The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-25

Will be Il hundred years more before other
petals will come out. " But have 20 tell
you Of plant that was gathcring up from
al eternity, and that 1900 years ago put
forth its bloom never to withrr. IL is the
passion flower Of the crossl Prophets fore
told it. Bethlehem shepherds looked upon
it in the bud; the rocks shook at its burst
ing, aud the dead got up In their winding
sheets to see its full bleuu L. So u crimson
fowcr-blood at the roots, blood ON the
branches blood on all the leaves It, per
fumc is to III all the nations. Its touch
Is life. Its breath Is heaven. Come q
winds, from thN north and winds from the
south and winds from the cast and winds
from the west, and bear TO all the earth the
sweet smelling SAVIOR Of Christ, my Lord
His worth, II all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
Again, the church may be Appropriate
ly compared to a garden because it Is q
place of select fruits. That would be a
strange garden which had in IL no berries,
no plums, no pcachCs or npTicots. The
coarscr fruits are planted In the orchard
or they are sut out on the sunny hillside,
but the choicest fruits are kept the gar
den.
The Choicest Fruits.
So in the world outside the church
Christ has planted great many beautiful
things-paticncc, charity, generosity, in
togrity-but he intends the choicest fruits
to be in the garden, and IL they are not
there then shame ON the church. Religion
Is not u more Towering sentimentalty 1t
is IA practical, life giving, hcalthful fruit
not pusics, but apples. "Oh, says some
body, Il don't see what your garden of
the church has yielded" Whore did your
asylums come from, and your hospitals
and your Institutions of mercyy Christ
planted every one of them. Hc planted
thom in his garden. When Christ gave
sight to Bartimcus, he laid the cornerstone
of every blind asylum that has ever been
built. When Christ soothCd tho denoniac
Of Galilcc, he laid the cornerstone of every
lunatic asylum that has ever been estab
lished. When Christ said to the sick man
Take up thy bed and walk" he laid the
cornerstone of every hospital the world
has ever seen. When Christ said, 81 was
in prison, and yc visited me, " he laid the
cornerstone of every prison reform associa
ton that has ever been formed The
church Of Christ is glorious garden, and
it is fun Of fruit | know there Is some
poor fruit in Ii. know there are some
weeds that ought to have been thrown
over the fence. know there are some
crab apple trees that ought to be cut down
l know there are some wild grapes that
ought to bc uprootCd but are you going to
| destroy the whole garden because Of "A lit
| tie gnarlcd fruity You will find worm
eaten leaves in Funtaincblcau and insects
that sting in the fairy groves Of the
Champs Elysces. You do not tear down
and destroy the whole garden because
there arc few specimens of gnarlCd fruit
l admit there are men and women in the
church who ought not to be there, but let
us be just as frank and admit the fact
that there are hundreds and thousands and
tens of thousands Of glorious Christian
men and women holy, blessed, useful, cor
secratcd and triumphant, There is nc
grandcr collection in all the earth than
the collection of Christians.
Some Modern Martyrs.
There are Christian men in the church
| whose religion is not IA matter of psalm
| singing and church going. Tomorrow
morning that religion will keep them jlIsi
as consistent and consecratul ON "cX
change" as it ever kept them MT the com.
munion table. There are women in the
church of higher type Of character then
Mary of Bethany. They not only ii
the feet of Christ, but they 90 out in,o tn,
kitchen to help Martha In her work, thai
she may sit there too. There Is woman
who has drunken husband, who has cx
hibitcd morn faith and patience and cour
age than Hugh Latmer in the fire He
was consumed in 20 minutes. Hers has
been 20 years martyrtlom. Yondcr Is t.
man who has lain 10 years on his back,
unable even to feed himself, yet calm and
peaceful us though he lay ON one Of the
green banks of heaven, watching the oars
men dip their paddles in the crystal rivcrl
Why, 1t seems to mo this moment as If
Paul threw to us a pomologist's catalogue
Of the fruits growing in this great garden
of Chlist-lovc, JOY peace, patience, char
ity, brotherly kindness, gentlcncss, mercy
glorious fruit, enough to fill all the bas
kets Of earth and heaven.
have not told you of the better tree in
this garden and of the better fruit. 1t
was planted just outside Jerusalem good
while ago. When that tree was planted,
it was so split and bruised and barllcd
men said nothing would ever grow upon
it, but no sooner had that tree been plant
ed than IL buddcd and blossomcd and
fruited, and the soldiers spears were only
the clubs that struck down that fruit, and
1t fell into the lap Of the nations, and men
began to pick it up and eat IL, and they
found in 1t an antidoto to all thirst, 10 all
poison, TO all sin, To all death-thc small
est cluster larger than the famous one of
Eshcol, which two men carried on staff
between them. II the one apple in Eden
killed the race, this one cluster of mercy
shall restore it.
A Wen watered Garden.
Again, the church in my text is appro-
| a "a. ride hgnnnga L.. hgp
oughly irrigated. No garden could prosper
long without plenty of water. have seen
garden in the midst of desert, yet
blooming and luxuriant. All around was
dearth and barrenness, but there were
pipes, aqueducts reaching from this gar
den up to the mountains and through
| those aqucducts the water came streaming
| down and tossing up into beautiful foun-
tains until every root and leaf and flower
was saturated. That is like the church
The church is IA garden in the midst Of "A
great desert of sin and suffering II is
well irrigated, for our eyes are unto the
hills, from whence cOmeth our help. -
From the mountains Of Gods strength
there flow down rivers of gladness There
Is n river the stream whereof shall mako
glad the city OF our God. Preaching the
gospel is one OF these aquoducts. The
Biblo Is another. Baptism and the Lord S
supper are Hqucducts. Water To slake the
thirst, water to restore the faint, water to
wash the unclean, water tossed high up In
the light Of the sun of righteousness,
NanViIIS rs tho IUuDnNT us1sSlS Il y tnr
Oh, was there eyer a G,Hlsn 50 thorough.
ly Irrigated Nou know the beauty CT Vor.
soilles and Chatsworth depends very much
upon the great supply of water. ! came
to the latter place (Chatsworthl one day
| when strangers are not 10 hc admitted,
| but by an inducemcnt, which always
seemed AS applicable to an Englishman as
IN American, got In, aud then the gar.
denor went far up above the stairs Of stone
aud turned ON the water | saw IL gloani-
Ing ON the dry pavement, coming dowr
/ from step To step, until il came 50 near
could hear the musical rush, and all over
the high, broad stairs it cama foamlng,