The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-04

garden who are always ardent always
radiant, always mpressive-more like
the roses Of deep hue thas we occa-
sionally find called giants OF battle
the Martin Luthers. St Pauls
E ChrysOstOms Wiclzliffes. Latimers and
Samuel Rutherfords What in other
men is a spark in them Is a confagra-
ton When they sweat they sweat
great drops of blood When they
pray their prayer takes life When
I they preach. It is Penticost- When
they fight, it Is a ThermoDylae- When
they die, it j. martyrdom- You find
great many roses in the gardens. but
only few giants Of battle Men
say why don't you have more of
them in the church, I saw why
don't you have in the world more Ma
poleons. and Hum boldts. and yelling
tons2" God gives 20 some ten talents,
to another one
IN this garden of the church, which
Christ has planted I also find the
snowdrops. beautiful but cold look
ing. seemingly another phase Of the
winter. / mean those Christians wis
are precise IN their tastes unImpas-
stoned. pure as snOvdrops and as cold
They never shed amy tears. they never
get exclted. thev never saw anything
rashly, they never do anything pre-
cipitately- Their pulse never futters,
their nerves never witch, their indig-
nation never bOils over They live
longer than most people; bat their
life is in a minor key. They neve~
run up to &C a bOve the staff IN the
music Of their life they have no STAG
cato passages Christ planted them
IN the church. and they must be OF
some service. or they would not be
there snowdrOps, always snowdrops-
I h.. <.-1-1 IL
beautiful flower IN all this garden
spoken OF in the text If you see a
century plant." your emotions are
started III on say why, this flower
has been a hundred years gathering up
for one bloom and ii VIII be hun
dred years more before other petals
viii come out But have to tell
you Of plant that was gathering up
from all eternity, and that nineteen
hundred years ago put forth its bloom
never TO wither It IS the Passion
Flower of the Cross. Prophets fore
told it. Bethlehem shepherds looked
upon it IN the bud the rocks shook a
its bursting and the dead got up in
their winding-she to see its full
bloom 1t IS crimson f1over-blood
at the roots. blood on the branches,
blood on all the leaves. It's perfume
is to fill all the nations Its touch is
life Its breath Is heaven Come. Oh I
winds, from the north. and winds
from the south, and winds from the
east. and winds from the west. and 4
bear to all the earth the sweet smelling I
SAVIOR Of Christ my Lord
bis worth, If al the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love him, too
Again: The church may be appro-
prIately compared to q garden be-
cause it is a place Of select fruits
That It would be a strange garden
which had IN It no berries. no plums,
no peaches or aPricOts. The coarser \
fruits are planted in the orchard. or
they are set out on the sunny hillside;
but the choicest fruits are kept in the
garden So IN the world outside the
church, Christ has planted a great
many beautiful II fngs-pa thence.
charity, generosity, integrity. but he
intends the choicest fruits to be IN
the garden. and if they are not there,
then shame on the church. Religion
IS not a mere Towering eminent
atty lit i practical, life-giv-
ing. healthful fruit-nOt posies, but
apples Oh says some body. I
dOn't see what your garden of the
church has yielded" Where did your
come fr0m2 and your hos
pitais2 and your institutions Of mercy?
Christ planted every one Of them. he
planted them IN his garden When
Christ gave sight to Bartimeus, he laid
the corner stone Or very blind asy lum
that has ever been built When Christ
soothed the d. moniac IF GaIiIee he
laid the corner stone OF every lunatic
asylum that has ever been esta blished-
When Christ said to the sick man:
Take up thy bed and walk he laid
the corner stone Of every hospital the
world has ever seen When Christ
said. I was in prison. and ye visited
me. he laid the corner stone
Of every prison reform asso-
citation that has ever been
formed The Church OF Christ IS
glorious garden and it IS full of fruit
I know there IS some poor fruit IN It
know there are srr-~ weeds that
ought TO have been thrown over the
fence I know there are som~ crab
apple trees that ought to be cut down.
/ know there are some Wild grapes
that ought to be uprOOteds but are you
going to destroy the whole garden be-
cause Of a little gnaried fruit2 You
will find worm eaten leaves in Fon-
Iainbleau. and insects that sting IN
the fairy groves Of the Champs Elysees
on do not tear down and destroy the
" hole garden because there are few
specimens Of gnar1ed fruit I admit
there are men and women in the
church who ought not to be there; but
ct Us be Just as frank. and admit
he fact that there are hundreds !
and thousands and tens OF thou
sands Of glorious Christian men and
women holy. blessed. useful, conse-
rated and triumphant There is nc
l. l.