The Penn's Grove record., 1889-08-03

pineslThat will invigorste you why 10
such thousands of peoplego South every
wear? 1t is not merely TO Set !" !"
warmer climate, but TO get to the
OF H PINE.
There is health in it, and this pine
branch of the text suggests the heai'l,
fitness of our holy religion; it is full OF
| health. health for oil, health for the
mind. health for the soul. know an
aged man. who had no capital Of phYsi-
cal health. He had had all the diseases
| Won could imagine; he did not ca.
enough to keep a child alive; he lived
on a beverage of hosannas. de lived
high, for he dined every day win the
King. He was kept alive SIMPLY y tIe
force of our holy religion. 1t is near
| thy religion; healthy for the eye, heal
| thy for the hand, healthy for the feet'
healthy for the heart, healthy Tor tue
liver, healthy for the spleen, healthy Tor
| the whole man. 1t gives a man s'ch
peace, such quietness, such iadelen-
| dance of circumstances, such holy e4ui-
poise. Oh that we all possessed IT, tlltt
| we possessed it nowl | mean that IL Is
healthy if n man gets enough of IL,
| Now, there are some people who get
inst enough religion to bother them,
Just enough religion to make them sick
but if a man take a full, deep, round IN
halation of these pine branches OF the
gospel arbor, he will find 1t buoyant,
exuberant, undying, immortal health;
But this prime branch OF my text also
suggests the simple fact that 1t IS
AN EVERGREEN.
What does tins pine branch care for the
snow on its brow? 1t is only a crown
of glory. The winter cannot freeze 1t
out. This evergreen-tree branch Is as
beautiful in winter as it Is IN the sum
mer. And that is a characteristic OF our
holy religion; in, the sharpest, coolest
winter of misfortune and disaster, 1t IS
MS good a religion as il is in the bright
summer sunshine. Well, nov that is Il
practical truth. For if l should go up
and down these aisles, | would not lind
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 go through with, Oh,
how many bereavements, how many
poverties, how many prosecutions! o
many misrepresentation! And now,
my brother, you have tried everything
else, why don't you try this creTJFeen
lreligioni 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
fisherman, who was chided one day be-
cause he kept ON working although that
very day he buried his child. They
came to him and said: at is indecent
for you to be mending that boat when
this afternoon you buried YOUR child.
And the fisherman looked up and said:
"Sir, ii is very easy for you g~entletolks
to stay in the house with your handker-
chiefs to your eyes in grief; but, sir,
ought I to let the other five children
| starye because one of them is drowned?
| No, sir, we mann work, we mann work,
though u hearts beat like this ham
mer."
THE SURE CONSOLATION.
You may have had accumulation OF
| sorrow and misfortune. They come in
| hocks, 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, ii
nothing else will. Do you tell me that
the riches and gain of this world can
console you? How was it with the man
| who had such a fondness for money that
| when he was sick he ordered basin of
| gold pieces to be brought to him, and
he put his equity hands down among the
gold pieces, cooling his hands off in
them, and the rattle and rolling of these
gold pieces were his amusement and
entertainment. All, the goldand silver,
| the honors, emoluments, of this world
are a poor solace for a perturbed spirit.
| You want something better than this
world can give. A young prince, when
the children came around to play with
him, refused to play. He said: II
will play only with kings" And it
might be supposedthat you w%ouldthrow
away all other solace before this regal
satisfaction, this imperial joy. Ye who
are sons and daughters Of the Lord
Almighty ought to play only with
kings.
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before w reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.
But my text takes q further step, and
it says, "Go into the mountain and fetch
olive branches, and pine branches, and
PAIN BRANCHES"
Now, the palm tree was very much hon
ored by the ancients. 1t had three
hundred and sixty different uses. The
fruit was conserved; the sap was a bev-
erage; the stem was ground up for food
for camels; the base of the leaves was
turned into hats and mats and baskets;
and the leaves We're carried in victorious
professions: and from the root to the
top of the highest leaf there wa useful
ness. The tree grew eighty-fve feet in
height sometimes, and 1t spread broad
leaves four and five yards long; it meant
usefulness, and it meant victory-use-
fulness for what it produced, victory
because it was b%roughtinto 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 to any
thing. 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 ofreligion you
had better give your all to God, and
then get in yourself. ooh" says some
one, ''my business is to sell silks and
cloths" 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 a ''My
business is to manufacture horseshoe
nails" Then manufacture horseshoe
nails to the glory of God. There is
nothing 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 people that are
merely weeping-willows, signing into
the water, standing and admiring their
long lashes in the CLASSY spring. No
wild cherry, dropping bitter frnit. We
want palm trees, holding something for
God, something for angels, something
for man. 1 am tired and sick of this
flat, tame, insipid, satin-slippered,
namby-pamby, highty-tighty refigionl