"Of no account? Never say that again. Rather pray as a good man of old prayed, 'When Thou comest to number up Thy jewels, remember that I cost Thee as dear as any.'
"Yes, dear friends, this should be your exulting cry. 'Poor I may be, of no account in the eyes of men, but God loves me, Jesus died for me, the Holy Spirit deigns to dwell in me, and though here I own not a foot of earth, I can claim a share in a heavenly inheritance.' I am one of the Lord's jewels.
"Not one of the sparkling diamonds so valued and guarded here can be carried out of the world by those who possess them whilst here. They are of no account beyond the grave.
"But the jewels of the Lord have an eternal value, and will be safe in His keeping for ever and ever. No chance of their being lost or carried away from the heavenly treasure-house, for there 'thieves cannot break through nor steal.'
"I should like to say just a word about shams before I finish. I daresay you know that there are such things. Every kind of precious stone is imitated, and it needs a practised eye to tell the sham from the real thing. The jewellers know the difference at a glance, because they have experience, and are in the secret of their manufacture. And if you were to buy some of these shams, you would find them out in a little time, because they cannot stand wear and tear, and keep bright like the real things. The real diamond cannot be scratched, and can only be polished with its own dust, the sham one can be scratched with any rough surface it comes against.
"So, dear friends, there are real Christians and imitations. The shams moving to and fro in the world are often mistaken, at first, for the genuine articles. But, as the jeweller's experienced eye knows the true, precious stone, even in the rough, so God knows His own jewels, however poor may be their surroundings and humble the place they occupy. He sees hearts and reads thoughts. Man may mistake them. God never.
"But there is always a fear that sham Christians may mislead those who know no better, and who have not yet learned what is meant by the 'grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.' When they see that the bright outside disappears in the time of trial and temptation, and that they are no better than those who do not profess to follow Christ, they say that there is nothing real in religion. They scoff at it, and declare they would rather be without it, than pretend to be better than their neighbours, while they are only hypocrites.
"Dear friends, remember this. No matter how many imitations may be made, they cannot alter the value of the real diamond. Its beauty and lustre remain the same when hundreds of years have passed away. It is the same with the Lord's jewels. As the cutting down and grinding and polishing that the diamond has to go through makes it shine the more, and take a lustre which time cannot alter, so do the troubles and trials of the world affect those who are God's children in Christ Jesus. If only the mind be in any of us that was in Him, trouble will bring it out more plainly. We see the stuff men are made of when trial comes. The Spirit of the Master shines in the lives of His disciples.
"Eternity cannot alter the glory of the Lord's jewels, for, when the hypocrites have received their portion, 'Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.'"
The preacher paused a moment, then gave out the hymn, "Just as I am, without one plea," which was sung with deep feeling by most of those present. Then, with a brief prayer that each soul not yet surrendered to the Holy Spirit's influence might yield thereto, and thus come to Jesus, the meeting closed.