The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-16

& s 8; S e
q the world; Ais parks a1oat With myrrA
and frankincsnss, and a.rustls WITH tfsss /
brought flom foreign lands, the traces OF
his stupendous gardens found by the
traveller at this day. Solomon site down
In this place 70 think Of Christ, the alto.
gether lovely and the altogsshsr fair; and
whilst seated, there comes breath OF the
spices and aromatic woods, and Of the
blossoms, In through the palacs win.
dow, and he crys out:
Ny beloved y unto me ~ cluster u
campfire fSsih the Vineyards Of En-ssdi.
o rich and rare. exquisite And ever-last-
Ing perfumsl Let II in every poor mans
windows: plant II ON every grave; put its
leaves under every dying head; wreath
tn blossoms for every garland; wave IT,
branches in every home; and when am
about to die. and my hands lie cold and
stin and white upon the pillow, let some
plain and humble soul cbms and put in my
diving grasp this living branch with clus-
tars.
OF campfire from che vineyards Of En.sedi.
It 10 many years now since found the
Lord. I must in your presence tell You
how good He has been to my soul. Often
since then have given Him hard thrust
In His sore side; but He has been patient
with me by day and by night. 1t 10 the
grief Of my life that have treated Him 50
badly; but He has never let me 60. Ihave
seen no wonderful sights. l have heard no
wonderful sounds, l have NO marvellous
experience; It has been . plain story OF
patience on His part and Of unworthiness
on my part. Some Of my dear friends be.
fore me have had more rapturous expe-
riences. Christ to them has been the con-
queror on the white horse, or the sun of
righteousness setting everything ablase
with light, or the bridegroom coming with
lantern and torches. To me it has been .
very quiet and undemonstrative expe.
rience. 1t has been something very sweet
but very still. How shall describe 1t?
have it now:
My beloved Ia unto mo like cluster Of
mphire from the vineyards OF En- gedi.
But I remark further: This campfire
plant of the text was a symbol of Christ in
the fact that it gives coloring. From the
Mediterranean to the Ganges the people
Of the East gathered IL, dried the leaves,
pulverixed them, and then used them as q
dye for identifying garments and their
own persons. II was that fact that gave
the campfire plant of the text its com :,
mercial value in the time Of King Solo
mon; . type Of my Lord Jesus, who beau
titles, and adorns, and colors everything
he touches.
have no faith in that mau's conversion
whose religion does not color his entire
life. 1t was intended so to do. II man
has the grace of God in his heart it ought
to show itself in the life. There ought to
he this ''cluster of campfire" in the lsdger,
in the roll OF Government securities, in the
medical prescription, in the law book. A
religion is of no value to q merchant un.
less 1t keeps him from putting false labels
on his goods; or to the p:asterer, unless it
keeps him from putting up ceiling which
he knows will crack in six months; or to
the driver, unless it keeps him from LASH
ing his horses to eight miles an hour when
the thermometer is at ninety degrees; or
to the farmer, unless 1t keeps him from
putting the only sound pippins ON the top
Of the barrel; or to the shoemaker, unless
it keeps him from substituting brown pa
per for good leather in the soles. In other
words, the religion of Christ is good for
grace of God never affects US by piece
meal. II the heart il changed the head is
changed, aud the liver is changed. and the
spleen is changed, and the hands are
changed, and the feet are changed, and the
store il changed, and the house Is changed,
and every thing over which the man has
any influence comes to o complete and
radical change. The religion Of the
Lord Jesus Christ Is not q pot Of hya.
cinth to be set in q parlor hay window
for passers.by to look at, and to be ex am
ined only by ourselves when we have COM
pany; but it Is to he perfume filling all
the room Of the heart a. "a cluster Of
campfire from the vineyards Of En-gedi."
The trouble is men do not take their re-
ligion with them. The merchant leaves it
goods. The housekeeper will not let. her
religion trail its robes in the kitchen on
washing-day The philosopher will not
let his religion come in amid the batteries
lest it get galvnnic shock. But, tell you,
unless your religion goes with you every.
whore, it goes nowhere. That religion
was intended to color all the heart and
the life.
But, mark you, II was q bright color.
For the most part IL was an orange dye
made of this camphire.plant, one Of the
most brilliant of all the colors; and 80 the
religion of Jesus Christ casts no blackness
or gloom upon the sonl. II bright ms up
life; it bri2htens up everything. There il
no moro religion in q funeral than there 10
in q wedding; no more religion in tears
than in smiles. David was no better when
he said he cried out out of the depths Of
hell, than he was when he said that his
mouth was filed with laughter and his
tongue with singing. The best men thatI
have ever known have laughed the loudest.
Religion was intended to brighten up all our
character. Take out the sprig of cypress
from your coat and put in "a cluster of
campfire from the whey yards of En-gedi."
Religions "ways are ways of pleasant.
ness and all her paths are peace" Ibave
found it 50. There are hundreds in this
house who have found 1t 30.
remark again that the camphire-p plant
Of the text was symbol of Jesus Christ,
because It is a mighty restorative. You
know that there is nothing that starts
respiration so soon in one who has tainted
as camphor, as we have It. Put upon q
sponge or handkerchief, the effects are
almost immediate. Well, this campfire.
plant of the text. though somewhat differ.
ent from that which we have, was .
pungent aromatic, and in that respect it
becomes q type of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the inightiest IT all restorstives.
have carried this campfire plant into the