Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-05-01

there were no flowers If nowhere else,
they would be along the borders or at
the gateway The homeliest taste will
dictate something, if it be only the old
fashioned hollyhock or dahlia or daffS-
dill, but if there be larger means then
you will find the Mexican cactus, and
blazing azalea, and clustering oleander.
Well, now, Christ comes TO his garden,
and he plants there some Of the brightest
spirits that ever flowered upon the world.
Some Of them are yiolets, inconspicuous,
but sweet as heaven. You have 10 search
and find them. You do not see them
very often perhaps, but you find where
they have been by the frightened face Of
the invalid and the sprig Of geranium
on the stand, and the new window cur
.ains keeping out the glare Of the sun
light They are perhaps more like the
canunculus, creeping sweetly along amid
the thorns and briers Of life, giving kiss
for sting, and many a man who has had
in his way some great black rock Of
trouble has found that they have cover
ed it all over with fiowery jasmine, run
ming in and out amid the creyices. These
flowers in Christ's garden are not, like
the sunhower, gaudy in the light, but
wherever darkness hoyers over a soul
that needs to be comforted there they
stand, night blooming cereuses.
Thorny Plants.
d. =, ~, -;-+f- ,,or,lo,, tbpra ara f,1ar,fc
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 ruan has had a very hard ground
tocultivate, and it has only been through
severe trial he has raised even the small
est crop Of grace. A very harsh minister
was talking to a very placid elder, and
the placid elder said to the harsh min
lister. "D-ctor, I do wish You would
control your temper. " 'Ah, " said the
minister to the elder, Il control more
temper in five minutes than you do In
Eve years
1t is harder for some 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
or fl5n knocking Il man down. l had
friend who came to me and said, i
dare not Join the church. " l said,
"Whv?" ooh, " he said, Il have such
n violent temper Yesterday morning
was crossing very early at the Jersey
CITY ferry, and l saw milkman pour
large quantity Of water into the milk
can. and said to him, 1 think that
will do. and he insulted me, and l
knocked him down. Do you think l
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. Thons
without. sweetness within - the best
snecimen Of the Mexican cactus l ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ 5
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 III
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
nreach. it is PentecOst. When they
fight. it is a Thermopyle. When they
die. it is a martyrdom. You find great
MANY roses in the gardens, but only
few "Giants Of Battle. " Men say
"Yhy don't you have more Of them IN
the church," | say, "Why don't you
have in the world more Humboldts anC
Wellingtons:" God gives TO some tel
talents; to another, one.
In this garden Of the church whici
Christ has planted / also find the snow
drops. beautiful. but cold looking, seem
inpIy another phase Of winter meal
those Christians who are precise III thel
tastes. unimpassioned, pure as snow
drops and as cold. They never shed an.
tears: they never get excited; they neye
saw ANYTHING rashly; they never do any
thing precipitately. Their pulses neVe
fntter; their nerves never twltch; thei
Indignation never boils over. They Inv
longer than most people but their III
is in a minor key. They never run up {
C. above the staff. In their music OF III
they have no staccato passages. Chris
planted them in the church, and the
must be of some service or they woul
not be there-snowdrops, always snow
drops
But 1 have not told you Of the mos
beautiful flower Of all this garden spoke
of in the text. If you see century plant
vour emotions are startled. You say
''Whv. this flower has been 100 yeal
gathering ND for one bloom, and 1t WI
! he 100 years more before other petal
will come out" But have to tell 20
of a plant that was gathering up frol
p all eternity, and that 1900 years ag
2 mt forth its bloom never to wlther.
) Is the passion plant Of the crossl Prophe'
foretold it, Bethlehem shepherds locke
unon it in the bud, the rocks shook
l it's bursting, and the dead got up
| their winding sheets to see ITS III
e bloom. 1t is a crimson fower-blood
o the roots. blood on the branches, bloc
I on all the leaves. Its perfume Is to II
t all the nations. Its breath is heaVel
1 Come. 0 winds from the north, an
t winds from the south, ard winds fro,
Il the east, and winds from the west, al
Q bear to all the earth the sweet smeliii
+ SAVIOR Of Christ, my Lordl
, His worth II all the nations know,
!, Snre the whole earth would love him too
] Choice Fruits.
t Again, the church may be approprlat
d " compared to a garden because 1t Is
70 Mace of fruits. That would be astran
L garden which had in it no berries,
d plums or peaches or apricots. The coars
II fruits are planted in the orchard, or tn
it are set ont on the sunny hillside, b
d the choicest fruits are kept in the &;
"a j n,.tciIp the Chur