The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-11-07

Sd1fc CuIcS OuT DIluuuCSS, Uucu we uuG
that religion is transparent.
The providence that seemed dark
before becomes pellucid. Now you
find God is not trying to put you
down. Now you understand why you
lost that child and why you lost your
property. 1t was to prepare you for
eternal treasures. And why sickness
came, it being the precursor of i'm
mortal juvenescence. And now you
understand why they lied about you
and tried to drive you hither and
thither. 1t was to put you in the
glorious company of such men as Ig-
natius, who, when he went out to be
destroyed by the lions, said: 81 am
the wheat, and the teeth of the wild
beasts must first grind me before I
can become pure bread for Jesus
Christ" Or the company of such men
rs "that ancient Christian martyr"
who, when standing in the midst of
the amphitheater waiting 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 ONT"
and then, STOPPING down toward the
cave where the wild beasts were roar
| ing to get out, again cried: 'Let
them come on!" All, yes, it is perse-
cution to put you in glorious COM
pany, and while there are many
things that you will have to postpone
to the future world for explanation,
tell you that it is the whole tend
ency of your religion to unravel and
explain and interpret and illumine
and irradiate. Job was right. 1t is
a glorious transparency. "The crys-
tai cannot equal it,
remark again that religion sur
passes the crystal in its beauty. The
lump of crystal is put under the mag
nifying glass of the crystallograph-
er and he sees in it indescribable ex-
quisiteness-snowdrift and splinters
of hoar frost and corals and wreaths
and stars and crowns and constella-
tions of conspicuous beauty. The fact
is that crystal is so beautiful that I
can think of but one thing in all the
universe that is as beautiful, and
that is the religion of the Bible. No
wonder this Bible represents that re-
ligion as the daybreak, as the apple
blossoms, as the glitter of a kings
banquet. 1t is the joy of the whole
earth.
People talk too much about their
cross and not enough about their
crowns. Do you know that the Bible
mentions cross but 27 times, while
it mentions a crown 80 times? Ask
that old man what he thinks of re-
lgion. He has been close observer.
He has been cultivating an esthetic
taste. He has seen the sunrises of
half century. He has been an early
riser. He has been an admirer of
canoes and corals and all kinds of
beautiful things. Ask him what he
thinks of religion, and he will tell
you: 'It is the most beautiful thing
I ever saw. The crystal cannot
equal it."
Again, religion is superior to the
crystal in it's transformations. The
diamond is only capitalization. Car
Donate of lime rises till it becomes cal
cite or aragonite. Red oxide of copper
crystallizes into cubes and octahed-
rons. Those crystals which adorn our
persons and our homes and our mu-
seums have only been resurrected from
forms that were far from lustrous.
Scientists for ages have been examin.
ing these wonderful transformations
But I tell you in the Gospel Of the Son
of God there is more wonderful trans.
formation. 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 make up my jewels"
"What!" say you. "Will God wear
jewelry?" If He wanted it, He could
make the stars of the heaven His
belt and have the evening cloud fol
the sandals of His feet, but He does
not want that adornment. He will
not have that jewelry. When GOO
wants jewelry He comes down and
digs it out of the depths and dark
ness of sin. These souls are all crys
tallizations of mercy. He puts them
on, and He wears them in the pres
ence of the whole universe. He wears
them on the hand that was nailed
over the heart that was pierced, OIL
the temples that were stung. "They
shall be mine," saith the Lord, ''ir
the day when make up my jewels.
Wonderful transformation! Where
sin abounded grace shall much more
abound. The carbon becomes the sol
itaire. "The crystal cannot equal it.
Now, have no liking for those peo
pie who are always enlarging il
Christian meetings about their earl,
dissipation. Do not go into the par
ticulars, my brother. Simply sa,
you were sick, but make no displa,
of your ulcers. The chief stock ii
! trade of some ministers and Chris
tian workers seems to be their earl,
crimes and dissipations. The mum
ber of pockets you picked and tn
number of chickens you stole max
very poor prayer meeting rhetoric
/ Besides that, it discourages othe