The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-07-17
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts In Christian love;
The Fellowship Of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

| Anu sin we Shau De nee;
| And perfect love and friendship reien
Through all eternity.
But my text goes further. Il saws; Go
| upinto the mountain and fetch olive branches
and pine branches. Now what Is suggested
by the pine branchesl The pine tree is
healthy; 1t Is aromatic 1t Is evergreen
How often the physician says to his invalid
patients: "Go and have a breath Of the
pines That will invigorate your Why do
such thousands Of people go south every
yeari 1t is not merely to get warmer eli
mate, but to get to the influence Of the pine
There is health in 1t, and this pine branch Of
holy religion 1t is full lsof health, health for
all, health for the mind health for the soul
knew an aged man, Who had no capital
Of physical health. He had had all the dis
eases you could imagine; he did not eat
enough to keep child alive; he lived on q
beverage of hosannas. He.lived high, for he
dined every day with the king. He was
kept alive simply by the force Of our holy
religion. 1t is |, 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 whole man. II gives
man such peace, such quietness, such
independence Of circumstances, such holy
equipoise. o that we all possessed it.,
that we possessed 1t now ! mean that II Is
healthy II man gets enough Of 1t. Now,
there are some people who get Just enough
religion to bother them, Just enough re-
ligion to make them sick; but II man
takes full, deep, round inhalation of these
pine branches Of the gospel arbor, he will
find 1t buoyant, exuberant undying, i'm
mortal health.
But this pine branch Of my text also sug-
gests the simple fact that 1t is evergreen.
What does this pine branch care for the snow
on Its browl It is only crown Of glory.
The winter can not freeze 1t out This ever
green tree Is as beautiful in winter as in
summer. And that is the characteristic Of
our holy religion; In the sharpest coldest
winter Of misfortune and disaster it is as
good q 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 trouble. But there
are some Of you who have especial trouble.
God only knows what you 60 through with.
0, how many bereavements; how many
poverties, how many persecutionsi How
many misrepresentation And now, my
brother, youhave tried every thing else, why
don't you try this evergreen relgionl II Is
just as good for you now as IL was in the
days Of your prosperity It's better for you.
Perhaps some Of you feel almost like Muclzle
Backie, the fisherman, who was chided one
day because he kept on working, although
thatvery day he buried his child. They
came to him and said: "It is indecent for
you to be mending that boat when this af.
ternoon you buried your child" And the
fisherman looked up and said: "Sir, IL is
easy for you gentlefolks TO stay In the house
with your handkerchiefs to your eyes in
grief; but sir, ought / TO let the other five
children starve because .one Of them is
drownedl No, sir, we maun work, we
maun work, though our hearts beat like
this hammer"
You may have had accumulation Of sor-
row and misfortune. They come in focks,
they come In herds upon your soul; and yet
Ihave TO tell " that this religion can con.
sole you, tn at II can help you, that II can
deliver you II nothing else will. Do you
tell me that the riches and the gain Of thi;
world can console youl How was II with
the man who had such fondness fol-
money that when he was sick he ordered
basin Of gold pieces TO be broughtto him
and he put his gouty hands down among the
gold pieces, cooling his hands OF in them,
and the rattle and rolling Of these gold
pieces were his amusement and entertain.
ment All, the gold and silver, the honors
emoluments Of this world are poor solace
for aperturbed spirit. You want something
better than this world can give. A young
prince, when the children came around u
play with him, refused TO play. He said:
will play only with kings. And II might be
supposed that you throw away all other So
lace before this regal satisfaction, this i'm.
perial Joy. Ye who are sons and daughters
Of the Lord Almighty oughtto play only with
kings.
The hill Of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
But my text takes q further step and /,
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. 1t had three
hundred and sixty different uses. The fruit
was conserved; the sap was 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-fve
feet in height sometimes, and il spread
broad laavaa fnnr and dua ward. lnn0. {,