The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-05-30
RELIGIOUS READING
DR. MAcLAnEN ON rLowEas.

The Rev. DIR. Alexander Mnclaren. Of
manch ster. England, In opening flower
show at West Gortoi, said there could be
nothing but affinity and concord between
beauty in any form and the highest truth.
There can be nothing except harmony be-
tween Gods works i'm nature and Gods
works In his higher revelation Of himself.
The howers of the field our Master had used
as text Of one Of the lessons which had
nlnk deepest into the imagination and heart
OF the whole world; and when ho said
"Consider the lilies of the fie d. how they
grow" it was bidding us To do what his
manhood that was so trcmblingly sensitive
10 all things fair and wondroiIS had often
done before IL gave that command III we
thought of those words of our Lord they
pointed us To- the mysteries of growth In
the lover world as typical Of the true nature
Of Christian life and progress. The flowers
not only preached the lesson Of uncarcful
drinking in Of all the bles ings that God
gave, but they preached to IL likewise tho
lesson that growth in its highest and noblest
form need not he effort, and should not bo
sonilict. But we could not all of Ills come to
that. The flowers grew 50. We could not
grow 50, except very occasionally Some
r-cs grow under all manner OF disadvan-
ages and adj ersc circumstances and so 10
VAS that Chri,ts children often had to grow.
lie was grntitcd at seeing this attempt To
BRING beauty, and love Of beauty aud a
are for beauty into homes that would be
Ill the happier In tho measure in which this
aste was cultivated He did not suppose
hat growing flowers would do much
- make people Christians but IL might
10 great dcl To hulp to
teep them out OF the puhli -houso.
Ho did not suppose 1t would ,nnctify human
~ hut an uusnnctIiicd humanity was better
when Il had learned some scnsitivcncss to
omc forms Of Gods revelation than when II
iad nonr, and anything however small that
i"lp Il people To- understand how much
pleasure there might bc in common thing,
lnd how fair God m ant the world to bc was
al on the side of goodness. Every little
iclpS' and in view Of the conditions of life
indcr which 80 much Of our town po ulation
)asScd lis days nny HuNil AIRY on the side of
beauty. or goodness, or elevation of any sort
)ught To bc Welcomed and not looked nskauce
lt by Christian men. He hopcd the DAYS
we're passing II they De not passod-when
good, sanity sous that hal Christ's Gospel
- preach would say Nothing q So will save
men except the gospel, and therefore ]
ihall have nothing To- do with anything
il,c.' He b licycd himself that nothing else
would save men except the Gospel of jesus
Ihrist, and people might " rk at culture
aud refinement to all eternity il they sep
lrated II from Christianity, aud they would
io nothing. But notwithstanding he hailed
all efforts In the direction ~ goodness, and
1s the water from the river might pcrmeate
the soil far away from its channel, and might
refresh many plant that grew very distant
from its course 80 the Gospel Of Christ
passing and pcrcolnting beneath many of
Q hcsc apparently independent works might
make them bring forth iaircr flowers and
grow with IA brighter lustro