Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-05-05

1t Is harder for some men to do right
than for other men 10 dc right. The
grace that would elevate you to the sew
enth heaven might not keep your
brother from knocking a man down.
had friend who came to me and said,
Il dare not join the Church" / said,
"Why? Oh" he said, II have such
violent temper. Yesterday morning vas
crossing very early at the Jersey City
ferry, and | saw milkman pour large
quantity of water into the milk-can. and
said to him, I think that will do and
he insulted me, and / knocked him
down. Do you think l ought to join
the church," Nevertheless, that very
same man, who was SO harsh in his be-
havior, loved Christ, and could not
speak Of sacred things without tears OF
emotion and affection. Thorns with
out, sweetness within-the best speci-
zen 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, Wickliffes,
Lati:ners, and Samuel Rutherfords.
What in other men Is spark, in them
is confiagration. When they sweat.
they sweat great drops Of blood. When
they pray, their prayer takes fire.
When they preach, it is a Pentecost.
When they fight, it is Thermopylae.
When they die, it Is martyrdom. You
find great many roses in the gardens,
nut 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 Humboldts and
Wellingtons?" God gives to some ten
talents; to another one.
In this garden OF the Church which
Christ has planted, also find the snow
drops, beautiful, but cold-looking.
seemingly another phase of winter.
mean those Christians who are precise
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 precipitately. Their
pulses never futter, and their nerves
never twitch, their indignation 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 their music of life they have
no staccato passages. Christ planted
them in the Church, and they must be
80
there; neutrality-suspicious. snowdrops
But / 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
started. You say, why, this flower has
been hundred years gathering up for
ore bloom. and it will be hundred
years more before other petals will
come out" But have to tell you OF a
plant that was gathering up from all
eternity, and that nineteen hundred
years ago put forth it's bloom never to
wither. 1t is the passion-piant of the
Cross! Prophets foretold it; Bethle-
hem shepherds looked upon 1t in the
bud; the rocks shook at it's bursting;
and the dead got up in their winding
sheets ts see it's full bloom. 1t Is a
crimson fower-blooda at the roots, blood
on the branches, blood on all the leaves
It's perfume is to fill all the nations. It's
breath is heaven. Come, o 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 II all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him. too.
Again, the Church may be appropri-
ately compared to garden, because 1t
is place of fruits. That would 5e a
strange garden which had In it no ber-
ries. no plums or 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 beautiful things
patience, charity, generosity, integrity;
but he intends the choicest fruits to be
in the garden. and II they are not there,
then shame on the Church.
Religion is not mere sentiment
tality. 1t is practical, life-giv-
ing. healthful fruit--Rot posies.
but apples. "Oh," says somebody.
Il don't see what your garden Of
the church has yielded" In reply,
ask where did your asylums come from?
and your hospitals? and your institu-
lions 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 de-
moniac Of 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 cornerstone
Of every hospital the world has ever
seen. When Christ said, Il was in
prison and ye visited me-" he laid the
cornerstone of every prison-reform as
ISOLATION that has ever been organized.
The church of Christ IS a glorious
sarden, and it is full of fruit.
l know there is some poor fruit in
IT, / know there are como weeds that