Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-06-24
WHOLE NO. S,g4O.
Beautiful Extract from sermon OF
Bishop Marvin.

~&~A@"R ANAfAA fA~A@
When l was a mere child, in new
region of country in the West, there
was backward spring. from late froRtA
followed By killing frost early In tho
tall. The Indian corn, almost the only
cereal then produced on the frontier,
was much Of il immature. aud IL was
thought doubtful if the ripest had not
been SO injured as to be unfit for seed.
4 lt was a time of anxiety among the
the settlers. There were no facilities
for transportati ton. so that il would be
difficult and costly to bring seed from
distance.
In the spring succeeding my father
prepared his choicest field for planting
with great care Plcw and harrow had
done their work, and done II we'll.
Then came the question OF seed. He
entered the old-iashioned log crib 10
select the soundest ears. The corn
had stood long in the field to become
fully dry, and had then been housed
without husking. In storing il he hae
put the best in a certain place.
Child-like followed him into the
crib. Half the corn had been fed
away, aud the pile of unhusked ears
lay in bank with face that was al
most perpendicular. Father began at
the spot where the best Of the corn
bad been placed. | remember now
how he stripped the husk from
the ear and removed a few grains.
breaking them and examining thl
heart the point If the fresh
aspect OF vitality was wanting il wan
thrown aside, and the sound ones
shelled for seed In initiative effort. /
too, tugged at the husk and stripped
an ear, and broke the grain, and exam
ed the heart" knowing what IL was.
| remember how the pile Of loosely
ing husks grew. and cavernous opcn-
ing appeared in the perpendicular
face of the bank as the work went on.
/ remember, too, another thing, as IL
it were yesterday the anxious face of
my mother appeared at the little
crib door. As gaze upon il now,
through the recollections of iorty-iivo
years, il looks like the face Of angel.
only the glow and glory seem touched
with shade of sadness. well, she
said, calling him by his Christian
name, can you get seed2'
AlltiS ulu CoupItnenl ~ luent Dub
il was a question Of bread for her
ckildren-the question for a mothers
heart. Can you get seed 2"
Upon this great human harvest there
came an early irost--the blight Of sin.
The inward life felt the deadly touch;
the reproductive power of holiness
was destroyed; Gods planting seemed
to fail, and desolation was on every
field; hope died; life withered; despair
death lordeth il over all.
But, blessed be God He provided
one sound ear of human corn for seed,
and in it was the all-vital germ, the
divinity, with reproductive efficacy for
all the ages. Planted in faith, II iruc-
tifies the dormant spirit, and the blight
ed harvest is redeemed
One sound ear OF human corn Yes.
Begotten of God, aud born of the Vir-
gin, he escaped the frost-touch that
was upon all other hearts. In him
alone humanity escaped. Even in the
Judgment of candid infdels he is the
Man. Goodness il con-
in him; from the manger
to the cross there is not one stain.
Even the sun has spots, but the face of
Ibis Son Of righteousness il luminous
1t every point. The labors aud suifer-
mas of humanity appear in Him, but
no human weaknesses Of character.
The, most conspicuous object Of hu-
man history, that which has been the
most thoroughly analysed, the most
criticised, there he still
stands without spot or blemish-the
1nly spotless thing in human history
he one sound ear Of human corn.
Then theEe was in Him the germ of
human corn. Then there was ia Him
Ihe germ OK divinity. "God was man
fest in the Aesh. I'm Him was life"
mot for hii3self alone, but the seed
life that was 10 impregnate dead souls,
70 restore the klighted spiritual harvest
1f the earth, and to replenish the de-
rauded granariss Of heaven.