Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-10-24
NEW SERIES--VOL. Xxx. NO. Al.

All, yes, it is persecution to put you INF !
glorious company, and, while there are
many things that you will have to post
pone; to the future world for explanation.
OF your religion to unravel and explaaa
and interpret and illumine and irradiateS.,
Job was right. It is glorious transnar-t
ency. The crystal cannot equal It. -
L remark again that religion surpasses
the crystal in it's beauty. The lump Of
crystal = put under the magnifying glass
of the crystallographer, and he sees in it
indescribablee xquisiteness-snowdrift and.
splinters of hoarfrost and corals and
wreaths and stars and crowns and conste1s
lations of conspicuous beauty. The fact II
that crystal is SO beautiful that / can
think Of but one thing in all the universe
that is as beautiful, and that is the reli-
gion of the Bible. No wonder this Bible
represents that religion as the dayMeak,
as the apple blossoms. as the glitter Of
kings banquet. 1t is the JOY Of the
whole earth
People talk too much about their cross
ard not enough about their crown. Do
you know that the Bible mentions croas
but twenty-seven times, while it mentions
a crown eighty times? Ask that old man
what he thinks of religion. He has beer
close observer. He has been cultivating
an aesthetic taste. He has seen the sun
rises Of half century. He has been an
early riser. He has been an admirer of
canoes and corals and all kinds of beauti-
igion, and he viii tell you: It is the most
beautiful thing [ ever saw. The crystal
cannot equal it.
Beautiful in it's symmetry. When it
presents Gods character, it does not pre-
sent Him as having love like great pro-
tuberance on one side of His nature, but
makes that love in harmony with His JUS
tfcs--a love that will accept all those who
come to Him and justice that will BY
no means clear the guilty. Beautiful ref-
gion in the sentiment it implants! BeaN-
tiful religion in the hope it kindles! Beau
tiful religion in the fact that it proposes
to garland and enthrone and emparadiae
an immortal spirit! Solomon says it is .
lily. Paul says it is crown. The Apo
calypso says it is a fountain kissed of the
sun Ezekiel says it is a foliaged cedar.
Christ saws it is bridegroom come to
fetch home bride While Job IN che
text takes up whole vase Of precious
stones-the topaz and the sapphire and
the chrysoprasus-h takes out Of this
| it up until it CLEANS in the warm light Of
| the eastern sky, and he exclaims, sThe.
| crystal cannot equal it! s.
| Oh. it il not stale religion. it is not a.
stupid religion, it is not a toothlass bag, as
some seem to have, represented it, 1t is
not a Meg Merrilies with shriveled arm
come to scare the world. 1t is the tai-e5t
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 hlyz
Do you agree with Paul and say it is a
crown? Then let this hour be your coro-
nation. Do you agree with the ,Apoca..
lypse and say 1t is a springlng fountain.
| Then come and slake the thirst Of your
soul. Do you believe with Ezekiel and
say it is a foliaged cedar? Then come nn- ,
Christ and say it is bridegroom come to
fetch home d 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
it on your hand like ring, on your neck
like bead, on your forehead like star,
word, you acknowledge '"The crystal can
not equal it. ~
Again, religion is superior to the crystal
in its transformations. The diamcnt -
only a crystallization. Carbonate OF H1xe
rises till it becomes calcite or arageniis-
Red oxide of copper crystalizes into cubes
and octahedrons. Those crystals which
| acorn our persons anu our uO1uCS 0iAtA VSs
museums have only been resurrected from
| forms that were far from lustrous. Sc1en~
lists for ages have been examining these
| wonderful transformations. But tell
you in the gospel of the Son OF God there
is a more wonderful Transformation. Over
hard as iron God, by His comforting grace,
stoops and says, "They shall be Mine IN
the day when I make up My Jewels" :,
| "Oh," says some one, putting his hand
over his eyes, s'can it be that l who have
been in so much sin and trouble viii ever
come to those crystals?" Yes, it may be
it will be. Heaven we must have, Whist
ever we have or have not. and we come
here to get it. ''How much must | 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 cFys-
tai in the mountain will change your heart,
ise is, Il will take away your stony heart,
and will give you a heart of flesh"
"Oh," says some one, lit is just the
doctrine want God is to do everything,
and am to. do nothing" My brother, i
is not the doctrine you want. The coal
makes no resistance. 1t hears the resur-
rection voice in the mountain. and 1t
comes to capitalization, but your heart re-
sists. The trouble with you. my brother,
is the coal wants to stay coal.
do not ask you to throw open the door
and let Christ in. only ask that you
stop bolting it and barring it. My friends
we will have to get rid Of our sins. will
have to get rid Of my sins, and you viii!
|; have to get rid of your sins. What viii
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 nc
Transformation at all. Give sin full chance
in your heart, and the transformation vii
be downward instead of upward. Instead
: of crystal it will be cinder.
: In the days of Carthage Christian CIR
l was condemned to die for her faith, and .
boat was bedaubed with tar and pitch anf
filled with combustibles and set on fire
: and the Christian girl was placed in th'
8 boat, and the wind was. offshore, and tn
! boat foated away with it's precious treas
ure. No one can doubt that boat landed
? at the shore Of heaven. Sin wants to pu
! you in fiery boat and shove you of in a!
r opposite direction-of from peace. OF
7 from God, off from heaven. everlasting,
! off. and the port toward which You woul<
t sail would he a mort of, darkness, and tn