The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-05-06

Some Of them are violets, inconspicuous,
butsweet as heaven. You have to search
and find them. You do not see them
very often perhaps, but you fl,d where
they have been by the Frightened face of
the invalid, and the sprig of geranium
On the stand, and the new window cur
tains keeping out the glare Of the sun
light. They are perhaps mere like the
ranunculus, creeping sweetly along amid
the thorns and briers Of life, giving kiss
for sting, and many man who has had
in his way some great black rocl; Of
trouble has found that they have cover
ed it all over with flowery jasmine, run
ming in and out amid the crevices. These
flowers in Christ's garden are not, like
the sunfower, gaudy in the light, but
wherever darkness hovers over soul
that needs to be comforted there they
stand, night blooming cereuses
Thorny Plants.
But in Christ's garden there are plants
that may be better compared to the
Mexican cactus-thorns without, lowell
ness within, men with sharp points OF
character. They wound almost every one
that touches them. They are hard to
handle. Men pronounce them nothing
but thorns, but Christ loves them not
withstanding all their sharpnesses.
Many man has had very hard ground
to cultivate, and it has only been through
severe trial he has raised even the small
est crop Of grace. Avery harsh minister
was talking to a very placid elder, and
the placid elder said to the harsh min
lister, "Dcctor, I do wish you would
control your temper. "Ah," said tho
minister to the elder, II control more
temper in five minutes than you do ID
Ave years"
It is harder for come men to do right
than for other men to do right The
grace that would elevate you to the sew
enth heaven might not keep your broth
er from knocking man down. 1 had
friend who came to me and said, u
dare not join the church" " I said,
"Why?" "Oh," Ae said, II have such
a violent temper. Yesterday morning
was crossing very early at the Jersey
City ferry, and saw milkman pour q
large quantity Of water into the milk
car, and said to him, I think that
will do, and he insulted me, and ]
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. Tho-ns
without, sweetness within - the best
specimen Of the Mexican cactus ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ'a
garden who are always radiant always
impressive, more like the roses Of deep
hue that we occasionally find, called
"Giarts of Battle, " the Martin Luthers,
st. Pauls, Chrysostoms, Wyclifs, Latl-
mers and Samuel Rutherfords. What in
other men is a spark in them is a con.
hagration. When they sweat, they sweat
great drops Of blood. When they pray,
their prayers take fire. When they
preach, it is Pentscost When they
fight, it is Thermopyle. When they
die, it is a 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 I also find the snow.
drops, beautiful, but cold looking, seem
irgly another phase Of winter. l mean
those Christians who are precise in their
tastes, unimpassioncd, 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
flutter; their nerves rever twitch; their
indignation never boils over. They live
longer than most people, but their life
is in minor key. They never run up to
G 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-snowdops always SNOW
drops.
But hive not told you Of the most
beautiful flower Of all this garden spoken
of in the text. If you see 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 1900 years ago
put forth it's bloom never to wither. 1t
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 in
their winding sheets to see its full
bloom. It is a crimson fower-blood at
the roots, blood on the branches, blood
on all the leaves. Its perfume is to fill
nil the nations. Its 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 il oil the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
Choice Fruits.
Again, the church may be appropriate
" compared to garden because it is
place of fruits. That would be 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 on 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
Don't bolt your food, it irritates
.lo,,oo ob (booco 6irocfihla