Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-05-06


linen of the Mexican cactus Fever saw.
There arc others planted i'm Christ's
garden who are always radiant, always
imprcssive--more like the roses OF deep
hue that we occasionally find. called
Giants of Battle, the Martin Luthers,
81. Pauls. Chrysostoms wiclxliffes,
Latimcrs and Samuel RutherfordsL
What in other men is spark. in them
lisa confiagration. When they sweat,
they sweat great drops OF blood. When
they pray, their prayer takes fire. When
they preach. IL is n Pentacost. When
they fight, il is n Thcrmopylac. When
they die, IL is n 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?" say: ''why
don't you have in the world more Hum
boldts and Wellingtons?" God gives to
some ten talents; to another one.
In the garden of the church which
Christ has planted L also find the snow
drops, beautiful, but cold-looSing,
seemingly another phase of winter. I
mean those Christians who arc precise
in their tastes, unimpasSioncd, pure MS
snowdrops and rs cold. They never
shed any tears, they never get excited.
they never say anything rashly, they
never do anything prccipitatcly. Their
pulses never fluttcr. their nerves
never twitch: their indignation
never boils over. They live longer
than most people, but their life is i'm n
minor key. They never run up To CO.
above the staff. In their music of life
they have no staccato passages Christ
planted them I'm the church and they
must bc of some service or they would
not bc there; snowdrops-alw snow
drops.
But l have not told you of the most
beautiful flower of all this garden
spoken of in my text. II you sec n cen
tury plant your emotions are started.
You say: why, this flower has been n
hundred years gathering up for one
bloom, and it will be hundred years
more before other petals will come
out" But | will have to tell YOU OF n
plant that was gathering up from all
eternity, and that nineteen hundred
years ago put forth its bloom never To
withcr. IL is the passion plant of the
Cross! Prophets forctold IL; Bethle-
hem shepherds looked upon IL in the
bud; the rocks shook Mt its bursting
and the dead got up in their winding
sheets to see it's full bloom. 1t is n
crimson fiowcr-blood Mt the roots
blood on the branches, blood on all tn,
leaves. Its perfume is To fill all tn,
nations. Its breath is Heaven. Come
o winds from the north and wind,
from the south and winds from tn,
east and winds from the west, anc
bear To all the earth the sweet-smell
ing SAVIOR of Christ, my Lord!
His worth II all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love him. too
Again, the church may bc appropri
ately compared to garden, because il
is n place of fruits. That would be a
strange garden which had i'm IL nc
berries, no plums or peaches or apri
cots. The coarscr fruits arc planted In
the orchard or they are set out ON tn,
sunny hillside, but the choicest fruits
are kept in the garden. So in tn,
world outside the church, Christ has
planted great many beautiful thing,
patience, charity, generosity, integri
ty, but he intends the choicest fruits /,
be kept in the garden, and IL they ar,
not there, then shame on the church.
Religion is not n mere sentimental
ity. 1t is N practical, life-giving
hcnlthful fruit-not posies, but apples
"Oh," said somebody, IL don't see VIVA
your garden of the church has yield
ed" In reply, | ask where did your
asylums come from, and your hospital.
and your institutions of mercy? Chris
planted every one OF them-he planted
them in his garden. When Christ CAV,
sight to Bartimeus he laid the corner
stone to every blind asylum that ha
been built. When Christ soothed tn,
demoniac of Galilec he laid the cornc
stone OF every lunatic asylum that ha
been established. When Christ said /,
the sick man, Take up thy bed an,
walk" he laid the corner stone OF ever,
hospital the world has ever seen. WheI
Christ said, II was in prison and y,
visited me-" he laid the corner stone o
every prison reform association tina
has ever been organized. The Churcl
OF Christ is glorious garden, and IL i
| full of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit in II
| / know there are some weeds tina
ought To be thrown over the fence.
know there are some crab-apple tree
that ought 10 be cut down. / know
there are some wild grapes that ough
To be uprootcd-but are you going 1,
destroy the whole garden because of
little gnarlcd fruit? You will fine
worm-catcn leaves in Fontainblcau an,
insects that sting in the fairy groves o
the Champ Elysees. You do not tea
down and destroy the whole garden
because there are "a few specimens o
gnarled fruit. ] admit there are mcr
/ and women in the church who ough
not TO be there, but let MS bc frank anC
| admit the fact that in there arc hun
dreds and thousands and tens Of thou
sands of glorious Christian men ant
women-holy, blessed, useful, consc
Grated and triumphant. There is M
grandcr, Dobler collection in all tn,
earth than the collection of Christians
There are Christian men in thi,
house whose religion Is not "A matter o
psalm singing or church going. TO
morrow morning that religion will
keep them just as consistent and con
secrated in their worldly occupation n,
Il ever kept them at the communion
table. There are women here TO-DAY
Of a higher type OF character than MARY
Of bethany They not only sit at Tn,
feet OF Christ, but they go out into tn,
kitchen 90 help Martha in her work