Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-04-22
REV. Or. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S Sun
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "Tm GLor,or> PALM"


the one that was carefully guarded for many
years at Jericho has gone. went over the
very roai by which Christ approached Jer.
uSslen, and there arr plenty OF olive trees
and iig 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 lesfy prayers for rain, the land has b.
come untriendlv 20 the palm tree. Jericho
once stood in seven miles OF palm grove.
Olivst was crowned with palms. The Dead
Sea has on its banks the trunks OF palm
trees that hoate1 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,
II they would n0t ruinJuSly change the Cli-
mate and bring TO the soil barreuness instead
Of fertility. Thanks to God and the legisla,
lures for ArbOr Day, which plants trses, 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 10 Jerusalem 10
attend the religious festivities. Great news
Jesus will enter jerusalem to-day. The sky
is red with the morning. and the people are
fCCkiDg out 10 the foot OF Olivet, and up
and on over the southern shoulder OF the
mountain, ana the procession coming out
from tho city meets the procession escortinz
Christ, as He comes toward the city. There
is q turn in the road where Jerusalem sud.
denly bursts upon the vision
We had ridden that day all the way from
Jericho, and had vi~:teI the ruins OF the houss
OF Mary and Martha and Lazarus and were
somewhat weary OF slgGS seeing. when there
suddenly arose before our vision Jerusalem,
the rel gious 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
raj, Wellington role his proud Copenhagen,
but the conqueror OF earth and heaven rides
a colt, one tuat had been tied at the roadside.
Ii was unbroiea, and have no doubt frsc-
tlCuS at the vociferatiOn Of the populace. An
e1tempuriz,l saddle made ont Of the gar
ments Of the people was put on the beast.
While some people Griped tie bride Of the
colt, Others reverenty waited upon Christ at
the mountain.
The two professions OF people now become
one-tEose who came out Of the city and
those who came over the hill. The or.eutals
are more demonStratlve than we OF the
western world their voices louder, their
gestICuatIons moro violent and the sy mbois
by which they express their emotions more
significant. The peopIe who left PhoCeI, in
the far east, wishing Ia make impressive
that they would Il Yer return. took rcd hot
ball Of IRON and threw II into the sea, AMI
Eald they would never return 70 Phocea until
lBat bail rose and fuatri on the surface. BE
aot surpristd therefore, AZ the demUnstra-
ION in the text.
AS the colt with is rider deScen Is the
slope OF O.ivet the palm trees lining this
-oad are called upon to render their contri-
Juton TO the scene OF welcome and reloc-
.ng. The branches 0f these trees are high up,
and some must needs climb th- trees and tear
If the leaves and throw them down, and
others make OF these leaves an emerald pave
nent for the colt 10 trol on.
Long before that morning the palm tree
aad been typIcll OF triumph. Herodotus and
Strabo had thus described it. LSyard finds
he palm leaf cut in the walls of Sineveh,
With the same significance, In the Greek
athletic games the victors carried palms.
Am very glad that our Lord, who five days
after had thorus upon His brow, for little
while at least had palms strewn under His
'eet, oh, the glorious PALM Amarasinsa,
the Hindoo scholar, calls it "the king among
The grasses LlunHuS calls it "the prince OF
SegetatJr."
Among ell the trees that ever cast a
shadow or yielded fruit o. lifted their arms
toward heaven, IT has no equal for multi
tudlnous uses. Do You want MOWERS? One
palm tree will put forth a hanging garden
Of them. one custer counted by scientist
containing POI, 600 blooms. Do you want
foodf IL is the chief diet of the whole nations
One palm IN Chile will yield ninety gallons
| of honey. In Polynesia il is the chief food
II the inhabitants. In India there are mul-'
| .itu ,es Of people dependent upon it for sus-
| tepance.
| Do you want cable to hold ships or cords
| 10 hold wild beasts Ii is wound into ropes
| lnbreakahle. Do you want articles Of house
/ furniture 1t is twiSteilnto mats and woven
into baskets aud shaped into drinking cups
| and swung into hammocEs. Do you want
/ medicnei Its nut is the chief preventive OF
disease and the chief cure for vast popula-
ticns. DO you want houses? Its wood iurn-
/ shes the wall for the homes, AMI its leaves
thatch them. DO YOU need a supply for the
pantry tyields su gar and starch ami oil
and sago AMI milk and salt and wax AMI
vinegar aud candles.
Oh, the palm 1t has a variety Of endow
ments such as no other growth that ever
rooted the earth or kissed the heavens. To
the willow, God says, stand by the water
courses and weep To the cedar He says
Gather the hurricanes into your bosom
To the fig tree He says Bear fruit and put
it 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 AMI man
ufactory, and then be type OF what meant
WneO l inspired laNl MY StINuul, W say
The righteous shall flourish like palm
tree
Oh, Lord God, give us more palm trees
men and women made for nothing but TO be
useful dispositions all aboom; branches Of
influence laden with fruit; people good for
everything as the palm tree. IL klEd words
are wanted they are really TO utter them.
Ii hepful deeds are needed they are ready
to perform them. II plans OF usefulness are
- Io,l tl.,s Hv IN mr. IA
them. If enterprises are TO be forwarded
they are ready TO lift them. People who
say "Yesl Yesr' when they are asked for
assistance by word or deed instead OF mol
No~
Most Of the mysteries that bother others
do not bother me, because | adjourn them;
but the mystery that really bothers me IS
why God made so many people who amount
to nothing so far as the worlds betterment
is concerned. They stand in the way IneY
object. They discuss hin frances They
suggest possibilities of failure Over the
road of life, instead of pulling in tho traces
they are living back i'll the breechings. They
are the everlasting No. They are bramble
trees, they are willows always mourning;
or wild cherry trees, yielding only the bit
ter; or crab apple trees, producing only the
sour, while God would have us all flourish
like the palm tree. Planted in the BlOle That
tree always means usefulness
But how little aEy of lis or all Of us nc
conplish in that direction. We take twenty
or thirty years to get fully ready for Chris
tian work, and in the after part OF life We
take ten or twenty years for the gra'ua
closing of active WORK, and that leaves onlJ
so little time between opening AMI stopping
work that all We accomplish is 50 little al
angel OF Godne to exert himself to see
all.
Nearly everything l see around, beneath
and above in the natural world suggest
useful service. II there is nothing in tn
Bible that inspires you to usefulness go ou
and study the world around you this spring
time, and learn the great lesson of useful
ness. "What az thou doing up there, llttl