The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-07-23

and let in a flood of the light of truth anj
reason. The tree was a crab-apple tree
which an evil-minded boy had supplanted
for the young tree, long before. That
tree was theoretically good tree, but the
fruit was miserably small, and bitter, and
altogether unsatisfactory. The enthusi-
asst who planted the tree, judged by the
tree alone, and pronounced it's life good
one. The men of more practical minds
judged by the frnit alone. and pronounced
the tree an utterly worthless one, filled
with thorns and bitterness. The influence
of sin had contaminated the perfect plant,
or, rather, had supplanted it. That the
discovery was humiliating is to picture
family the limit of human distress.
This feature of the natural orchard
may be seen also in the moral vineyard.
A tree is planted, or transplanted in the
great vineyard of the Church, and there
are various ideas concerning the beauty
or bideousness of its growth. We have
all seen the strong, healthy, vigorous
young tree, as well as the symmetrical
tree of greater age; but we have also seen,
in the moral vineyard, the gnarled and
crooked tree, of stunted growth, covered
with thorns, and bearing fruit which is
repulsive to all. No amount of praise, no
amount of artificial toning up, or season.
ing, can make the fruit of this tree pleas
ant to the taste, because the people k7aoaC
the tree, and recognize the fruit only as a
| worthless something, fit to be thrown
| away. The most remarkable thing about
fhiS fra iS hot o1 fa or
in the great garden. You may engraft
new branches upon it; you may trim it
with exceeding great care; you may even
dig around the roots; but the same sour
bitter, worthless fruit, will make its ap-
pearance from year to year. What, then,
remains for the people to do? hatought
to be done? When the farmer finds a
tree, or clump of thorn bushes in his
way, he promptly and thoroughly removes
the Objectionable plant. If there is no
hope of making the plant produce whole
some fruit, it should be dug up and re-
moved. There is no room in the great
moral vineyard for worthless trees. One
does not feel disposed to go into an orch
ard where the crab, with it's bitter fruit
tiOn. Neither does one care to go into a
Church where the deformed and decaying
tree boldly shakes before ones eyes branch
es filled with fruit specked with dry-rot,
and the tasting of which breeds moral
leprosy. One truth should be remember
ed alaOoys. "a tree is known by it's fruit"
The hideousness of the trunk can not be
hidden by the underbrush of loud pro-
fession, for the decayi4g top will be mani
fest above it all. Neither can the thick
folds of bark successfully hide the twisted
and crooked trunk within. The deformi-
ties aOiU break through
What the great moral vineyard of the
Lord needs, is a general and thorough
cleaning out of worthless rubbish. A
good farmer does not permit his meadow
land to grow up with thistles, neither does
he permit his peach-orchard to grow up
with thorn bushes. In the first place,
tree should be considered good before it
is planted the good tree is worthy
of planting If the plant should prove
disastrous, or unfortunate, the least that
can be done to make amends is to remove
every vestige of the worthless plant.
Every man. and woman, and child, is a
worker in the Lords vineyard, and has a
solemn duty to perform in keeping the
surroundings clean and pure. Let each
individual keep a watchful care over the
tree of his or her own life, carefully re-
move the deadened twigs or faded bios
SONS, and keep the moral atmosphere
wholesome and pure. If there by an oc-
casional tree found which, by its unfaith-
fulness, or misfortune, contaminates the
surroundings, and gives bad character to
the moral atmosphere, let it be removed
promptly, thoroughly. God loves only
cleanliness.