Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-09-20
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
An Eloquent Discourse on 1.-The
Bower of Tree Branches"


The subject of Rev Dr. T. De Witt Tai
mage's sermon was: The Bower of Tree
Branches" His text was Nehemiah viii,
Il. "Go forth unto the mount and fetch
olive branches and pine branches, and
myrtle branches. and palm branches, and
branches of thick trees, 10 make Booths"
Following is the sermon;
II seems us if Mount Olivet were I'M
moored. The people have gone into the
mountain, and have cut off tree branches,
and put them on their shoulders and they
come forth now into the streets OF Jerusa-
lem, and on the house tops, and they twist
these tree branches into arbors or booths.
hen the people come forth from their COM
Portable homes, and dwell for seven DAYS in
these booths or arbors. Why do they do
that Wei, it is a great festal time. 1t is
the feast of tabernacles; and these people
are going to celebrate the desert travel of
their fathers aud their deiverance from
their troubles, the experience of their faith
ers when, travelling in the desert, they lived
IN booths on their way to the land OF Canaan.
ana so these booths also become highly
suggestive-l VIII not say they are neces-
earlly typical, but highly suggcstive-of our
march toward heaven, and OF the fact that
we are only living temporarily here as it
were, in booths or arbors, on our way to
the Canaan of eternal rest
And what was sa to the News literally
may Today be said hguratively to all this
aud renee: Go forth into the mountain, and
1etch olive branches and pine branches,
ana myrtle branches of thick trees to MAKE
booths. Yes, we are only here in tempo
rary residence. We are marching on. The
merchant princes who used to live in Bow
ling Green, New York, have passed away,
ana their residence are now the field of
cheap merchants. Where are the men who
hIty years ago owned New York. Passed
on.
fIbprp ia ne in, a stolr
too deep into the earth; we are on the
march. The generations that have pre-
coded MS have gone so far on that we can
not even hear the sound of their footsteps.
They NAY e gone over the hills and we are
TO follow them. But, blessed he God, we
arc not in this world lett out of doors and
inshcltcrcd. There are gospel booths, or
gospel arbors, in which our souls are to be
comforted Go forth unto the mountain,
and fetch olive branches and pine branch.
cs, and myrtle branches. and palm branch
cs, and branches oil thick trees, and build
booths
We'll, now we arc TO day to construct a
gospel arbor, or gospel booth; and how
shall we construc, 1T: Well, we must get
all tho tree branches and build. According
TO my text we must go up into the mount
and bring olive branches. " What does that
meani
The olive tree grows in warm climates
and it reaches the height of twenty or
twenty two feet, a straight stem, and then
an oflshco. from that stem. And then
people como, ana lncN SlrlD OIL these
branches sometimes, and when in time of
war the general OF one army takes one of
these olive branches and goes out TO the
general Of another army what does that
mean! Way, Ii means, unsaddle the war
chargers 1t means hang up the war
knapsacks. 1t is bat beautiful way of
saying, Peace!
Now, il we are TO day going to succeed
IN building this gospel arbor, we must go
into the Mount of Gods blessing, and
fetch the olive branches and whatever
else we must have, we must have at least
two olive branches peace with God and
peace with man. When say peace with
God, do not mean to represent God as n
bloody chieftain. having a grudge against
us, but do mean 10 affirm there is no more
antaponism between u hound and a hare,
between hawk and a pullet, between
elephant and swine, than there is hostility
between holiness and sin. And if God is
all holiness, and we are all SIN, there must
be rcadjustmcnt, there must be a treaty,
there must be stretching forth of olive
branches.
There is a great lawGuit going on now,
and it is a lawsuit which man is bringing
against his Maker. That lawsuit is now on
the calander. 1t is the human versus the
divine; it is inqulty versus the immacu-
late; it is weakness versus omnipotence
Man began it, God did not begin the law
SUIT. We began it, we assaulted our Ma.
ker, and the sooner we end this part of the
struggle in which the finite attempts 10
overthrow the infinite and the omnipotent,
the sooner we end ii the better
Travellers tell us there II no such place as
Mount Calvary. that it is only a hill only
an insignificant hill; but persist in calling
IT the mount OF God S divine mercy and love
lar grander than any place on earth, grand
err than the Alps or llimalayas, ard there
are no other hills as compared with it; and
have noticed in every sect where the cross
of Christ is set forth, it is planted with oil
i've branches. And all we have to do is Ia
get rid OF this war between God and our
selves, of which we are all tired. want
To back out of the war, we want to get rid
of this hostility. All we have to do is Jo
Just get up on the mount of Gods blessing,
and pluck these olive branches and wave
them before the throne. Peace through
our Lord Jesus Christ
Oh, it don make much difference what
the world thinks of you-what this king
that queen, that senator thinks of you. Bu
come into the warm, intimate, glowing ant
everlasting relationship with the God of tho
rounc universe: that is the JOY that makes
hallelujah seem stupid. All, why do w,
Want 10 have peace through our Lord Jesu.
Christi Why, if we had gone on in ter
thousand years of war against God, as W.
could not have captured so much as wore
or cavalry stirrup, or twisted off one o.
the wheels of his chariot of his omn ipotence
But the moment we bring this olive branci
God and all heaven come on our side. Peace
through our Lord Jesus Christ; and nS
other kind of peace is worth anything.
But then VIC must have That other Olive
branch, peace with man. Now it is yer,
easy to get up a quarrel There are gun
powdery Christians all around us, and on
match of provocation will set them off.
is easy enough 10 get upa quarrel. But m,
brother, don't You think you had better hav
your horns sawed Off. Had you not bette
submit to a little humliationi On, you say
until that man takes the first step viii
never be at peace with him; nothing will b.
done until he is ready to take the first step
You are q pretty Christian. Whc
would this world be saved + Christ had no
taken the first step! We were in tn
wrong, Christ was in the right-ali RICH
and forever right And yet no took tn
first step And instead of going and gettin
knotty scourge with which to whip you
antagonist, your enemy, you had better &c
up on the radiant mount where Christ sui
fered for his enemies, and Just take an div
branch, not stripping off the soft fragran
leaves, but leaving them on, and then tr
on them that gospel switch. 1t won't hul
them, and it will save You. Peace wit
God; peace with man. If YOU cannot TAX
those two doctrines you are no Christian.
BEST he the tie IN, h nds
Our hearts in Christian love:
The fe ow- nip of Kindred IN nds
Is ike o THAI above.
From sorrow toll aud ptln
Aud sin sh al he tee:
Aud perfect love and Friendship reign
Through all eternity
Bat my text goes further. It says: G.
nm intO maintain and fetch Oliv