Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-09-07

| sharpnesses. Many a man has had a
very hard ground to cultivate, and 1t
has only been through severe trial
that he has raised even the smallest
scrap of grace. A very harsh minister
| was talking to a very placid elder, ana
the placid elder said to the harsh min
lister, Doctor, do wish you would
control your temper" All" said the
minister to the elder. Il control more
temper in five minutes than you do IN
| five 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, II dare not join the church" y
I said, ''Why?" oh" he said, II have
such a violent temper. Yesterday
morning I was crossing very early at
the Jersey City ferry, and I saw a
milkman pour a large quantity OF
water into the milk can. and said
to him, I think that will do And
he insulted me. and l knocked him
down. Do you think I ought to join
the church," Nevertheless that very
same man who was so harsh in his be-
havior loved Christ and could not
speak of sacred things without tears
Of emotion and affection. Thorns
without. sweetness within. the best
specimen Of Mexican cactus l ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's
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, Wycllffes,
Latimers and Samuel Rutherfords.
What in other men is a spark in them
is conf1agration. When they sweat,
they sweat great drops of blood.
When they pray, their prayer takes
fire. When they preach, 1t is a Pente-
cost. When they fight, it is Their
mopylae. When they die, it is mar
tyrdom. You find great many roses
in the gardens, but only a few giants
Of BATTLE" Men say, why don't you
have more CT them in the church?' l
say, "Why don't you have in the world
more Humboldts and Wellingtons?'
God gives to some ten talents, to 9TH
ers one.
In this garden of the church which
hric nj ta1 ole ~ ho
drops, beautiful but cold looking,
seemingly another phase of winter.
mean those Christians who are pre-
else in their tastes, unimpassioned,
pure as snowdrops and as cold They
never shed any tears, they never get
excited. they never say anything rash
ly, they never do anything precipitate~
ly. Their pulses never futter, their
nerves never twitch, their indignation
never boils over. They live longer
than most people, but their life is in a
minor key. They never run up to &C."
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; snowdrops-always
snowdrops.
Most Beautiful Flower.
But I have not told you of the most
beautiful flower in 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 a hundred
years more before other petals will
come out" But 1 have to tell you of
plant that was gathering up from all
eternity and that 1900 years ago put
forth its bloom never to wither It is
| the passion plant Of the cross. Pro-
phets foretold it, Bethlehem shepherds
looked upon it in the bud, the rocks
shook at its bursting and the dead got
| up in their winding sheets to see its
full bloom. 1t is crimson flower
blood at the roots, blood on the
| branches, blood on the leaves. Its per-
fume is to fill all the nations. Its
breath is heaven. Come. oh 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 if all the nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love him
too.
Again, the church may be appropri-
ately compared to the garden, beca use
it is place Of fruits. That would be
strange garden which had in it no
berries, no plums or peaches or april
cots. 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 garden. So in the world
outside the church Christ has planted
a great many beautiful things-pati-
ence, charity, generosity, integrity.
But he intends the choicest fruits to be
in the garden, and if they are not there
then shame on the church. Religion
is not mere Towering sentimentality.
1t is practical, life giving, healthful
fruit. not posies, but apples.