The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-04-07
FLOWERS OF EASTER.
DR.. Tslmage Draws an Inspiration
from Them.
The Eloquent Orators Easter Dis
cour>c--Lc <~ons which the Flow
ers Hiring to the Dtspirited
and the BcrcRsed.


then God SO clothe the grass, which il
to-day in the field. and tomorrow II
cast into the oven. how much more viii
He clothc you. o We of little faith
The lily is the queen OF Bible flowers
The rose may have disputed her throne
in modcra times aud won il, but tn,
rose originally had only five petals. If
was under the long continued and in
tense gaze of the world that the rose
blushcd into its present beauty. In the
Bible train. cassa and hyssop and
frankinceuse and myrrh and spikenard
and camphor and the rose follow the
lilv. Fourteen times in the Bible is the
lily mentioned; only twice the rose.
The rose may now have wider empire.
but the lily reigned in the time OF
Esther in the time of solomon. in the
time of Christ. Caesar bad his throne
on the hills. The lily had her throne in
the valley. In the grcItc sermon that
was ever preached there was only one
flower. and that Il lily. The Bedford
dreamer. John Bunyan, entered the
house Of the interpreter and was shown
"considCr the lilies
We may study or eject other sciences
nj our option--it is so with astroC my
itiseoyith chemistry, II is 80 with iuris-
prudence, it is so with physiology. IT
is 80 with gcol1gy-but the science OF
botany Christ commands us 10 study
when lie SAYS: Consider the lilies
NJ a.. N m nf
JnhaIe their breath. Notice the grace
fulucsS of their poiSc. Hear the whis-
per of the white lips of the eastern and
the red hips of the American lily.
Belonging to this royal family of
lilies are the lily of the Nile. the Japan
lily. the Lady Washington of the
Sierras. the Golden band lily. the GiGn nj
lily of NepauI, the Turks cap lily. he
African lily from the Cape of Good
Hope. All these lilies have the royal
blood i'm their veins. But | take the
lilies of my text this morning as typ
ical of all flowers. and tGSir voice of
floral beauty seems to address uS, say
ing: Consider the lilies, consider the
azaleas. consider the fuchsias, consider
the gerauiWms, consider the ivies, con-
slider the hyacinths, consider the hello
tropcs, consider the olcandcrs." With
defereatial and grateful and intelligent
and worshipfal souls, consider them.
Not with iusipid seutimeutalism or
with sophomore yaporing, but for
grand and practical and everyday, and,
if need he. homely uses. consider them.
The flowers are the angels of the
grass. They all have voices. When the
clouds speak they thunder, when the
whirlwinds speak they scream, when
the cataracts speak they always wills
per. stand here TO intrepct their mes
sage. What have you to say to us, o yc
angels of the grass? This morning |
mean TO discuss what flowers are good
for That is my subject What are
flowers good for?
] remark, in the first place, they are
good for lessons of Gods proyidcntiaI
care. That was Christ's first thought
All these flowers seem to address MS to
day, saying: God will give YOU ap
pareland food" We have no wheel will
which ia spin, no loom with which tC
weave. no sickle with which To harvest
no well sweep with which to draw
water. but God feeds us with the bread
OF the sunshine, and God has apparelet
us with more than Solomonic regality
We are prophetcsses Of adequate ward
robe. "If God 50 clothed us, the gras
of the field. will He not much NOR
cothe you, O We of little faith?' Mel
and women of worldly anXieties, taxi
this message home with you! How Ions
has God taken care Of you? Quarter o
the journey OF life? Half the journe.
of life? Threc-quartcrs the journey q
life? Can you not trust Him the res
of the way God does not promise yol
anything like that which the Romal
emperor had on his table at vast eN
pense-5 800 nightincaIcs' tongues In
He has promised 10 take care Of YOU
He has promised you the necessities
not the Injuries bread, not cake. !
God so luxuriantly clothes the grass o
the field, will He not provide for you
His living and immortal children? II
will.
No wonder Martin Luther always ha
q flower on his writing desk for in
spiration! Through the cracks of tn
prison door flower grew up TO "hcc
Picciola. Mungo Park. the great tra'
elcr and explorer, had his life saved b.
n flower. He sank down in the deser
TO die. but. seeing n flower near by, !
suggested Gods mcrciful care, and h
got up with new courage and travclc
on 10 safety. | said the flowers are tn
angels of the grass. add now they ar
the evangels of the sky.
IL you ask me the question: "Wba
are flowers for?" | respond, they ar
good for the bridal day. The brid
must have them on her brow. and sil
must have them in her hand. The maj
riarc altar must he covered with then
A wedding without flowers would be a
inappropriate as "A wedding withou
music. At such time they are for cor
graduation and prophecies of good )
much of the pathway of life is covere
I'D with thorns, we ought TO cover I'll
beginning with orange blossoms,
Flowers are appropriate on such OF
casion,. for in ninety-nine out OF hur
dred cases st il the very best thing tina
could have happened. The world ma
,riticise aud pronounce il IN 'napi
t,,dc and may lit its eyebrows in Sn