St. Landry democrat., 1886-07-24
while the soul, in ecstasy Of affection cries

But how shall I talk of the sweetness Of
Christ's pardon to those who have never
felt it; of the sweetness of His comfort to
those who have refused His promise of the
sweetness of His face to those who have
turned their back upon His love: Now, a
great many people may think this is
merely sickly sentimentalism. Jonathan
Edwards was a COO man. He was harsh
in some of his opinions, he was never
afflicted with any sentimental ardor; and
yet, when the name of Christ was men,
toned, it threw him into a tran sport.
Paul was a cool logician, with nerves I'M
shaken in the Mediterranean s~hipwreek, a
granite nature, comfortable with the
whole world against him, shaking his fist
in the face of the Governments of earth and
the forces of darkness; yet the though hit
Of Christ thrilled him, transported him,
overwhelmed aim. John Knox was I'M
bending in his nature, and hard in some
respects. The flash of his indignation
made the queen SILVER and the duchess
quake; yet he sat down as a little child at
the feet of Jesus. Solomon was surround
cd by all palatial splendor-his ships go
ing out from Ezion-geber on voyages of
three years, bringing back all the wonders
of the world; his parks afioat with myrrh
and frankincense, and a.rustle with trees
brought from foreign lands, the traces of
his stupendous gardens found by the
traveller at this day. Solomon sits down
in this place to think of Christ, the alto
gether lovely and the altogether fair; and
whilst seated, there comes a breath of the
cnionc 0n1 affa rrNNro ond IF tho
blossoms, in through the palace win
dow, and he crys out:
My beloved Is unto me as a cluster of
campfire from the vineyards OF En-. gedi.
o rich and rare, exquisite and ever-last-
ing perfume! Let it in every poor mans
windows; plant it on every grave; put its
under every dying head; wreath
its blossoms for every garland; wave its
in every home; and when I am
about to die, and my hands lie cold and
stiff and white upon the pillow, let some
plain and humble soul come and put in my
diving grasp this living branch with clus-
tiers.
OF campfire from the vineyards of En-. gedi.
1t is many years now since l found the
Lord. l must in your presence tell you
how good He has been to my soul. Often
then 1 have given Him a hare thrust
in His sore side; but He has been patient
with me by day and by night. It is the
grief of my life that l have treated Him SO
badly; but He has never let me go. Ihave
sem no wonderful sights, I have heard no
sounds, / have no marvellous
it has been a plain story of
pat;ano m ~ IJ;c ~orf o-I 80 rryor<h.nnc.
On my part. Some of my lear friends be-
me have had more rapturous expe-
Christ to them has been the con-
queror on the white horse, Or the sun of
righteousness setting everything ablaze
with light, or the bridegroom coming with
and torches. To me it has been a
very quiet and undemonstrative expe-
1t has been something very sweet
but very still. How shall l describe it? I
have it now:
My beloved is unto me like a cluster OF
campfire from the vineyards of En-gedl.
But I remark further: This campfire
plant of the tex was a symbol Of Christ in
the fact that it gives coloring. From the
Mediterranean to the Ganges the people
the East gathered it, dried the leaves,
them, and then used them as a
I've for identifying garments and their
persons. 1t was that fact hat gave
campfire plant of the text its COM
value in the time of King Solo,
non; a type of my Lord Jesus, who beau
;ifies, and adorns, and colors everything
le touches.
Ihave no faith in that mans conversion
whose religion does not color his entire
life. It was intended SO to do If a man
las the grace of God in his heart it ought
show itself in the life. There ought to
,e this 'cluster of campfire" in the ledger,
n the roll of Government securities, in the
prescription, in the law book. A
eligion is of no value to a merchant up-
ess it keeps him from putting false labels
IN his goods; or to the plasterer, unless it
Keeps him from putting up a ceiling which
le knows will crack in six months; or to
he driver, unless it keeps him from LASH
he thermometer is at ninety degrees; or
o the farmer, unless it keeps him from
'utting the only SOUND pippins on the top
# the barrel; or to the shoemaker, unless
t keeps him from substituting brown pa
'er for good leather in the soles. In other
words, the religion of Christ is good for
very thing or it is good for nothing. The
race of God never affects us by piece
neal. If the heart is changed the head is
hanged, and the liver is changed, and the
pleen is changed, and the hands are
hanged, and the feet are changed, and the
tore is changed, and the house is changed,
nd every thing over which the man has
ny influence comes to a complete and
adical change. The religion of the
4ord Jesus Christ iSnot a pot Of hya.
inth to be set in a parlor bay-window
or passers-by to look at, and to be exam.
ned only by ourselves when we nave COM
any; but it is to be a perfume filling all
he room of the heart as ga cluster of