Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-07-19

| connagratlon. When they sweat, they
sweat great drops of blood. When they
pray, their prayer takes fire. Wher
they preach. it is Pentecost. Wher
they fight, it is Thermopyle. When
they die, it is martyrdom. You find
a great many roses in the gardens, bu;
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. l also find the snow
drops. beautiful but cold looking,
seemingly another phase of the winter.
| mean those Christians who are pre-
else in their tastes, unimpassioned,
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 pulses never hutter;
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 never run up
TO &C. above the staff In the music
of their life they have no staccato pass
ages. Christ planted them in the
church, and they must be of some serv-
ice, or they would not be there. Snow
drops, always snowdrops.
But have not told you of the most
beautiful flower in all this garden
spoken Of in the text. If you see
century plant" your emotions are
started. You say, why, this flower
has been hundred years gathering up
for one bloom, and it will be a hundred
years more before other petals viii
come out" But | have to tell
you of a plant that was gathering
up from all eternity, and that 1000
years ago put forth its bloom
never to wither. II 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. II is crimson flower blood
at the roots, blood on the branches.
blood on all the leaves. Its perfume is
to fill all the nations. It's touch is life
Its breath is Heaven. Come. o winds,
from the north, and winds from the
winds from the west, and bear 10 all
the earth the sweet smelling SAVIOR of
Christ, my Lord.
His worth, II al the nations knew,
sure the whole earth would love Him too
Again. the church may be appro-
priately compared to a garden. because
il is a place of select fruits. That |
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 a great many beau
tiful things patience, charity, gener-
osity, integrity-but he intends the
fruits to be in the garden. and
if they are not there then shame on the
church. Religion is not mere flow
ering sentimentality. 1t is a practical,
healthful fruit-not posies.
but apples. "Oh," says somebody, II
don't see what your garden of the
church has yielded Where did
your asylums come from, and your
and your institutions of
mercy? Christ planted every one of
them. He planted them in His gar
len. When Christ gave sight to Bar
Iimeus He laid the cornerstone of every
blind asylum that has ever been
built When Christ soothed. the de-
noniac of Galilee. he laid the corner
stone of every lunatic asylum that has
aver been established. When Christ
aid to the sick man, Take up thy bed
md walk" he laid the cornerstone of
very hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said, Il was in prison,
md We visited me-" he laid the corner
tone of every prison reform associa-
ion that has ever been formed The
,hurch of Christ is a glorious garden,
md is full of fruit. l know there is
ONE poor fruit in it. | know there
re some weeds that ought to have
,een thrown over the fence. / know
here are some crab apple trees that
ught to be cut down. | know there
re some wild grapes that ought TO be
prooted. but are you going to destroy
he whole garden because of a lit
lie gnarled fruit? You will find worm
aten leaves in Fontainebleau and in
ects that sting in the fairy groves of
he Champs Elysees. You do not tear
own and destroy the whole garden ,
ecause there are few specimens of
narled fruit. / admit there are men
nd women in the church who ought
OF to be there, but let us be just as
,ank and admit the fact that there are
and thousands and tens of
of glorious Christian men
nd women holy, blessed, useful, con-
,crated and triumphant. There is no
rander collection on earth than the .
election of Christians. l
There are Christian men in the
lurch whose religion is not a matter I
psalm singing and church going.
o-morrow morning that religion will z
eep them just as consistent and con- a
Grated on ssexchanUen as If eyer Kent o