Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-04-27

grace that would elevate you to the sew
enth heaven might not keep your broth
er from knocking a man down. / had O
friend who came to me and said, 81
dare not join the church - I said,
! ssWhy?'' "OL,'' he said, II have such
a violent temper. Yesterday morning
was crossing very early at the Jersey
City ferry, and saw a milkman pour a
large quantity Of water into the milk
can, and I said to him, 4 think that
will do, and he insulted me, and I
knocked him down. Do you think
ought to join the church," Neverthe-
less that very same man, who was SO
harsh in his behavior, loved Christ and
could not speak Of sacred things without
tears of emotion and affection. Thorns
without sweetness within = the best
specimen of the Mexican cactus ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's
garden who are always radiant, always
impressive more like the roses of deep
hue that we occasionally find, called
''Giants of Battle, - the Martin Luthers,
ST. Pauls, Chrysostoms Wyclifs, Lati-
mers and Samuel Rutherfords. What in
other men is q spark in them is a con-
fagration. When they sweat, they sweat
great drops CT blood. When they pray,
their prayers take fire. When they
preach, it is a Pentecost. When they
fight, it is Thermopyla. When they
die, it is 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," I say, ''Why don't you
have in the world more Humboldts and
Wellingtons?" 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, seem
ingly another phase Of winter. I mean
those Christians who are precise in their
tastes uninpassioned, pure as snow
drops and as cold. They never shed any
tears; they never get excited they never
say anything rashly; they never do any
thing precipitately. Their pulses never
futter; their nerves never twitch; their
indignation never boiIs over They live
longer than most peoHe, but their life
is in minor key. They never run up to
@ above the staff. In their music of life
they have no staccato passages. Christ
planted them in the church. and they
must be of some service or they would
not be there-snowdrOp always snow
drops.
But I have not told you of the most
beautiful flower of all this garden spoken
of in the text. If you see a century plant,
your emotions are startled. You say,
"Why, this flower has been 100 years
gathering up for one bloom, and it will
be 100 years more before other petals
will come OUT But have to tell you
of plant that was gathering up from
all eternity, and that 100 years ago
put forth it's bloom never to wither. It
is the passion plant of the cross! Prophets
foretold it, Bethlehem shepherds looked
upon it in the bud, the rocks shock at
its bursting, and the dead got up III
their winding sheets to see it's full
bloom. It is q crimson f1ower-blood at
the roots, blood on the branches blood
on all the lea-es It's perfume is to fill
all the nations It's breath is heaven.
Come, 0 winds from the north, and
winds from the south, and winds from
the east, and winds from the west, and
bear to all tue earth the sweet smelling
SAVIOR of Christ, my Lord!
His worth If all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
Choice Fruits.
Again, the church may be appropriate
~ compared to a garden because it is q
place of fruits. That would be a strange
garden which had in it no berries, no
plums or peaches or apricots. The coarser
fruits are planted in the orchard, or they
are set out en- the sunny hillside, but
the choicest fruits are kept in the gar
den. So in the world outside the church
Christ has planted great many beauti-
full 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 sentimentality.
It is a practical, life giving, healthful
fruit-not posies, but apples. "Oh,"
says somebody, 81 don't see what your |
garden of the church has yielded.' In
reply I ask where did your asylums
come from, and your hospitals. 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 cornerstone to
every blind asylum that has ever been
built When Christ soothed the demoni-
&C Of Galilee. he laid the cornerstone of
every 1unatic asylum that has ever been
established. When Christ said to the
sick man, 'sTalze up thy bed and walk
he laid the cornerstone of every hospital
the world has ever seen. When Christ
said, ST was in prison and We visited
me, he laid the cornerstone of every
prison reform association that has ever
been organized. The church of Christ is
glorious garden, and it is full of fruit
know there is some poor fruit in it.
[ know there are some weeds that ought |