The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-04-29

SAID, Wnyp Oh, he SAID, Il nave
such violent temper. Yesterday
morning / was crossing very early at
the Jersey City ferry, and saw milk
man pour large quantity of water
into the milk can. and said to him,
4 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 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 Mex
lean 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,
Latimers, and Samuel Rutherfords
What in other men is spark, in them
a confagration. 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 Thermopyl@.
When they die, it is martyrdom. You
find a 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 this garden of the church which
Christ has planted | also find the snow
drops, beautiful, but cold-looking,
seemingly another phase of winter. l
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 flutter, their nerves never
twitch, their Indignation never boils
over. They live longer than most peo-
pie, but their life is in 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
of some service or they would not be
there; snowdrops-always snowdrops.
But have not told you of the most
beautiful flower of all this garden spo-
ken of in the text. If you see CEN
tury plant your emotions are started.
You say: "Why, this flower has been
hundred years gathering up for one
bloom, and it will be hundred years
more before other petals will come
out" But l have to tell you of plant
that was gathered up from all eternity,
and that 1900 years ago put forth its
bloom never to wither. 1t is the pas.
sion plant of the cross. Prophets fore
told it; Bethlehem shepherds looked
upon it in the bud; the rocks shook at
it's bursting, and the dead got up in
their winding-sheets to see it's full
| bloom. 1t is a crimson fower-blood
at the roots, blood on the branches,
blood on all the leaves. It's breath is
Heaven. Come, oh 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 If all the nations knew
Sure the whole earth would love Him. too.
Again, the church may be appropri-
atcly compared to garden, because it
is place of fruits. That would be 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 great many beautiful things
patience, charity, generosity, integ-
rity; hut 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 sentimental
ity. tits practical, life-giving health
~ful fruit-not posies, but apples. "0h, "
says somebody, 81 don't see what your
garden of the church has yielded" In
reply l ask where would 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 corner
stone to every blind asylum that has
ever been built. When Christ soothed
the demoniac of Galilee He laid the
cornerstone 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 corner
stone of every hospital the world has
has ever seen. When Christ said, 81
was in prison and ye visited Me-" He
laid the cornerstone of every prison
reform association that has ever been
organized. The church of Christ is a
glorious garden, and it is full of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit in it.
know there are some weeds that ought
to be thrown over the fence. know
there are some crab-apple trees that
ought to be cut down. / know there
are some wild grapes that ought to be
uprooted; but are you going to destroy
the whole garden because of little
gnarled fruit? You will find worm
eaten leaves in Fontainebleau, and in
sects that sting in the fairy groves of
the Champs Elysees. You do not tear
down and destroy the whole garden
because there are few specimens of
gnarled fruit l admit there are men
and women in the church who ought
not to be there; but let us be Just as
frank and admit the fact that there are