M ., .. . . -- '' - ! i i ii
6
CAPITAL CITY COURIER, SATURDAY APRIL 25, 1891.
WWtKWP5W'l''''Vl,'f TOW" " --""-
o
Lincoln, : N kuiaj?ka.
S25O.60O
A HMI.UANT KKLIGION.
Capital,
(JKyf.t iiiitl
SERMON
MADE
DELIVERED DY DR. TAL
ON SUNDAY, APRIL 19.
Dhett first
John II. WrlKlil. I'res. T. K. Hnmler. '.!
.1. ii. .Mcfiny, uaiinr.
A M ll'iiymomt, lll'l.mi, Tims L'oohrnu K
USIrer, Hun West. K lHlivliloii.
(tcncrnl llntiklng IIimIiicm Transacted.
Account Solicited.
Rttitbhhnl Iht. la, 1SS6.
.German National Bank
utxcor.. xint.
tt.
A Hili 4. ."T '!.
Capital Paid up, $100,000.00
Surplus . . . ' 25,000.00
Transacts a General Banking Business
lnc loiters of credit, ilniwilriids on nil parts
f the world. KnrolKii collections tt specialty.
Officers Hint Directors,
HKUMAN II. 80HAHKIIO, President.
C. 0. MUNHON, Vlco President.
JOHKI'll IIOKII t Kit, Ciinlilcr.
O. J. WM.t'UX, Assistant Cashier.
0. K. MONTOOMintY. AI.KX. IIAI.TKH
F. A.,IIOKIMKIt. It. J. IIIIOTHKItrON
WAI.TKUJ. IIAItltlH. J. A. IIUDKI.HON
Budge & Morris,
LEONARD
REFRIGERATORS,
QUICK HEAL.
GASANDGOLINE
Hot Air Furnaces,
Water Coolers,
Water Fil ers,
Gold Bronze and
Brass Bird Cases,
Builder's Hardware.
Rudge & Morris
1122 N Street.
"Tim Crydiil Ciinmil l)iml It" .tnh
xmt III, 7, lli r.iiilnvnt lllvlnn's Test.
Rllltii Ik l'nr Hupi-rliir tit Hit) Crys
tal In All lle.llulitii Uunlltlra.
Nkw Yoiik, April 10. Tho eagerness to
hear Dr. Talmago'a sermons nt Tim Chris
tlun llcrnlil services on Sunday iivenlngs
In thin city continues unabated. An usual,
tliuro was till evening n donso mass of
peoplo waiting outsldu the Academy of
Muslo long before tlio lintir for commence
mont, and every seat In thu Iiiiko building
was occupied In a fmv minute nftor tho
doom were opened. Dr. Tnlmiigu Imd
preached to mi Iiiiiiiuiinii nudlcnco In tho
morning In tlio Hrooklvn Acadmny of
Mimic II In text was, "Tlio crystal can
not Miinl It" (.Jolt xxvlll, 7).
Many of tlio precious stones of the HI Me
linvo como to prompt recognition. Hut
for tho present I tnkci up tho less valuable
crystal, .fob, In my toxt, compares saving
wImIoiii with nHpeclmuit of topiix. An In
lldel chemist or mineralogist would tiro-
iiouneu tho latter worth morn than tlio for
mer, but Job makes an Intelligent com
parison, looks nt religion nud then looks
nt tho crystal and pronounces tho former
im of superior vnliio to thu latter, uxuliilm
lug, In tho word of my text, "Tho crystal
cannot equal It."
TIIK HTA1I OK TIIK MOUNTAIN.
Now, It U not ii part of my sornionlo do.
luii to depreciate tho crystal, whether It
bo found In Cornish in I lie or Mart, moun
tain or Mammoth Cave or tinkling among
tho Hiidaiitn of tho chandelier of a palace.
The cryMtal Is tho Mar of tho mountain; It
In tlio queen of tho caves It Is tho eardrop
of thu IiIIIh; It lluds Its heaven In tlio dia
mond. Aiiioiik nil tho pae of natural
history thcru Is no page moro Interesting
to me than tho pigu erystnllogruphlo. Hut
I want to show you that Job was right
when, taking religion In onu hand and tho
crystal In tho other, lie declared that tho
former Is of far moro valuo and beauty
than thu latter, recommending It to all tho
pcoplonnd to all thu iikcm, declariiiK, "Thu
crystal cannot equal It."
In thu first place, I remark that religion
In superior to tho crystal In exactness.
That HluiielesN iiionh of crystal iiKalnst
which you accidentally diwheil your foot Ih
laid out with moro exactness than any
earthly city. Thero aro nix ntyles of crys
tallization, and all of them divinely or
dained, hvery crystal has mathematical
precision. God's geometry reaches throiiKh
It, and It Is a square, or It is a rectangle, or
It la a rhomboid, or in some way It hath a
mathematical IlKure. Now, religion beat
that In tho simple fact Hint spiritual accu
racy Is more lionutlful than material accu
racy. God'a attributes aro exact, God's
law oxact, God's decrees exact. God's
niaiiiiKumciit of thu world exact never
counting wrutiK, tlioiiKli ho counts tho
grass blades, and tho stars, and thu sands,
and tho cycles. Ills providences iiuvei
denlliiK with us perpendicularly whuu
thaso providences oiifsht to lw ol)ll()ue, nor
lateral when they ought to Iw vertical
KverythliiK in our life arranged without
any jiosslblllty of mistake. Knch llfo
six sided prism. Horn at tho right tlmu;
dying nt the right time. There aro no "hap
pen soV In our theology. If I thought this
was n slipshod universe I would go crazy.
God Is not nn aiiarcbUu I.aw, order, syin
metry, precision, a perfect siiare, a perfect
rectangle, a (erfect rhomboid, a erfect cir
cle. The edge of God's robo of government
never frays out. There are no loose screws
In tho world's machinery. It did not Just
happen thnt Napoleon was attacked with
Indigestion at Horodluoso that ho became
Incompetent for tho day. It did not Just
happen that John Thomas, tho missionary,
on a heathen Island, waiting for an outllt
and orders for another missionary tour,
received that outllt and thosu orders In a
box that floated ashore, while tho ship and
tho crew that carried the box were never
heard of. The barking of F. V. Robert
son's dog, ho tells us, led to a line of events
which brought him from tho army Into
thu Christian ministry, where ho served
God with world renowned usefulness. It
did not merely happen so. I believe in a
particular providence. I belluvo God's
geometry may bo seen in all our life more
beautifully than in crystallography. Job
was right. "The crystal cannot equal It."
TUB TltANSPAllKXCr OF1 UKLKIIOX.
Again I remark that religion is superior
to the crystal lu transparency. Wo know
not whuu or by whom glass was first ills-
covered. Meads of it have been fouud in
the tomb of Alexander Severn. Vases of
It are brought "up from the ruins of Her
culaheutn. There were female adornmeuta
madeostot It three thousand years ago
those adornmeuta round now attached to
the mummies of Egypt, A ureat many
commentators believes that my text means'
glass. What would wo do without the
crystal r The crystal in the window to
keep out tlio storm ami let lu the day; the
crystal over the watch defending Its dell
caU' machinery, yet allowing us to seo the
hour; the crystal of the telescope, by which
the astronomer brings distant worlds so
near he can lusjH'ct them. Oh, the tri
umphs of the crystals lu thu celebrated
windows of Hoiien and Salisbury!
Uut there Is u.ithlng so transparent in a
crystal as lu our holy religion. It is a
transparent religion. You put it to your
eye and you see mau-hls sin, his soul, his
destiny. You look at God and you see
something of the grandeur of his character.
It is a transparent religion. Infidels tell
us it is opaque. Do you know why thev
tell us it Is opaque? It Is because they are
blind. Tho natural man recelvcth not tho
things of God because they aro spiritually
discerned. There Is no trouble with thu
crystal; thu troubluls with the eyes which
try to look through It. We pray for wis
,l(jm, Iml, that our eyes might bo opened.
When the eye salve cures our blliuluess
then wo find that religion is transparent.
It is a transparent Hlblu. All thu mount
ains of thu Hiblu come out Slual, thu
mountain of thu law; Igah, thu mount
ain of prosecti Olivet, thu mountain of
Instruction; Calvary, thu mountain of sac
rifice. All tho rivers of thoHlblocomoout
Hidekel.ortherlverof paradisaical Iteuuty;
Jordan, or the river of holy chrism;
Chcrlth, or tho river of prophetic supply;
Nile, or the river of palaces, and the pure
river of life from uuder the throne, clear
aa crystal. While reading this Hlblo after
our eyes have been touched by grace we
And It all transuireut,nud the earth rocks,
now with crucifixion agony and now with
Judgmeut terror, and Christ appears In
some of his two hundred and fifty-six
titles, as far aa I can count them the
bread, tho rock, tlio captain, the comman
der, the conqueror, the star, and on and
bejoiul any capacity of mine to rehearse
them. Transparent religion!
I'llOVIUKKCK IS TKlUJCin.
llieprovldeuoe that seemed dark before
becomes pellucid. Now you find God is
not trying to put you down. Now you uu-
ilorstuml why you lost that child, ami wny
Jim lost your property; It was to prepare
you for eternal treasurei. And why sick
ness mine, It being thu precursir of Im
mortal Juvmiescencii. And now you un
derstand why tluiv lied about you and
tried to drlvu you hither and thither. It
was to put you In thu glorious company of
such men as Ignatius, who, when ho went
out to Imi destroyed by tho lions, snlili
"1 am thu wheat, and tho teeth of thu
wild Is-asta must first grind urn Iwforo
I can become pure bread for Jesus
Christ;" or tho company of such men ai
Polycarp, who. whuu standing In tho midst
of the amphitheater waiting for thu lions
to como out of their cavo and destroy him,
and tho pcoplu in tho galleries Jeering and
shout lug, "Tho lions for Polycarp," re
plied, "Ix-t them como on," ami then stoop
ing down toward tho cavo where tho wild
beast were roaring to get out, "I,et them
como on." Ah, yet, It Is persecution to put
you lu glorious company; and wlillo there
aro many things that voit will him. to
postponu to tho future world for explana
tion, I tell you that it Is tho wholu tumleiicy
of your religion to unravel and explain
and Interpret and Illumine nud Irradiate.
Job was right. It is a glorious transpar
ency. "Tho crystal cannot equal It."
I remark again that religion surpasses
tho crystal In It beauty. That lump of
crystal Is put under tho magnifying glass
of thocrystnllographer, and huseeslu it In
descrlbablo beauty snowdrift and splint
ers of hoar frost and corals and wreaths
nud stars and crowns and castullatlons of
conspicuous beauty, Thu fact Is that
crystal Ii so Inmiitlful that I can think of
but one thing lu all tlio universe that Is so
beautiful, and that Is tho religion of thu
Hlblu. No WOlldur tills Hlbln rmirioimilu
that religion as tho daybreak, as tho apple
uiiissoms, as mo guttur or a king's ban
quet. It Is tho Joy of thu whole earth.
TOO MUCH TALK OK TIIH CltOHH.
Peoplo talk too much about their cross
and not enough about thulr crown. Do
you know the Hlblo mentions a cross but
twenty-seven times, while It mentions a
crown ulghty times? Ask that old man
what he thinks of religion. Ho has been a
closo olisurver. Holms been cultiirlng an
lesthetlo taste. Ho has seen tlio sunrises of
a half century. Ho has Iweii an early riser.
Ho has been an admirer or cameos and
corals and all kinds of beautiful things.
Ask him what huthluks or religion, and he
will tell you, "It is tho most boautiriil
thing I ever saw." "Tho crystal cannot
equal tt."
Heaiitlful In Its sy etry. When it
presents God's character It does not pre
sent him its having lovo llkun grout pro
tiilierauco on ouo sldo of his nature, but
makes that lovo in harmony with bis
Justice a lovo that will accept all
thosu who como to him, and a Justice that
will by no means clear tho guilty. Heautl-
nil religion In tho sentiment It Implants!
licaullfiil religion lu tho bopo It kindles!
iieauuiui reiiginn intho ract that It pro
liases to garland and enthroiiu and umpar
adlso an Immortal spirit. Solomon says
It Is a Illy. Paul says It is a crown. Tho
Apocalypse says it Is a fountain kissed or
tho sun. Kzeklcl snys It Is a follaged cedar.
Christ says it is a bridegroom como to retch
homo a bride. Whllo Job in tho toxt takes
up a wholo vase or precious stones tho
tonas, and the sapphire, ami the chryso-prasiis-aud
be takes out or this beautiful
vase Just ono crystal, and holds It up until
It gleams In tho warm light of the eastern
sky, and ho exclaims, "Tlio crystal cannot
equal It."
Ob, tt is not a stale religion, it Is not a
stupid religion, it is not a toothless hag,
as some seem to have represented It; It is
not a Meg Merrlles with shriveled nrm
come to scare tho world. It Is tho fairest
daughter of God, huhessof all his wealth.
Her cheek tho morning sky; her voice tho
miisla of the south wind; her step tho
diinco of tho sen. Como mill woo her. Tho
Spirit ami thu brido say come, and whoso
ever will, let hlmcomo. Do you agree with
Solomon and say It Is a lily? Thou pluck
It and wear It over your heart. Do you.
agree with Paul and say It Is a crown?
Then let this hour Imj yourcorouatiuu. Do
you agree with tho Apocalypsu and say
It Is a springing fountain? Thon como
and slako thu thirst or your soul. Do you
believe with Kzokiul and suv It Is a full.
aged cedar? Then como unilor tU shadow.
Do you lielluvo with Christ and say it Is a
bridegroom como to retch homo a bride?
Then strike hands with your Ixinl the
King while I pronounce you everlastingly
one. Or ir you think with Job that It Is a
Jewel, then put It on your hand llku a ring,
on your neck llku a bead, on your forehead
like a star, whllo looking Into tho mirror
of God's Word you acknowledge "tho
crystal cannot equal It."
TIIK TUANSF01IMATION8 OP KKMUIOX. '
Again, religion Is sunerior in tin, rrnini
In lu transformations. The diamond Is
only a crystallization of coal. Carbonate
of Hinu rises till It becomes calcito or ar
agonlte. Ital oxldu or copper crystallizes
Into cubes and octohedrons. Thosu crys
tals which adorn our persons and our
homes and our museums have only lieen
resurrected rrom forms that were far rrom
lustrous. Scientists ror ages have been ex
amining these wonderful transformations.
Hut I tell you lu tho gospel of tho Son or
God there Is a moro womlurful transforma
tion. Over souls by reason of slu black as
coal and hard as Iron God by his comfort
ing grace stoops ami says, "They shall bo
initio lu the day when I make up my
Jewels."
"What," aay you, "will God wear Jewel
ryf" If he wanted It lie could mako tho
stars of heaven his belt ami have the even
ing cloud for the sandals of his feet, but
luj does not want that adornmeiit. Hu
will not havo that Jewelry. When God
want Jewelry he comes down and digs it
out or tho depths and darkness of sin.
These souls aro all crystallizations or
mercy. He puts them on, and ho wears
them In tho presence or the whole universe.
He wears them on thu hand that was
milled, over tlio heart that was pierced, on
tho temples that were stung. "They shall
Ihj inlne,"saith tho Utn, "in thu day when
1 make up my Jewels." Wonderful trans
formation! "The crystal cannot equal It."
There she Is, a waif of the street, but sho
shall Ihj a sister of charity. There ho Is, a
sot In the ditch, but hu shall preach thu
gospel. There, behind the birs of a prison,
but he shall reign with Christ forever.
Where slu abouuded grace shall much
more abound. The carlxm becomes tho
solitaire. "Thu crystal cannot equal lu"
IK) NOT CO INTO IWKTICUI.AII8.
Now, I havo no liking for thoso peoplo
who are always enlarging in Christian
meetings about their early dissipation. Do
not go Into the particulars, my brothers,
b inply say you were sick, but make mi
display of your ulcers. Tho chief stock in
trade. of some ministers and Christian
workers seems to Ihj their early crimes and
dissipations. The number of pockets you
picked and the number of chickens you
stole make very poor prayer meeting rhet
orlc. Hesldes that, it discourages other
Christian people who never got drunk or
stole anything-. Hut It is pleasant to know
that those who were farthest down have
been brought highest up. Out of Infernal
serfdom Into eternal liberty. Out of dark-
I nn.. l.it.t 1I..I., I.'mi... ......I ... .1 II. ..I...
..v, ...... iiHUf. inn, iimi III lilt S1HIU1IIU.
"Tho crystal cannot equal It,"
Hut, my friends, the chief transforming
power or thu gospel will not 1st seen lu this
world, ami not until heaven breaks upon
tho soul. When that light falls upon tho
soul then you will seo tho cryitals. Oh,
What a maglilllceut setting for these Jewels
of eternity! I sometimes hear peoplo rep
resenting heaven in a way that Is far from
attractive tome. It seems almost a vulgar
heaven as they represent It, with great
blotches of color and bauds or miislo mak
ing a deafening racket. John represents
heaven as exquisitely beautiful. Three
crystals. In one place ho says, "Her light
was llku a precious stone, clear as crystal."
In another place hu says, "1 saw a pure
river from under tho throne, clear as crystal."
In another place hu says, "Ileforu thu
throne there was a sea of glass clear as
crystal," Threo crystals! John says crys
tal atmosphere. That means health. Halm
of eternal Juno. What weather after tho
world's east wind! No rack or storm
clouds. Ono breath of that air will euro
tho worst tubercle. Crystal light on all
thu leaves. Crystal light shimmering on
the topaz or tho temples. Crystal light
tossing In tho plumes or the equestrians
or heaven on whltu horses. Hut "tho crys
tal cannot equal It." John says crystal
river. That means joy. Deep and ever roll
ing. Not ono drop or tho Thames or tlio
Hudson or thu Khltio to soil it Not ouo
tear or liiimau sorrow to Imbltter It. Crjs
tnl, tho ralu out or which It was made.
Crystal, tho bed over which It shall roll
and ripple. Crystal, Its Infinite surface.
Hut "tho crystal raunot equal it." John
ways crystal sea. That menus miiltltu
dlnoiisly vast. Vast lu rapture. Hapturo
vast as tho sea. deen as thu son. M rnntr im
thu sen, over changing as tlio sea. Hlllows
of light. Hlllows of beauty, blue with
skies that were nuver clouded and green
with depths that were never fathomed.
Arctics nud Antnretlcs and Mediterraneans
and Atlautlcs and Pacifies lu crystalline
mamilllceiico. Threo crystals crystal light
railing on n crystal river; crystal river roll
ing Into a crystal sea. Hut "tho crystal
cannot equal It."
IIKAVKS WK MUST IIAVK.
"Oh," says some ouo, putting his hand
over his eyes, "can It bo that I who havo
la-en In so much sin ami trouble will ever
como to thoso crystals?" Yes, It may le
It will Imj. Heaven wo must have, what
ever elso we havo or havo not, and wo como
hero to get It. "How much must I pay ror
lt" you say. You will pay ror It just as
much as the coal pays to liecomo tho dia
mond. In other words, nothing. Tho same
Almighty power that makes tho crystals
In thu mountains will change your heart
which Is harder than stone, for tho promise
Is, "I will tako away your stony heart and
I will glvo you a heart of flesh."
"Oh," says some one, "it is Just tho doo
trlnu I want. God is to do everything, and
I inn to do nothing." My brother, It Is not
tho doctrine you want. Tho coal makes
no resistance. It hears tho resurrection
voice lu thu mountain, and it comes to
crystallization, but your heart resists. Tho
trouble with you, my brother, is tho coal
wants to stay coal. I do not ask you to
throw open the door and let Christ In. I
only ask that you stop bolting it and bar
ring It. Oh, my friends, ,-o will havu to
get rid of our sins. I will havu to get rid
of my hIiis, mid you will havo to get rid of
your sins, wnat will wo do with our sins
among tho threo crystals? The crystal at
mosphere would display our pollution.
Tho crystal river would bo befouled with
our touch. Tho crystal sea would whelm
us with Its glistening surge. Transforma
tion now or no transformation at all.
Glvo sin full chanco in your heart and
tlio transformation will bu downward in
stead of upward. Instead or a crystal it
will bo a cinder. In tho days or Carthago
a Christian girl was condemned to die ror
her faith, ami a boat was bedaubed with
tar and pitch and filled with combustibles
and set on fire, and tho Christian girl was
placed lu tlio Iwat, ami the wind was otr
shore ami tho boat floated away with its
precious treasure. No ouo can doubt that
boat landed at the shore or Heaven.
Sin wnuts to put you in a llory boat and
above you oil lu nn opposite direction off
rrom peace, oir rrom God, off rrom heaven,
everlastingly off; and tho port toward
which you would sail would Ihj a port or
darkness, and tho guns that would greet
you would bo the guns or despair, and tho
flags that would wave nt your nrrlvnl
would bo the black flags of death. O, my
brother, you inustelther kill sin or sin will
kill you. It Is no wild exaggeration when
I say that any man or woman that wants
to Ihj saved may lie saved. Tremendous
cholcel A thousand peoplo aro choosing
tills moment lietweuu salvation and de
struction, between light and darkness, be
tween heaven and hell, between charred
ruin and glorious crystallization.
A FctUh Man.
Tho fetish man under any name is the
authority on all matters connected with
relations of iqaji to the unseen. He Is the
exorciser of spirits, the maker of charms,
and tho prescriber and regulator or all cer
emonial rites. He can discover who "ate
tlio heart" or tho elder who died but yes
terday, who it was who caused tho canoe
to upset and give threo lives to the croco
dilii and tho dark waters or tho Congo, or
even who blighted the palm trees or a vll
lage and dried up their sap, causing thu
supply or malafu, or palm wine, to raise,
or drovu away thu rain rrom a district ami
withered It fields or nguba (ground nuts).
All this Is within thu ken or thu Ngangn
Nklsl, ami he is appealed to on all thet-o
occasions to discover tho culprit by Ids In
sight into the spirit world, and baud him
or her over to tho Just chastisement or an
outraged community. This is tho only
substitute ror religion that tho African
savage jtossesses. Its tenets are vague and
unformulated, for with every tribe and
every district belief varies and rites am1
ceremonies are as diverse as the fancies of
tho fetish men who prescribe them. E. J.
Glave lu Century.
vMmi
II MIV IMIWKJMI
V
PEAD THIS T
SO ALSO DO
THOUSANDS
op-
Other People
Mtoje mis mtfOOR
ADVERTISEMENT f
n
lS!
l'llliolilitllly.
When eight Quaker ladles had an up
polntment, and seven were punctual, and
the eighth, lieiug threo minutes too late,
began apologizing for keeping tho others
waiting, thu reply from onu of them was:
"I am sorry, friend, that theo should
havo wasted thluo own threo minutes; but
thee had no right to waste twenty-one
more of our time, which was not tliiuu
own."
Of Washington It Is said that when his
secretary, on soniu Important occasion,
was late, ami excused himself by saying
nn ,,,i,i.i, i,B uu, siow, inu reply was:
"ou will have to get another watch
anouier secretary,"
i orl
Napoleon used to way to his marshal
"You may usk anything of mu
time. "-New York ledger.
but
Yra, Uu llouulit II.
Tom What a pretty rose! Where did
you get it?
Jack (boastfully) A lady gave it to me.
Tom (cruelly)-A saleslady? Puck.
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