The Newtown bee., 1896-05-29

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 text. It is lane which turns off from this well-trodden way, the narrative of the feeding of the five thousand, way over whicl the ministers have gone un- til they have tramplcd it almost destitute of any fresh sermonic thought. This lane has this delightful attraction about it, not many have passed over it before :; and, in taking you with me this morning, we shall have the advantage of going 8 little out of the usual path. So let us be going into this lane: "Now there was much grass in the place."
 When the P3al4nist stood outside the walls of Jerusalem, his capital city, and saw the hills rising round about it GOV cred with flower tleckcd grass and yer durc to the very gummits, captivated by the beauty of the sight, he cried: "Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving. who ma<cth grass to grow upon the noun 1 tains." The Psalmist used to grow en- rapturcd over the sight in his day, but that was many centuries ago; no one would think of growing enraptured over ! the sight now. The mountains are still 'round about Jerusalem ;" but they are 1 very bare and desolate, sc bare and desc l late that it almost seems as if the curse of Jehovah had descended upon the very land. The rains cotnually falling upon ! these hills have washed away the soil, swept it down into the valleys, until these unterraced slopes are now as bare as barn,noor and will produce about as much vegetation. This is so to-day in Judu'}; but the case is far different in GaIuae, the province on the north. Somewhat over a year ago I rode on horseback across the fur-famcd vale of EsdraCiun. Coming into that vale from out the land of JudWa was like con- ing into the Garden of Paradise from out the Desert of Sahara. The rich car peting of green WAS dotted with il overs, and uulczs the horse kept to the very narrow path, his hoofs would crush the most beautiful flowers by the thousand. That was iii Ga.ilco, and the scene of which our text is the mercst snatch of description occurred in Galilee also, on the sloping hillside rising up from the s,ra of Galilee near the plain of Butaiha. Our text might f.ly describe the whole northern portion of Palestine to-day, .'Now there was much grass in the plarc;" and it is that fact which gives to the country it's chief charm for the traveller.
 John KuskiD, the English art critic, ls {,,, r,E k,, aays: Judge whether of all the gorge ous flowers that beam in summer air and of all strong and goodIy trees, pleasant to the eyes and good for food
 STATELY PALM AND FINE,
 strong ash and oak, scented citron, bur dcned vine-there be any by man so deeply loved, by God 90 highly graccd, as that narrow point of feeble green. The grass. you tread upon it, you cut it down, you feed 1t out to your cattle, you stow 1t away in the moW; but did you ever think of it's lessons lnere. is the les son of Gods goodness. We might come this morning into a bare church, Hith no carpet on the floor, no cushion, in the ppws, no nD4ers at the desk, no organ to furnish Us music, no decoration of any sort upon the walls; but In afraid there would be little inspiration in the sermon, for the preacher depends large Iy upon pleasant surroundings for any ulc42antDcsa of grace to f@u from his words; and I'm afraid there would be In if in, air GN sing much when confined in cellar, aud Gods people are not greatly given co praise when bare walls and bare floors speak of poverty of delight in the things of Gods house. We might live iu homca--I know some people tbat do where there vas nothing in the hone except what was absolutely necessary to keep breath in the body; but no one who gathers here cares for such a home as that. And we might live in this world-if the great, unstinting, lavish hand of God had chosen to make it so with no rich, soft carpeting of green grass to cover the meadows and the mountains, with no flowers to breathe forth fragrance, with no cOlOrs to paint the sunset sky. But l would not want to live in that world; and God does not want us to live in that sort of world, and He has not made it so.
 "If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is and tomorrow is cast in- to the ovcn." God clothes the grass, and the grass clothes the earth. Stand upon some prominent point of vision and take in the view. Here is the vale at your feet lying in ''pensive quetness be- tween" the point on which ycu stand and wonder projecting cliff, here are the hills half white with clover on " hich the cat tie browse, here is the landscape stretch ing far away what ia prominent about it all? The rich, velvety carpeting of grass. Is it n0C beautiful as it shimmers in the low-hying wind or waves beneath the gIories of the sinking sun? Itclothes the earth, it tapparels the meadows. Ton can only appreciate the dearness If a thing to you as you become deprived of it. There is baby boy in your home, you think you love him now. Let death take him away! There is 8 church at the center of the New England hillside town; you think you appreciate it now, are making great sacrifices for it. Let the flame consume it to night! There is love in the world that binds heart unto heart and life unto life, you think you give your full measure of it. Let no heart beat responsive to the love your heart would showl
 YOU THINK YOU APPRECIATE