Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 5.djvu/144

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THE WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS

Jesus before he condescended to become poor for thee. Behold him sitting upon his throne and declaring his own all-sufficiency. "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the cattle on a thousand hills are mine. Mine are the hidden treasures of gold ; mine are the pearls that the diver can not reach; mine every pre- cious thing that earth has seen."

But he had, besides, that which makes men richer still. We have heard of kings in olden times who were fabulously rich, and when their riches were summed up we read in the old romances, "And this man was possessed of the philosopher's stone, whereby he turned all things into gold." Surely all the treasures that he had before were as nothing compared with this precious stone that brought up the rear. Now, whatever might be the wealth of Christ in things created, he had the power of creation, and there- in lay his boundless wealth. If he had pleased he could have spoken worlds into existence; he had but to lift his finger, and a new universe as boundless as the present would have leaped into existence. At the will of his mind millions of angels would have stood before him, legions of bright spirits would have flashed into being. He spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. He who said, "Light be," and light was, had power to say to all things, "Be," and they should "be." Herein, lay his riches; this creating power was one of the brightest jewels of his crown. 120

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