Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-04-20
Or. 1bLMhGE'S SERMON.
PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
AND OLD.
Subject: Significance of the Flowers"-
They Bear Messages of Cheer to the
Heart-siok and Despairine-Their Ap.
propr;ateness at Obseauie.

"'1+>
They Bear Messages of Cheer TO the
Heart-sick and Despairine-Their Ap.
propr;ateness at O~bsequies.
TEXT: "Itthen God SO clothe the grass
which : to-day IN the field, and to.mor-
VOW Is cast into the oven. how much more
Will He c!oshe you, We &C little taith!"-
Luke xii, 3.
The lily is the queen Of Billie fovers.
Tberose may have disputed her throne in
modern times and won it, but the rose orig.
indliy mad only five petals. It was under
the long continued and intense gaze Of the
world that Tie rose blu.hei into fts pres
ent beauty. In the Bible train. cassia and
hyssop and frankincense and mvrrh and
spikenard aud canphor and the rose fol.
low the lily. Fourteen times IN tie Bible
Is the lily nentioned; only twice tie rose.
The rose may now have wider empire, but
the lily reigned IN the time otEsther. III
lifetime Ct solomon, In the time Of Christ.
Caesar ha1 his throne on the hills. The lily
lad ler throne IL the valley. In the great
est sermon that wa ever preached there
was only ole flower. and that a lily. The
Bedford dreamer, John Bunvan, entered
the house q the interpreter, aud was
shown a cluster Of flowers and was told to
reconsider the lilies.
We may study or reject other sciences at
our oPt;on-it is so with astronomy. it Is
30 with chemistry, it IS so with juris-
prudence, it is so with Physiology, il IS so
with g~eoiogy-but the science OF botany
Christ commands us 10 study when He
says. Consider the lilies" Measure them
breath. Notice the gracefu!ness Of their
poise. Hear the whisper OF the white lips
OF the Eastern and the red lips Of the
American lily.
Belonging TO this royal family OF lilies
are the lily Of the Nile, the Japan lily, the
l I n 4 1y yN och ~. ~ ~ 49, - -
band lily, the Giant lily Of Nepaul, the
Turks cap lily, the African lily from the
Cape OF Good Hope. All these lilies have
the royal blood in their veins. But I take
the lilies Of my text this morning az typical
Of all flowers. and their voice Of floral
beauty seems to address Us, saying, Con
slider the lilies, consider the ~aZaleas. con-
slider the fuchsias, consider the geraniums,
consider the ivies. consider the hyacinths.
consider the heliotropes, consider the
oleanders." With deierential and grateful
and intelligent and worshipful souls con-
slider them. Not with insipid sentimental
Ism or with sophomore vaporing. but for
grand and practical and everyday and, If
need beghome!y uses, consider them.
The flowers are the angels of the grass.
They all have voices. When the clouds
speak, they thunder; when the whirlvinds
speak they scream, when the cataraets
speak they roar, but when the flowers
S"h NANt w. hi.I11 tdL dC1C
to interpret their message. What have
you to say TO Us. Q We angels OF the grass?
This morning mean to discuss what flow
ers are good for. That is my subject,
"Wbat are flowers good for:'
remark, In the first place, they are good
for lessons Of Gods providential care.
That was Christ's first thought. All these
flowers seem to address US to-day. saying.
God will give you apparel and food We
have no wheel with which to spin, no loom
with which to weave. no sickle with which
to harvest, 10 well sweep with which tc
draw water, but God Stacks our thirst with
the dew, and God feeds US with tho bread
OF the sunshine, and God has appareled US
with more than Solomonic regulity. We
are propletesses Of adequate wardrobe
IF God so clothed us, the grass Of the field
will He not much more cl0the YOU. O We o.
little faith:' Men and women Of worldly
anxieiies, take this message home viii
YOU. How long has God taken care Of YOU,
Quarter of the journey Of life? Half tls
Journey Of life: Three-quarters the jour
roy %of.life? Can you not trust Him the res
Of the way? God does not promise yo,
anything like that which the Roman EN-
peror had On his table at vast expeDse-5O,
nlShtingaies' toDgues-butH He has promiset
to take care Of you. He has promised yo,
tie necessities, not the luxuries-brcad
not cake II God SO luxuriantly clothe
the grass OF the field, will He not provid,
iOl 'Ou, HIS lINlUS dAu ilUIlOII0l tU4iGIcu
He will.
No wonder Martin Luther always had
flower On bis writing desk for inspiration
Through the cracks Of the prison floor {
flower grew up to cheer PicciOla. MUDge
Park. the great traveller and explorer, hae
bis life saved by a flower. He sank dowl
in the desert TO die: but, seeing a flowe,
near by, 1t suggested Gods merciful care
and he got up with new courage ant
Travelled on to safety. said the flower
are the angels OF the grass. / add nowthe,
are evangels OF the sky.
II you ask me the question, What ert
flowers good for: respond, they arr
have them Oh her brow, and she mus
have them in her hand. The marriag,
altar must he covered With thtm. A wed
ding without flowers won!d be as inappro
Pirate a. Il wedding without music. A
such atime they are for coDgratulatiol
and prophecies Of good. So much Of tn:
pathway OF life Is covered up with thorns
we ought to cover the beginning with or
ang blossoms.
Flowers are appropriate on such &C
%casion3. Tor in NiDety-nine out Of 100 case
1t is the very best thing that could bav
happened. TIE world may ~criticise an,
pronounce it an inaptitude and may Iii
its eyebrows in surprise and think it nigh
suggest something better, bnt the Go
who sees the twenty. forty. fifty years 9
welded life before they have begun ar
ranges for the best. SO that flowers, i
almost all cases, are appropriate for th
marriage day. The divergences Of disposi
ton will become correspondence, reck
l~essness will become prudence. friyolit
will be turLed into rracticality.
There has been many an aged widowe
soul who had q carefully locked bu
can and in the bureau a box and in tn
box a folded paper and ii the folds
; paper a half blown rose, slightly fragrant
) discolored. carefully pressed. She put
there forty or Atty years ago. On tn
{ anniversary day Of her wedding sh
: xii go 10 the bureau. she will HIT th
| box. she will unfold tie paper and TO lie
eyes will bs exposed the hal, blown bus
and the memories CT the past will rus
7 upon her and d tear will drop upon IL
| flower and suddenly i Is trans1gured, I'll
; there il "a stir IL tie dust q tie anther an
. ii rounds out and II Is full 81 He and
| begins to trembie in the procession UP Il
church aisle, and the dead music G. a ha
century ago comes throbbinc through th
air. and vanished faces reappear and ricl
hands are joined and a manly voice prou
Ises, ! ~lil, for better or fo- worse" ar