Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-04-11

t2441r- ever tEs Etla OF fltft <~c-e<44 u
p1lllrs 70 the traces. they arc iysnx back
IA the breec1la.ss. They s-e the eseriaSt-
Tag No. They are srembls trees, they are
willows. always naoarniax. ga Mid e4erTy
trees. yielding oaly the bitter. or crab ap-
PIE trees, producing only the sour. ~hils
God would have Us All nourish ike the
palm tree Planted IN the Bible that tree
always means usefulness.
But DO. little any 81 Is or al Of Us ac-
compllsh in that direction. We take TWEEN
~ or thirty years 70 get fully ready for
CHRISTIAN w0rk. and IN the aftefp4rt Of
hfe We take ten or tweaty years for the
gradual closing CT active work, sad that
leaves only 50 little time between opening
ana stopping work that al We accomplish
is 50 little al angel Of God needs to exert
himself 70 see IL al.
TIE GOSPEL or UsEFULNEss.
Nearly everything l see around. beneath
and above IL the natural world suggests
sseful service II there Is nothing in the
Bible that inspires you 10 usefulness. 90
out and study the world around you this
springtime, and learn the great lesson Of
usefulness. What art thou doing mp
there, little star, Why not shut thine
eyes and sleep, for " no cares for thy shin
ingt" No" saith the star. Il Will not
sleep. l guide the sailor On the sea.
cheer the traveller among the mountains.
l help tap the dew with light Through
the window Of the poor msn's cabin cast
. beam Of hope. and the child on her moth
er's lap asks in glee whittier come and
what do and whence go. To CLEAN and
glitter, God set me here. Away have no
time To sleep"
The snowflake comes struggling down
"Frail, tickle wanderer. why CONTEST thou
heref" II am NO idle wanderer." responds
the snowflake. High up in the air I was
born. the child of the rain and the cold.
and at the divine behest / come, and am
no straggier. for God tells me where to put
my crystal heel To help cover the roots
the grain and grass, to cleanse the air, to
make sportsnen more happy and the ingls
fire more bright, / come. Though so light
/ am that you toss me from your muffler
and crush me under your foot, am doing
my best to fulfill what / was made for.
Clothed in white come on a heavenly
mission, and, when my work is done and
God shall call. in morning vapor shall go
back, drawn by the fiery courses OF the
sun"
what doest thou. insignificant grass
blade under my feetf" II am doing q
work" says the grass blade, las best lean.
i help to make up the soft beauty of field
and lawn l am satisfied, il, with millions
OF others no bigger than /. we can give
pasture to nocks and herds. am wonder
fully made. He who feeds the ravens gives
mo substance from the soil and breath
from tho air, and he who clothes the lilies
Of the field rewards me with this coat Of
green"
LESSONS OF THE CLOUDS.
For what, lonely cloud, goest thou
across the heavensp Through the bright
air voice drops from afar, saying: up
and down this sapphire floor l pace to
teach men that like me they are passing
away. l gather up the waters from lake
and sea, and then, VIXEN the thunders toll,
refresh the earth, making the dry ground
to laugh with harvests Of wheat and fields
of corn. catch the frown of the storm
and the hues of the rainbow. At evening
tide on the western slopes will pitch my
tent, and over me shall dash the saffron,
and the purple. and the fire of the sunset
A pillar Of cloud like me led the chosen
across the desert, and surrounded by such
as the Judge Of Heaven and Earth will
at last descend, for Behold he cometh
with cleudsl'
Oh, my friends, il everything in the IMAM
innate world be useful, let us immortal men
and women De useful, and in that respect
be like the palm tree. But must not be
tempted by what David says Of that green
shaft Of Palestine, that living and glorious
pillar in the eastern gardens, as seen in
clden times-ths palm tree; must not be
tempted by what the Old Testament says
of il, To lessen my emphasis of what John,
the evangelist. says OF it in my text
Notice that it was II beautiful and lawful
robbery of the palm tree that helped make
up Christ's triumph on the road to Jeru-
salem that Palm Sunday. The long, broad,
green leaves that were strewn under the
feet Of the colt and in the way of Christ
were torn off from the trees. What pity,
some one might say, that those stately ana
graceful trees should be despoiled. The
sap oozed out at the places where the
branches broke. The glory of the palm
tree was appropriately sacrificed for the
Savioar's triumphal procession. So it al
ways was, so it always will be in this
world-no worthy triumph of any sort
without the tearing down of something
else.
Brooklyn bridge, the glory Of our CONT
reut, must have two architects Frustrated,
the one slain by his tolls and the other for
lifetime invaded. The greatest pictures
Of the world had, in their richest coloring,
the blood of the artists who made them
The mightisst orstorios that ever rolled
through tho churches had, in their pathos,
the signs and groans OF the composers,
who wore their lives out in writing the
harmony. American Independence YVES
triumphant. but it moved on over the life
less forms Of tens Of thousands of men who
fell at Bunker Hill and Yorktown and the
battles between which were the hemor-
rhaees Of the nation.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD ADVANCES.
The kingdom of God advances in all the
earth, but it must be over the lives VI mis-
sionaries who die of malaria in the jungles
or Christian workers who preach and pray
and toif and die in the service. The Saviour
triumphs in all directions-but beauty aud
strength must be torn down from the palm
trees of Christian heroism and conservation
and thrown in his pathway.
To what better use could those palm
trees on the southern shoulder of Mount
Olivet and clear down into the Valley of
Gethsenane put their branches than to
surrender them for the making Of Christ's
journey toward Jerusalem the more pic
turesque, the more memorable and the
more triumphant And TO what better use
could we put our lives than into the saeri-
fee for Christ aad his cause and the hap
piness Of our fellow creatures' Shall We
not be willing to he torn down that right
eousne~s shall have triumphant wayf
Christ vas torn down for us. Can we not
AFFORD TO be tern down for him. II Christ
could suffer so much for Us. caa We not
saSer listle Tor Christi II he can afford
GA Pain Sunday to travel 20 Jerusalem Ia