Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-07-25

eases you could imagine; he did not eat
enough to keep child alive; he lived ON a
beverage OF hosannas. &c lived high, for
he dined every day with the King. he was
kept alive simply by the force Of our holy
religion. 1t is a healthy religion; healthy
for the eye, healthy for the hand, healthy
for the feet, healthy for the heart, healthy
for the liver, healthy for the spleen, healthy
for the wholeman. 1t gives man such peace,
such quietness, such independence of cir
cumstances, such holy equipoise. Oh that
we all possessed it that we possessed it now.
/ mean that it is healthy if a man gets
enough of it, Now, there are some people
who get just enough religion to bother them,
just enough religion to make them sick; but
If a man take full, deep. round inhalation
of these pine branches of the gospel arbor,
he will find it buoyant, exuberant undying,
immortal health.
But this pine branch of my text also sug-
gests the simple fact that il is an evergreen.
What does this pine branch care for the
snow ON It's brown 1t is only crown OF
glory. The winter cannot freeze it out.
This evergreen tree branch is as beautiful in
winter as it is in the summer. And that is
the characteristic of our holy religion; in the
sharpest, coolest winter of misfortune and
disaster, it is as good religion as it is in the
bright summer sunshine Well, now that is
practical truth. For if should go up and
down these aisles, / would not find in
this house fifty people who had had no trou-
bic. But there are some of you who have
especial trouble. God only knows what you
go through with. Oh, how many bereave-
ments how many poverties, how many per-
secutionsl How many misrepresentation
And now, my brother, you have tried every
thing else, why don't you try this evergreen
religions 1t is just as good for you now as it
was in the days of your prosperity; it is
better for you. Perhaps some of you feel
almost like Muckle Backie, the fisher
xuna f1nA Inwr h
cause he kept on working, although
that very day he buried his child. They came
to him and said: ut is indecent for you TO
be mending that boat when this afternoon
you buried your child" And the fisherman
looked up and said "Sir, it is very easy for
you gentlefolks to stay in the house with your
handkerchief to your eyes in grief: but, sir,
ought to let the other five children starve
because one Of them is drownedg No, sir, we
maun work. we maun work, though our
hearts beat like this hammer
You may have had accumulation of sorrow
and misfortune. They come in aocks, they
come in herds upon your soul; and yet have
to tell you that this religion can console you,
that it can help you, that it can deliver you
if nothing else will. Do you tell me that the
riches and the gain of this world can console
your How was it with the man who had
such a fondness for money that when he was
sick he ordered a basin of gold pieces to be
down among the gold pieces, cooling
his hands off in them, and the rattle and
rolling of these gold pieces were his amuse-
ment and entertainment. All, the gold and
silver the honors, the emoluments OF this
world are poor solace for perturbed spirit.
You want something better than this
world can give. A young Prince, when the
children came around to play with him, re-
fused to play. He said / will play only
with Kings. And it might be supposed that
you would throw away all other solace before
this regal satisfaction, this imperial Joy. Ye
who are sons and daughters Of the Lord AL
mighty ought to play only with Kings.
The hill OF Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly neids
Or walk the golden streets.
But my text takes further step and it
SAYS: "Go into the mountain, and fetch olive
branches and pine branches and palm
branches Now, the palm tree was very
much honored by the ancients. IL had three
hundred and sixty different uses. The fruit
was conserved the sap was a beverage; the
stems were ground up for food for camels;
the base of the leaves was turned into hats,
and mats and baskets; and the leaves were
carried in victorious professions; and from
the root to the top of the highest leaf there
was usefulness. The tree grew eighty-five
feet in height sometimes, and il spread broad
leaves four and five yards long, it meant
usefulness and it meant victory usefulness
for what il produced, victory because IT was
brought into celebrations of triumph. And
oh. how much we want the palm branches in
the churches of Jesus Christ at this timel
A great MANY Christians don't amount 70
ANYTHING. You have TO shove them out Of
the way when the Lords chariots come along.
We don't want any more Of that kind of
Christians in the church.
The old maxim says: do not put all your
eggs into one basket but / have to tell you
In this matter of religion you had better give
your all to God, and then get in yourself.
s'Oh, says some one, my business is 20 sell
silks and clothsn Well, then, my brother,
sell silks and cloths to the glory OF God And
some one SAYS: MY business is to raise corn
and carrots Then my brother, raise corn
and carrots to the glory of God And some
one saws: my business is to manufacture
horse shoe nailsn Then manufacture horse
shoe nails to the glory of God. There is moth
ing for you to do that you ought to do but
for the glory of God.
Usefulness is typified by the palm tree. All
we don't want in the church any more peo-
pie that are merely weeping pillows, signing
into the water, standing and admiring their
long lashes in the CLASSY spring. No wild
cherry, dropping bitter fruit We want palm
trees. holding something for God, something
for angels something for man. | am tired
and sick of this fiat, tame, insipid, satin slip
pered, namby-pamby, highty-tighty religion
Il is worth nothing for this world, and 1t is
destruction for eternity
Give me five hundred men and women I
fully consecrated to Christ, and we will take /
any city for God in three years Give me
ten thousand men and women fully up to the |
Christian standard; in ten years ten thousand /
of them would take the whole earth for God. /
But when are we going to begins
Ledyard, the great traveller, was brought /
before the Geographical Society Of Great Brit
ain, and they wanted him to make some ex-
plorations in Africa, and they showed him all |
the perils, and all the hard work, and all |
the exposure, and after they had told him
what they wanted him to do in Africa, they |
said to him: NOW, Ledyard, when are you
ready to startf' He said: Tomorrow /
morning. The learned men were aston
ished; they thought he would take weeks or
months to get ready. Well, now, you tell
me you want Ia be earnest for Christ; you /
want to be useful in Christian service.
When are you going to begins oh, that you l
have the decision TO say; To-day, nowT /
Go now into the mount and gather the /
palm branches. But the palm /
branch ale meant victory In !