The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-05-01

/ nve 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
seventh heaven might not keep your
brother from knocking a man down.
/ had friend who came to me and
said: 81 dare not join the church"
l said: why" "Oh," he said, II have
such a violent temper. Yesterday
morning l was crossing very early at
the Jersey City ferry, and saw milk
man pour large quantity of water in
to the milk can, and l said to him, Il
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, sweet
ness within-the best specimen Of the
Mexican cactus ever saw.
There are others planted in Christs
garden who are always radiant, al
ways impressive-more like roses of
deep hue that we occasionally find,
called "Giants of Battle;" the Martin
Luthers, st. Pauls. Chrysostoms, Wick
liffes, Latimers and Samuel Ruther-
3 fords. What in other men is spark,
in them is confagration. When they
sweat, they sweat great drops of blood.
When they pray, their prayer takes
fire. When they preach, it is Penta-
cost When they fight, it is Their
mopyla When they die it is martyr
dom. You find great many roses in
the garden. but only a few "Giants OF
Battle" Men say: why don't you
have more of them in the church," l
say: "Why don't you have in the
world more Humboldt's and Yelling
tons?" God gives to some ten talents;
to another one.
In this garden of the church which
Christ has planted 1 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 anv tears, they never get excited,
they never say anything rashlv, 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. a bove 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
spoken of in the text IF you see a
century plant your emotions are start
ed. 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 have to tell you OF
!, a 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! Proph'
cts foretold 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 its full bloom. 1t is a crimson
flower-blood at the roots. blood on the
branches, blood on all the leaves. Its
perfume is to fill all the nations It's
breath is Heaven. Come, o winds
from the south and winds from the
east and winds from the west and bear
to all the earth the understanding
SAVIOR of Christ, my Lordi
| HE month oil tho ua+ionc l-nau
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too.
Again, the church may be appro.
priately compared to a garden, be-
cause it is a 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 were kept in the garden.
So in the world outside the church.
Christ has planted great many beau
tiful things-patience. charity, gen.
erosity, integrity, but He intends the
choisest fruits to be in the garden, and
if they are not there, then shame on
the church. Religion is not a mere
sentimentality. 1t is a practical. life
giving, healthful fruit-not posies, but
apples. "Oh," says omebody, II 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 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 Galalee 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 corner stone of every hospital the
world has ever seen. When Christ
said. 81 was in prison and We visited
me-" He laid the corner stone of every
prison reform association that has ever
been organized. The church of Christ
is glorious garden. and it is full of
fruit.