Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-08-02

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bright summer sunshine. Well now that Is
practical truth. For If should go up and
down these aisles, l would not find in
this house fifty people who had had no trou-
BILE. But there arc 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 Der
secutonsi How many MISREPRESENTATION
And now, my brother, you have tried every
thing else, why don't you try this evergreen
religion? 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
man, 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: ut is indecent for you to
DO 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
handkerchiefs to your eyes in grief; but, sir,
ought to let the other five children starve
because one Of them is drowned? 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 como in flocks 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 tho man who had
such 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 amuse-
ment and entertainment. All, the gold and
silver, the honors, the emoluments of this
world are q 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: l 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. Yo
VINO are sons and daughters of the Lord Al
mighty ought to play only with Kings.
The hill OF Zion yields
thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields
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 1t had three
hundred and sixty different uses. The fruit
was conserved; the sap was a beverage; the
stems were ground up for food for canels
the base of the leaves was turned into hats,
and mats and baskets; and the leaves were
carried in victorious processions and from
the root to the top of the highest leaf there
was usefulness. The tree grew eighty-five
feet in height sometimes and it spread broad
leaves four and five yards long; it meant
usefulness and it meant victory; usefulness
for what it 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 time!
A great many Christians don't amount to
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.
Tho old maxim says: "Do not put all your
eggs into one basket" but have to tell you
In this matter or religion you had better glve
your all to God, and then get in yourself.
"Oh,n 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 says: "My business is to manufacture
horse shoe nails" Then manufacture horse
shoe nails to the glory of God. Ther~is noth-
ing for you to do that you ought N. do but
for the glory Of God.
Usefulness is typifed by the palm tree. All,
we don't want in the church any moro peo-
pie that are merely weeping pillows, signing
into the water, standing and admiring their
long lashos in the CLASSY spring. No wild
cherry, dropping bitter fruit. We want palm
trees, holding something for God, something
for angels, something for man. l am tired
and sick of this fat, tame, insipid, satin slip
pered, namby- PANTY, highty-tighty religionl
1t is worth nothing for this world, and it is
destruction for eternity.
Give me five hundred men and women
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 begin?
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 woSk, and all
the exposure, and after they had told han
what they wanted him to do in Africa, they
said to him: "Now, Ledyard, when are you
ready to start% 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 to be earnest for Christ; you
want to be useful in Christian service.
When are you going to begin? Oh, that you
have the decision to say: To-day, nowp
Go now into the mount end gather 40
palm branches. But the palm
branch also lleant q victory. In
victory. We arc by nature the servants of
Satan. He stole US, he has his eye on us, he
wants to keep us. The word comes from our
Father that If we will try to break loose from
this doing Of wrong, our Father will help us;
and some day we rouse up, and we look the
black tyrant in the face, and VIC fly at him,
and we wrestle him down, and wo put our
heel ON his neck, and we grind him in the
dust, and we say, Victory, victory, through
grand thing it Is to have sin under
our backs. blessed is he whose trans
gression is forgiven, and whose sin is
so sick and worn out with the ailments of
life." You are going to be more than
conqueror But" says the man, II
am SO tempted, I am so pursued in
life" You are going to be more than
and heartaches, going to be moro than
conqueror% Yes unless you are so self-con-
ceited that you want to manage all the
affairs of your life yourself, instead of
letting God manage them. Do you want
to drive and have God take a back seatf
On, no, you say; want God to be my leader
Well, then, you will be more than conqueror
Your last sickness will come, and the physi-
clans In the next room will be talking about
what they will do for you What difference
will it make what they do for you? You arc
going to be well. everlasingly well. And
when the spirit has fled the body your friends
will be talking as to where they shall bury
you. What difference does it mako to you
where they bury your The angel Of
the resurrection can pick you out
Of the dust anywhere, and
oil the cemeteries Of the earth are In Gods
care. Oh you are going to be moro than
conqueror. Don't you think we had better
begin now to celebrate the coming victoryi
In the old Westinghouse at Summerville,
my father used to lead the singing, and he