The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-17

- forest and field and with man made in Gods own image, all tell the same story of Gods love Of the beautiful.
 The Bible also. true to nature as 1t ever is. respresents God as a God of beauty When he orders anything to be made he orders if to be made beautiful. Aarons priestly garments and those of his sons were to be made flor glory and for beauty" The Tabernacle and the Temple and all their furnishings, the altars, the candle stick, the ark and the very curtains were to be spendidly beau- tiful, wrought in purple and gold. Even of the city on earth where he chose to put his name, it Is said, beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth Is Mount Zion the city of the great king.
 1t Is not mistake to have our churches beautiful, for 1t is said: Beauty and strength are in his sanctuary" It is not wrong to have our persons, our homes, our very garments beautiful, provided we are not prompted by spirit of pride and vain glory but by a desire to honor the God of beauty.
 For God himself is the consummation of all beauty. David says: "One thing I desired of the Lord, that will l seek after to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple" And long before Moses had prayed "Let the beauty of the Lord and God be upon us" And another of the old Hebrew sons exclaims: How great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty" And all the beauty on earth is simply a faint reflection of the beauty of Him who made 1t all.
 We are not surprised, therefore, to know that God wants his church to be beautiful, for 1t is the dearest thing on earth to him, as the apple of his eye, purchased in in- finite love by the death of His son, and so He says: Put on they beautiful gar ments Jerusalem
 Our second thought is the churchs beau tiful garments. What are they? What con- stitutes the church's beauty? Not the possession of a beautiful house of wor- ship, such as this in which we are assembled, though this is greatly to be prized; not culture and refinement. though these are not 10 be despised Let us get oui dHbntI tOuuJ run ihC npiR Oi God.
 Garments of Salvation.
 For he hath clothed me with the gar ments of salvation"-Isa. 6i:10. Again 1t is written: "He will beautify the meek with salvation"
 Salvation is then the first element in the church's beauty. The church is not a body of sinless beings, as some think; nor Is it merely vast hospital association for sln-sick and dying souls; 1t is not merely an educational agency, nor Is 1t select club for ethical culture or for musical or oratorcal entertainment. But It is body of sacred men and women, delivered out of the Kingdom of Satan into that of Gods eternal Son body of men and women possessing salvation from God 8 merciful hand, and commissioned to pass this salvation on to every perishing son of Adam who will receive 1t.
 Salvation is the chyrch's most precious treasure and richest ornament This diff ferentiates it from all other organizations among men. Lodges. clubs, fraternities. unions boast of the blessing they convey to men, and these are many But not one of them offer men salvation from the guilt and power of sin. This is left to the church. and 1t Is the churchs great set power with men; it comes to them with the offer of salvation, as if Is writ ten; How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brlngeth good tidlngs that publisheth peace. that bring eth good tidlngs of good things. that publsheth salvation" The church will lose her beauty and her strength when filled with unsaved people. or when she fails to go to a perishing world with Gods salvation.
 Robe of Righteousness.
 'He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness 61 10.
 Righteousness is rightness; and right ness in the state of being right with God and our fellowmen. No man or woman Is beautiful in the truest sense who is not right with God. and right with man. But how can sinful man be right with God? Only by an atonement for past guilt as taught in the types of the ancient Jewish religion and fulfilled in the atonement