Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-07-05


tears of emotion and affection Thorns
without, but sweetness within-the
best specimen of Mexican cactus |
ever saw
There are others planted in Christ's
garden who are always ardent, always
radiant, always impressive-more like
the roses of deep hue that we occa-
sionally find called giants of battle
the Martin Luthers, St Pauls.
Chrysostoms, Wickliffes, Latimers and
Samuel Rutherfords. What in other
men is spark, in them is confiagra-
ton When they sweat, they sweat
great drops of blood. When they
pray, their prayer takes life. When
they preach, it is a Penticost. When
they fight, it is a Thermopyla. When
they die, it is martyrdo.. You find
a 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," / say: "Why
don't you have in the world more Ma
poleons, and Humboldts. and Yelling
tons?" God gives to some ten talents,
to another one
In this garden of the church, which
Christ has planted, / also find the
snowdrops, beautiful but cold look
ing, seemingly another phase of the
winter. / mean those Christians who
are precise in their tastes, unimpas-
stoned, pure as snowdrops and as cold.
They never shed any tears, they never
get excited, they never say anything
rashly, they never do anything pre-
cipitately. Their pulse never fiutters,
their nerves never twitch. their indig-
nation never boils over. They live
longer than most people; but their
life is in a minor key. They ne yer
run up to ''C'' above the staff. In tue
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.
But have not told you of the Nat
beautiful flower in all this garden
spoken of in the text. If you see a
century plant" your emotions are
started. You say: why, this flower
has been hundred years gathering up
for one bloom, and it will be hun
dred years more before other petals
will 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. 1t is the Passion
Flower of the Cross! Prophets fore
told it. Bethlehem shepherds looked
upon it in the bud; the rocks shook at
its bursting; and the dead got up in
their winding-sheets to see its full
bloom. 1t is crimson tiower-blood
at the roots, blood on the branches
blood on all the leaves Its perfume
is to fill all the nations. Its touch Is
life. Its breath is heaven Come. Oh
winds, from the north, and winds
from the south, and winds from the
east, and winds from the west. and
bear to all the earth the sweet smelling
SAVIOR of Christ my Lord.
His worth, il all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him, too.
Again: The church may be appro-
priately compared to garden, be-
cause it is a place of select fruits
That it would be 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 great
many beautiful things-patience,
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 mere Towering sentiment
atty. 1t is practical, life-giv-
ing. healthful fruit-not posies, but
apples. OH" says some body, Il
don't see what your garden of the
church has yielded" Where did your
asylums come from? and your hos
pitfalls? 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 of every blind asy lum
that has ever been built. When Christ
soothed the demoniac IF Galilee he
laid the corner stone of every lunatic
asylum that has ever been established.
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: Il was in prison, and we visited
me-" he laid the corner stone
of every prison reform asso-
citation that has ever been
formed. The Church of Christ is q
! glorious garden and it is full of fruit
know there is some poor fruit in it
/ 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 be uprooted; but are you
going to destroy the whole garden be-
cause of little gnarled fruit? Ior
will find worm eaten leaves in Fon
tain bleau, and insects that sting II
the fairy groves of the Champs Elysees
You do not tear down and destroy the
whole garden because there are a few
specimens of gnarled fruit l admi
there are men and women in the
! church who ought not to be there; bu