Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-12

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only q few ''giants of the battle" Men
say: "Why don't you have more OF them
in the church?n I say: "Why don't you
have in the world more Humboldts ana
WellingtOns." God gives to some, ten
talents; to others, one.
In this garden of the church which
Christ has planted also find the snow
drops, beautiful but cold looking, SEEM
ingiy another phase of winter. l mean
those Christians who are precise IN their
tastes, unimpassioned, pure as snowdrops
and as cold. They never shed any tears,
they never get excited. they never say any
thing rashly, they never do anything pre-
cipitately. Their pulses never hutter,
their nerves never twitch, their lndlgna-
ton never boils over. They live longer
than most people, but their life IS IN @
minor key. They never run up to u
above the staff. In their music of life they
have no staccato passage. Christ planted
them in the Church, and they must be OF
some service or they would not be there
SnOwdrOps, always snowdropS.
But have not told you of
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER
in oil this garden spoken of in the text. II
you see century plant your emotions are
started. You say: why, this flower
has been hundred years gathering up fol-
one bloom, and it will be 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
nineteen hundred years ago put forth Its
bloom never to wither 1t is the passion
plant of the cross Prophets fOretold it,
Bethlehem shepherds looked upon 1t IN
the bud; the rocks shook at its bursting;
and the dead got up in their winding
sheets to see its full bloom. 1t is n Grim
son flower-blood at the roots, blCol on
the branches, blood on all the
leaves. Its perfume is to fill
all the nations. It's breath is heaven.
Come. O winds from the North, and winds
from 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
ssHis worth if all the nations knew
Sure the whole world would love Him too
Again: The Church may be appropriate
ly compared to garden, because it is
APLACE OF SELECT FRUITS.
That would be strange garden which had
in it no berries, no plums, no peaches, no
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 garden. So in the world out
side the Church, Christ has planted great
many beautiful things-patience, charity,
integrity; but he intends the
choicest fruits to be in the garden, and
if they are not there, then shame on
the Church. Religion is not a mere
Towering srntimentality. 1t is practical,
life-giving, healthful fruit-nOt pcsieS, but
apples. "O" says somebody, Il don't
see what your garden of the church has
Welded" Where did your asylums come
from? and your hospitals? and yonr Instl-
tutions of mercy? Christ planted every one
He planted them in his garden.
When Christ gave sight to Bartimeus he
laid the corner stone of every blind asylum
that has ever been built. When Christ
sOothed the demoniac of Galilee he laid
the corner stone of every lunatic asylum
that has ever been established. When
Christ said to the sick man: Take up thy
bed and walk" he laid the corner stone of
every hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said: II was once in prison
and We visited Me-" he laid the corner
stone of every prison reform association
that has ever been formed. The Church
of Christ is glorious garden, and it Is full
of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit init. | know
there are some weeds that ought to be
thrown over the fence. | know there are
some crab-apple trees that ought to he cut
down. | know there are some wild grapes
that ought to be uprootcd; but are you
going to destroy the whole garden because
of a little gnarled fruit? You will find
worm-eaten leaves in FOntaineblcau, and
insects that sting in the fairy groves of the
Champs Elysees. You do not tear down
and destroy the whole garden because
there are few specimens OF gnarled fruit.
admit there are men and women in the
Church who ought not to be there; but let
Us be Just as frank and admit the fact that
there are hundreds and thousands and tens
OF thousands of glorious Christian men and
women-holy, blessed, useful, consecrated,
and triumphant. There is
NO GRANDER COLLECTION
in all the earth than the collection of
Christians. There are Christian men in
this house whose religion is not a matter OF
psalm singing aud church going. To-
morrow morning that religion will keep
them Just rs consistent and cOnsecrated in
their worldly occupation as il ever kept
them at the communion table. There are
women here to-day of a higher type OF
character than Mary of Bethany. They
not only sit at the feet of Christ, but they
90 out into the kitchen to help Martha in
her work, that she may sit there too
There is a woman who has a drunken hus.
band. who has exhibited more faith anC
patience and courage than Ridley in tho
fire. He was consumed in twenty min
uteS. Hers has been a twenty year;
martyrdom. Eonder is n man who ha'
been fifteen years on his back, unable ever
to feed himself, yet calm and peaceful a
though he lay on one of the green banks o
heaven, watching the oarsmen dip theil
naddles in the crystal river! Why
it seems to me this moment
as if st. Paul threw TO us a pOmOlogist'
catalogue of the fruits growing in thi
great garden of Christ-loye, JOY, peace
patience, charity, brOtherly kindness, gen
tleness, mercy; glorious fruit, enough Il
fill all the baskets of earth and heaven.
have not told you of the better tree il
this garden and of the better fruit. II wa
planted just outside Jerusalem a gool
while ago. When that tree was planted
it was so split add bruised, and barked
men said nothing would ever grow upor
il; but no sooner had that tree been plant
ed than il budied, and blOssomed, ant
fruited, and the soldiers spears were onl,
the clubs that struck down that fruit, ant
il fell into the lap of the nations, and mel
began to pick it up and eat it; and the.
found In il an antidote to all thirst, TO 81
poison, TO all sin, to all death-the small
est cluster larger than the famous one
EShcOl, which two men carried on sta
between them. If the one apple in Eide
killed the race, this one cluster Of mere
shall restore it.
Again: The Church in my ext is ap
propriately called garden, because 1t
THOROUGHLY IRRIGATED.
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