St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-11-02

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 1g-
natius, who, when he went out to be
destroyed by the lions, said: II am
the wheat, and the teeth of the wild
beasts must first grind me before
can become pure bread for Jesus
Christ" Or the company of such men
as shat 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 on! y
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 il 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."
I 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-snowdr 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 1
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 kings
banquet. It is the Joy Of the whole
earth.
People talk too much about their
cross and not enough about their
mentions cross but % times, while
it mentions q crown so times? Ask
that old man what he thinks of re-
ligion. He has been a 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: 1T is the most beautiful thing
I ever saw. The crystal cannot
equal it."
Beautiful in its symmetry. When it
presents Gods character, it does not
present Him as having love like great
protuberance on one side of His ma
ture, but makes that love in harmony
with His justice-a love that will ac-
cept all those who come to Him, and
justice that will by no means clear
the guilty. Beautiful religion in the
sentiment it implants! Beautiful re-
ligion in the hope it kindles! Beautiful
religion in the fact that it proposes to
garland and enthrone and emparadise
an immortal spirit. Solomon says it
is a lily. Paul says it is crown. The
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 q bride. While
Job in the text takes up whole vase
of precious stones-the topaz and the
sapphire and the chrysoprasus-he
holds 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 stale religion; it is not
! stupid religion; it is not toothless
bag, as some seem to have represented
it; it is not Meg Merrilies with shriv-
eled arm come to scare the world; it
is the fairest daughter of God, heiress
of all His wealth; her cheek the morn
ing 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 whatsoever
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
l crown? Then let this hour be your |
coronation. Do you agree with the
Apocalypse and say it is springing /
fountain? Then come and Stake the /
thirst of your soul. Do you believe
With Ezekiel and say it is foliaged
cedar? Then come under its shadow.
Do you believe with Christ and say it /
t bridegroom come to fetch home
bride? Then strike hands with your
Lord and King while pronounce you
,verlastingly one. Or you think with
lob that it is jewel, then put it on
7our hand like ring, on your neck
ike bead, on your forehead like a
tar, while looking into the mirror of
Gods word you acknowledge: "The
rystal cannot equal it."
Again, religion is superior to the
crystal in its transformations. The
|iamond is only crystallizati ton. Car
Donate of lime rises till it becomes cal