Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-10-07


you in the gospel of the Son of God
there is a more wonderful transforma-
ton. 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 I
make up my jewels"
What" say you, will God wear
jewelry?" If 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 jew
elry. 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 heart that was pierced,
on the temples that were stung. '"They
shall be NINE" saith the Lord, Sin the
day when l make up my jewels"
Wonderful transformation! Where sin
abounded grace shall much more
abound. The carbon becomes the soil
taire. ''The crystal cannot equal it."
Now, l have no liking for those peo-
pie who are always charging in Chris
tan meetings about their early dissipa-
ton. Do not go into the particulars,
my brothers. Simply say you were
sick. but make no display of your ul-
GERS. The chief stock in trade of some
ministers and Christian workers seems
to be their early crimes and dissipa-
lions. The number of pockets you pick
ed and the number of chickens you
stole make very poor prayer meeting
rhetoric. Besides that, it discourages
other Christian people who never got
drunk or stole anything. But it is
pleasant to know that those who Were
farthest down have been brought high
est up. Out of Internal serfdom into
eternal liberty. Out of darkness into
light. From coal to the solitaire. "The
crystal cannot equal it,"
Light of the Gospel
But my friends, the chief transform
ing power 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 set
ting for these jewels of eternity! l
sometimes hear people representing
heaven in a way that is far from at
tractive TO me. 1t seems almost vul-
gar heaven as they represent it, with
great blotches Of color and bands of
music making a deafening racket. John
represents heaven as eXQuisitely beau
tiful. Three crystals. In one place he
says, Her light was like precious
stone, clear as crystal" In another
place he says, Il saw 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 atmosphere. That means
health. Balm of eternal June. What
weather after the worlds east wind!
No rack of stormclouds. One breath
of that air will cure the worst tubercle.
Crystal light on all the leaves; crystal
light shinmering on the topaz of the
temples; crystal light tossing in the
plumes of the equestrians of heaven on
white horses. But 1.-THE crystal cannot
equal it," John says crystal river.
That means JOY. Deep and ever roll
ing. 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 in
finite surface. But 1.-The crystal can
not equal it, John says crystal sea.
That means multitudinOusly vast, vast
in Mt CT n
deep as the sea, strong as the sea. ever
changing as the sea; pillows of light,
pillows of beauty, blue with skies that
were never clouded and green, with
depths that were never fathOmed; Arc
tics and Antarctics and Mediterra-
means and Atlantics and PacificS in
crystalline magnifcence. Three cryS-
tals-crystal light falling on a crystal
river, crystal river rolling into a crys-
tai sea. But "the crystal cannot equal
it,"
Happy transformation.
"Oh," says some one, putting his
hand over his eyes, "can it be that l
who have been in so much sin and trou-
BILE will ever come to those crystals"
Yes, it may bet will be. Heaven we
must have, whatever we have or have
not, and we come here to get it. "How
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 AL
mighty power that makes the crystal
in the mountain will change your heart,
which is harder than stone, for the
promise is, 81 will take away your
stony heart, and I will give you heart
of flesh.''
"Oh," says some one, sit is just the
doctrine 1 want. God is to do every
thing, and I am do nothing" My
brother, it is not the doctrine you want.