16. The worth of money hoarded or spent unnecessarily, contrasted with
the worth of souls as gems in the Saviour's crown. The true value of
wealth as a worldly good we fully appreciate. It contains no hidden
excellence which the circumstances of life conceal. But the true glory
of a soul redeemed the mists of time obscure. Our attachment to the
world and the hallucinations growing out of it, prevent its full
appreciation. But soon all this illusion will vanish. Both will stand
before us in their true light. One will be seen to be vanity as it is;
the other to possess a worth which no language can express:--a worth
consisting not merely of the endless blessedness and glory it is itself
capable of enjoying, but also of the glory that will redound to the
adorable Trinity through its redemption. Take a position most favorable
for its true estimation. Transplant yourself into the heavenly state;
contemplate a blood-washed soul in all its peace, its joy, it
ravishment, as it circulates about the throne of love, approaching
nearer and nearer to its blissful centre, constantly increasing in
capacities, and more and more joyful in its high hallelujahs, till it
shall enjoy more blessedness in a single hour, than Gabriel has enjoyed
since the moment of his creation. Behold it, as it shines, a star, in
the Saviour's diadem; gaze upon it purifying and brightening there as
revolutions of eternity's time move on, till it shall attract the
admiration of the heavenly throngs, and call forth from their wondering
harps symphonies louder and more rapturous than have yet been heard in
that world of sweetest hosannahs. The comparative worth of money
hoarded or wasted, and the of the ransomed soul to itself, to the
Saviour who redeemed it, to the adoring hosts whose fruitions are
enhanced by the displays of grace evinced in its redemption, will be
then clearly seen. Oh, how trifling will that money which has been
squandered or grudgingly withheld from charity then appear, contrasted
with the results in glorified souls of what was cheerfully and