Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-04-16
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sun.
day Sermon.


How was that possibles How could palm
branches be cast in the way of Christ as H.
approached Jerusalem? There are scarcely
any palm trees in Central Palestine. Even
the one that was carefully guarded for many
years at Jericho has gone. went over the
very road by which Christ approached Jer-
usalem, and there are plenty of olive trees
and fig trees but no palm trees that could
see. You must remember that the climate
has changed The palm tree likes water, but
by the cutting down of the forests, which
are leafy prayers for rain, the land has be-
come unfriendly to the palm tree. Jericho
once stood in seven miles of palm grove.
Olivet was crowned with palms. The Dead
Sea has on its banks the trunks of palm
trees that hoated down from some oldtims
palm grove and are preserved from decay
by the salt which they received from the
dead Sea.
Let woodmen spare the trees of America.
il they would not ruinousiy change the eli
mate and bring to the soil barrenness instead
of fertility, Thanks to God and the legisla
lures for Arbor Day, which plants treas, try
ing to atone for the ruthlessness which has
destroyed them. Yes, my text is in har-
mony with the condition Of that country on
the morning of Palm Sunday. About three
million people have come to Jerusalem to
attend the religious festivities Great news
Jesus will enter Jerusaem to-day. The sky
is red with the morning, and the people are
6ocking out to the foot of Olivet, and up
and on over the southern shoulder OF the
mountain, and the procession coming out
from the city meets the procession escorting
Christ, as he comes toward the city. Thera
is turn in the road where Jerusalem sud-
denly bursts upon the vision.
We had ridden that day all the way from
Jericho, and had visited the ruins of the house
of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and were
somewhat weary OF sight seeing, when there
suddenly arose before our vision Je. usalem,
the religious capital of all Christian ages
That was the point of observation where my
text comes in. Alexander rode Bucephalus.
Duke Ellie rode his famous Merchegay, Sir
Henry Lawrence rode the high mettled Con-
lad, Wellington rode his proud Copenhagen,
but the conqueror of earth and heaven rides
colt, one that had been tied at the roadside.
1t was unbroken, and | have no doubt frac-
tious at the vociferation of the populace An
extemporized saddle made ont of the gar
ments of the people was put on the beast.
While some people griped the bride of the
colt, others reverently waited upon Christ at
the mountain.
The two professions of people now become
one-those who came out of the city and
those who came over the hill. The orientals
are more demonstrative than we of the
western world. their voices louder, their
gesticulations more violent and the sy mbols
by which they express their emotions moro
significant. The people who left Phocea, in
the far east, wishing to make impressive
that they would never return, took red hot
ball OF iron and threw it into the sea, and
said they would never return TO Phocea until
that ball rose and 1oated on the surface. Be
not surprised, therefore, at the demonstrs-
ton in the text
As the colt with its rider descands the
slope of Olivet, the palm trees lining the
~ nd to- %has,-
button to the scene of welcome and rejoic-
ing. The branches OF these trees are high up,
and some must needs climb the trees and tear
off the leaves and throw them down, and
others make of these leaves an emerald pave
ment for the colt to trod on.
Long before that morning the palm tres
had been typical of triumph. Herodotus and
Strabo had thus described it, Lsyard finds
the palm leaf cut in the walls of Nineveh,
with the same significance. In the Greek
athletic games the victors carried palms.
am very glad that our Lord, who five days
after had tborns upon His brow, for little
while at least had palms strewn under His
feet. Oh, the glorious palm! Amarasinga,
the Hindoo scholar, calls II ''the king among
the grasses" Llnneus calls it "the prince of
vegetation
Among all the trees that ever cast q
shadow or yielded fruit or lifted their arms
toward heaven, it has no equal for multi
tudinous uses. Do you want flowers? One
palm tree will put forth a hanging garden
OF them. one cluster counted by scientist
containing POI, 900 blooms. Do you want
food? Iii the chief diet of the whole nations
One palm in Chile will yield ninety gallons
of honey. In Polynesia it is the chief food
of the inhabitants. In India there ara null
titutes of people dependent upon 1t for sus-
tenance
Do you want cable to hold ships or cords
to hold wild beasts? 1t is wound into ropes
unbreakable. Do you want articles of house
furniture? 1t is twisted into mats and woven
into baskets and shaped into drinking cups
and swung into hammocSs. Do you want
medicine? Its nut is the chief preventive of
disease and the chief cure for vast popuia-
tions. DO you want hou Ses? Its wood turn-
ishes the wall for the homes, and its leaves
thatch them. DO you need a supply for the
pantry? yields sugar and starch and oil
and sage AMI milk and salt and wax and
vinegar and candles.
Oh, the paint 1t has variety of endow-
ments such as no othec growth that ever
rooted the earth or kiSSsi the heavens. 10
the willow, Col says Stand by this water
courses and weep" 10 the cedar lie says,
Gather the hurricanes into your bosom"
To the fig tree He says, Bear fruit and put
il within reach of all the people" But to
the palm tree He says, BE garden and
storehouse and wardrobe and ropewalk and
chandlery and bread and banquet and man
ufactory, and then be type of what meant
when ! inspired Davii. Ny servant, to say,
The righteous shalt flourish like palm
tree
Oh, Lord GOD, give us more palm trees
men and women made for nothing but to be
useful; dispositions all abloom; branches of
influence laden with fruit; people good for
everything, as the palm tree. Ifkind words
are wanted they are ready to utter them.
If helpful deeds are needed they are ready
to perform them. Ii plans of usefulness are
to be laid out they are ready to project
them. If enterprises are TO be forwarded
they are ready to lifi them. People who
say Yes Yesm when they are asked for
assistance by word or deed, instead of 'No!
Nor
Most Of the mysteries that bother others
do not bother me- because | ad journ them;
but the mystery that really bothers me is
why Goa made so many people who amount
to nothing so far as the worlds betterment
is concerned. They stand in the way. They
object. They discuss hin1rances. They
suggest possibilities OF failure. Over the
road of HE. instead OF pulling in the traces,
they are living back in the breschings. They
are the everlasting No. They are brambe
trees they are willows, always mourning;
or wild cherry trees, yielding only the Bit
ter; or crao apple trees, producing only tina
sour, while God would have us all flourish
like the palm tree. Planted in the Bible that
tree always means usefulness.
But how little a-y of us or all of US ac-
complish in that direction. We take twenty
or thirty years to get fully ready for Chris
tan work, and in the after part of life we
take ten or twenty years for the gradual
closing o. active WORK, anl that leaves only
so little time between opening an | stopping
work that all we accomplish Is so little an
angel OF Goinee1s to exert himself to see 1t
ALL
Nearly everything 1 see around, beneath
ami above in the natural world suggest
useful service Ii there is nothing in the
Bible that inspires you to usefulness, go out
and study the world around you this spring
time, and learn the great lesson of useful
uess. What art thou doing up there, little
star? Why rot SHUT thine eyes and sleep,
FOR who cares for for thy shiningw NO.
saith the star, 81 will not sleep. I guilds
the sailor on the sea- l cheer the traveller
among the mountains. [ help tip the dew
with light. Through the win low OF the
poor mans cabin | cast beam OF hope, and
the child on her mothers Ian asks in glee
whittier CONS an wat do and whence
go. To CLEAN and glitter, God set me here.
Away! have no time to sleen."
The snowflake comes Struggling down.
"Frall, tickle wsn1erer, why CONTEST thou
hereg Il am no idle wanderer,n responds
the snowflake. High up in the air I was
born, the Child OF the rain and tina cold, AMI
at the divine bahes5 | come, AMI am no
straggler, for God tells me- waere to put my
crystal heel. To help cover the roots, toe
grain AMI grass, to cleanse the air, to make
spoit'men mora happy and the ingls frs
more bright I come. Though so light an
that you toss me from your muller ami
crush Gle uuier your foat, | am doing my