Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-01-09

of its characteristics in our religious lie.
We have too much Of the willow, and are
easily bent this way or that; too much OF
the aspen, and we trenble under every
zephyr Of assault: too much of the bramble
tree and our sharp points sting and wound;
but not enough of the cedar, wide branched
and heaven aspiring and tempest crap
ping. But the reason these cedars stand so
well Is that they are deep rooted They run
their anchors down into the caverns or the
mountain and fasten TO the very foundations
of the earth, and twist around and clinch
themselves the other side Of tie deepest
layer of rock they can reach. And that Is
the difference between Christians who stand
and the Christians who fall Is Ia the differ
ence between superficial character and one
that has clutched its roots deep down around
and under the Rock Of Ages.
One ofthe Lebanon cedars vas examined
by scientist, and from its concentric cir
cles it was found to be thirty five hundred
years old and still standing, and there's such
a thing as everlasting strength, and such q
stanchness of Christian character that all
time and all eternity instead of being it's
demolition shall be its opportunity. Not
such are those yecilating Christians who are
so pious on Sunday that they have no relg-
ion left for the week day. AS the anaconda
porpes itself with food, and then seems for
long while to lie thoroughly insensible, so
there are men who will on Sunday get such
a religious surfeit that the rest of the week
they seem thoroughly dead to all religious
emotion. They weep in church under
charity sermon but if on Monday a subject
of want presents itself at the door the beg
CARS safety will depend entirely on quick
limbs and an unobstructed stairway. IL
takes all the grace they can get to keep them
from committing assault and battery on
those intruders who come with pale faces
and stories of distress and subscription
Dapers The reasonthat God planted these &C.
Il in ho wa a suggest
ought, in our religious character, to be deep
like the cedar, high like the cedar,
broad branched as the cedar A
traveller measured the spread ofthe boughs
of one of these trees and found 1t one hum
dred and eleven feet from branch TIP 10
branch tip and have seen cedars or Chrls-
tian character that through their prayers
and charities put out one branch to the ut
termost parts of America, and another
branch to the uttermost parts OF ASIA and
these wide branched Christians will keep on
multiplying until all the earth is overshad-
owed with mercy.
But mark you, these cedars Of Lebanon
could not grow if planted in mild climates
and in soft air and in carefully watered gar
dens They must have the gymnasium OF
the midnight hurricane to develop their
arms. They must play the athlete with
thousand winters before their feet are right
ly planted and their foreheads rightly
lifted and their arms rightly muscled. And
if there he any other way for developing
strong Christian character except by storms
of trouble, | never heard of 1T. Call the roll
of MARTYRS, call the roll of the prophets,
call the roll Of the apostles and see which of
them had an easy time of it. Which OF these
cedars grew in the warm valley? Not one oil
them Honeysuckles thrive best on the south
side of the house, but cedars in Syrian
Whirlwind.
Men and women who hear this or read
have it hard, thank God that you are in lust
the best scho oil for making heroes and hero
ines. 1t is true both for this world and the
next Rock that babyin cradle cushioned
and canopied; graduate him from that into
costly high chair and give him q gold
spoon; send him to school wrapped in furs
enough for an Arctic explorers; send him
through a college where he will not have to
study in order to set diploma because his
father is rich; start him in q profession
where he begins with an office, the floor COW
cred with Administer, and library of books
in Russia morocco, and an armed chair up
holstered like a throne, and an embroidered
ottoman upon which to put his twelve dollar
CATERS. and then lay upon his table the best
ivory clgarholder you can import from
Brussels and have standing outside his door
pranc!ng span that won the prize at the
, horse fair ann leave him estate enough in
dependent of all struggle, and what will be-
come of him? If he do not die early o. IMAM
and die unlamented death, and go into
7 q TOOLS eternity.
4 Lebanon cedar! John Milton on his
way up to the throne of the worlds sacred
poesy must sell his copyright of paradise
Lost" for S72 in three payments. And
William Shakespeare on his way up to be
acknO wledGed the greatest dramat of all
ages must hold horses at the door of the
j London theatre for u siXpence, and Homer
I must struggle through total blindness to
| immortality, and John Bunyan must cheer
himself on the way up by making a flute
| out of his prison stool, and Canova, the
! sculptor, must toll on through orphanage
modelling lion in butter before he could
cut his statues in marble. And the great
Stephenson must watch COWS in the field
! for a few pennies and then become a stoker,
and atterward mend clocks before he puts
, the locomotive on it's track and calls forth
! plaudits from parliamentS and medals
| from kings. Abel Stevens is picked up
! neglected child of tn street, and rises
! through his consecrated genius to be one
! of the most illustrious clergymen and his
/ torians of the century. And Bishop James
! of the same church in boyhood worked his
| passage from Ireland to America, and up
to a usefulness where, in the bishopric, he
! was second to no one who ever adorned it.
While in Punishment AenOphOn wrote his
"Anabasis" and Thucydides his History
of the Peloponnesian War" and Victor
! Hugo must be eXiIed for many years to the
island of Guernsey before he can come to
that height in the affections of his country
men that crowds Champs EIysees and the
/ adjoining bOulevards with one million
! mourners as his hGarse rolls down to the
| Church of the Madeleine. Oh, it is a tough
I old world, and il will keep you back and
keep you down and keep you under long
| fret
r&T frC1-11 hn