The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-07-28

1865 >'o'N NV UPCuA VI buCTcu IutuXS
without tears Of emotion and affection
Thorns without, sweetness within-the
best specimen Of Mexican cactus / ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's
garden who are always radiant, always
impressve-more like the roses of deep
hue that we occasionally find called
"giants of battle"-the Martin Luthers,
st. Paul's. Chrysostoms, Wicklifrs, Lati.
mers and Samuel Rutherfords. What in
other men is spark in them is conflagra.
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 q
Thermopyle. When they die it is q
martyrdom. You find great many roses
in the gardens, but only a 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
Hrmboldts and Wellingtons." God gives
to some ten talents; to another one.
In this garden of the Church which
Christ has planted. I 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 OK.
cited, they never say any thing rashly,
they never do any thing precipitately.
Their pulses never flutter, 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 &c" above the staff. In their
music Of life they have no staccato pas
sages. 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 beau.
tiful flower In all this garden spoken Of in
the text II you see o century plant your
emotions are startled. You say: "Why,
this flower has been hundred years gath.
ering up for one bloom, and 1t 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 I, 800 years ago put forth
Its bloom never to wither. 1t is the pas.
sion plant Of the cross! Prophets foretold
1t; Bethlehem shepherds looked upon it in
the bud; the rocks shook at its bursting;
and the dead got up in their winding.
sheets to soc it's full bloom. 1t is 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 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!
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 1t 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. 80 in the world outside the Church.
Christ has planted q great many beautiful
things-patience, charity, generosity, in.
tegrity; but he intends the choicest fruits
to be in the garden, and IL they are not
there, then shame OH the Church. Relig.
ion Is not mere Towering sentimen atty.
1t Is practical, life giving, healthful fruit
NOT posies, but apples.
90" says somebody: ~ don't see what
your garden Of the Church has yielded"
Where did your asylums come fromS and
your hospitalsy and yolr institutions Of
mercys Christ planted every one OF them.
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 they bed and
walk" he laid the corner. stone Of every
hospital the world has ever seen. When
Christ said: II was in the 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 is full OF fruit.
know there Is some poor fruit in it.
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. l know there are some wild
grapes that ought TO be uprooted; but are
you going to destroy the whole garden be.
cause of little gnarled fruit! You will
find worm cate n leaves In Fontainebleau,
and insects that sting in the fairy groves
Of the Champs Elysees. You do not tear
down and destroy the whole garden be.
cause there are a 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 thou.
sands and tens of thousands Of glorious
Christian men and women-holy, blessed,
useful, consecrated and triumphant. There
i no grander collection in all the earth
than the collection Of Christians. There
are Christian men in this house whose re.
ligion is not q matter Of psalm sing ing and
church going. Tomorrow morning that
religion will keep them just as consistent
and consecrated in their worldly occupa.
ton as it ever kept them at the com.
munion.table.
There are woman here o.day Of higher
type Of character than Mary OF Bethany.
They not only sit at the feet OF Christ, but
they go out into the kitchen to help Martha
in her work, that she may sit there too.
There is woman who has drunken hus.
band, who has exhibited more faith and
more patience and courage than Ridley in
the fire. He was consumed in twenty
minutes. Here has been a twenty years.
martyrdom. Yonder is a man who has