The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-08-12


without tears of emotion and affection.
Thorns without, sweetness within--the
best specimen Of Mexican cactus I ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's
garden who are always radiant, always
impressive--more like the roses Of deep
hue that we occasionally find called
"giants of battle''-the Martin Luthers,
st. Paul's, Chrysostoms, Wickliffs, Lati-
mers and Samuel Rutherfords. What in
other men is spark in them is n conaagra-
ton. When they sweat they sweat great
drops of blood. When they pray their
prayer takes fire. When they preach it is
a Pentecost. When they fight it is
Thermopyl@. When they die it is a
martyrdom. You find great many roses
in the gardens, but only few "giants of
BATTLE" Men say; "Why don't you have
more of them in the church," / say;
"Why don't you have in the world more
Humboldts and Wellingtons." God gives
to some ten talents; to another one.
In this garden of the Church which
Christ has planted. also find the snow
drops, beautiful but cold looking, seeming.
ly another phase of winter. / mean
those Christians who are precise In
their tastes, unimpasioned, pure as
snowdrops and as cold. They never
shed any tears, they never get ex.
cited, they never say any thing rashly,
they never do any thing precipitately.
Their pulses never futter, their nerves
never twitch, their indignation never boils
over. They live longer than most people,
but their life is in minor key. They new
er run up to SC" above the staff. In tn cir
music of life they have no staccato pas
sages. Christ planted them in the Chur CHI,
and they must be of some service, or they
would not be there; snowdrops, always
| snowdrops.
But have not told you Of the most beau
tiful flower in all this garden spoken Of in
the text. If you see century plant your
emotions are startled. You say: "Why,
this flower has been hundred years gath.
ering up for one bloom, and it will be a
hundred years more before other petals
will come out" But have to tell you of
a plant that was gathering up from all
eternity, and that l, 900 years ago put forth
its bloom never to wither. It is the pas
sion plant Of the crossi Prophets foretold
it.; Bethlehem shepherds looked upon 1t in
the bud; the rocks shook at it's bursting
and the dead got up in their winding
sheets to see its full bloom. 1t is a crimson
flower-blood at the roots, blood on the
branches, blood on all the leaves. It's per-
fume is to fill all the nations. Its breath
is Heaven. Come, o, winds, from the
north, >. and winds fron the south, and
winds from the east, and winds from the
west, and bear to all the earth the sweet
smelling SAVIOR of Christ, my Lord!
His worth II all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
Again: The Church may be appropriate.
ly compared to a garden, because it is q
place Of select fruits. That would be q
strange garden which had in it no berries
no plums, or peaches, or apricots. The
coarser fruits are planted in the orchard
or they are set out on the Sunny hillside;
but the choicest fruits are kept in the gar
den. So in the world outside the Church
Christ has planted great many beautiful
things-patience, charity, generosity, in
tegrity; but he intends the choicest fruits
to be in the garden, aud lie they are not
there, then shame on the Church. Relig.
ion is not a mere Towering sentiment Atty
1t is a practical, ife.giving, healthful fruit
mot posies, but apples.
60" says somebody: 81 don't see what
your garden of the Church has yielded
Where did your asylums come from? and
your hospitals? and yolr institutions oil
mercy? Christ planted every one of them
He planted them in his garden. Wher
Christ gave sight to Bartimeus he laid tn,
corner stone Of every blind asylum thai
has ever been built. When Christ soothe
the demoniac of Galilee he laid the corner
stone of every lunatic asylum that hal
ever been established. When Christ salt
to the sick man, "Take up they bed ant
walk" he laid the corner stone Of every
hospital the world has ever seen. Whei
Christ said; 81 was in the prison and y,
visited me-" he i'd the corner stone o
every prison reform association that ha.
ever been formed. The Church of Chris
Is glorious garden, and is full of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit in it.
know there are some weeds that ought Il
! be thrown over the fence. / know Their
are some crab-apple trees that ought to b.
cut down. l know there are some wilt
grapes that ought to be uprooted; but ar
you going to destroy the whole garden be
cause of a little gnarled fruit? You will
find worm .eate n leaves in Fonta inebleau
: and insects that sting in the fairy grove
of the Champs Ulysses. You do not tea
; down and destroy the whole garden be
cause there are a few specimens of gnarle'
fruit. admit there are men and womel
in the church whe ought not to be there
but let us be just as frank and admit tn
fact that there are hundreds and thou
sands and tens of thousands of gloriou
Christian men and women-ho1y, blessed
useful, consecrated and triumphant. Their
i no grander collection in all the cart
than the collection of Christians. Their
are Christian men in this house whose re
ligion is not a matter of psalm singing an
4 church going. Tomorrow morning tina
religion will keep them just as consisten
and consecrated in their worldly occupa
) tioa as 1t ever kept them at the com
munion-table.
> There are woman here to day of highe
tyre OF character than Mary of Bethany
= They not only sit at the feet of Christ, bu
|! they go out into the kitchen to help Marth
In her work, that she may sit there to,
' There is woman who has a drunken hus
baird. who has exhibited more faith an