is
springing fountain? Then come and
slake the thirst of your soul. Do you
believe with Ezekiel and say IL is a
foliaged cedar? Then come under its
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
l pronounce you everlastingly one. Or
IL 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 look
ing into the mirror of Gods word you
acknowledge, THE crystal cannot
equal it,
Superior to Crystal.
Again, religion is superior to the
crystal in its transformations. The
diamond is only capitalization. Car
Donate of lime rises till 1t becomes
calcite or aragonite. Red oxide OF
copper crystallizes into cubes and
octahedrons. Those crystals which
adorn our persons and our homes and
our museums have only been resur-
rected from forms that were far from
lustrous. Scientists for ages have
been examining these wonderful trans
formations. But tell you in the Cos
pei 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, by his comforting
grace, stoops and says, "They shall be
mine in the day when l make up my
jewels"
what" say you. ''Will God wear
jewelry?" II he wanted it, he could
make the stars of the heaven his belt
and have the evening cloud for the
sandals of his feet, but he does not
Wdut that Ilc Will uOl
have that .jewelry. 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 universe. He wears them on
the hand that was nailed, over the
orf hot mic a
Piles that were stung. They shall be
mine" saith the Lord, 'in the day
when I make up my Jewels" Wonder
full transformation! Where sin
abornded grace shall much more
abound. The carbon becomes the soli-
taire. THE crystal cannot equal it,"
Now, / have no liking for those peo-
tian meetings about their early dissi-
patton. Do not go into the particu-
lars, my brothers. Simply say you
were sick, but make no display of
your ulcers. The chief stock in trade
of some ministers and Christian work.
ers seem to be their early crimes and
designations. The number of pockets
you picked and the number of chick
ems you stole make very poor prayer
meeting rhetoric. Besides that, 1t dis
courages other Christian people who
never got drunk n stole anything. But
1t is pleasant 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 it,"