The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-10-29
RELIGIONsIS EVERGREEN.
The Olive Branch of Peace, the Pine
Branch of Consolation, the Palm
Branch of Usefulness and
Victory.
DR.. Talmage Says We Are Only Here in
Temporary Residence.
tCopyrlght laoi.1

trees TO make DOothS.
IL seems as il Mount Olivet were I'M
moored. Tho people have gone into the
mountain and have cut off tree branches
and put them on their shoulders. and they
come forth now into the streets OF Jeru-
salem and on tho housetops and they
twist these tree branches into arbors or
booths Then the people come forth from
their comfortable homes and dwell for
seven davs in these booths or arbors
Why do they do that? Well. 1t is a great
fastal time. IT is the feast of tabernacles.
and these people are going to celebrate
the desert travel of their fathers and their
deliverance from their troubles, the expe-
rience OF their fathers when. travelling in
the desert thew lived in booths on their
way 20 the land OF Canaan. And so these
booths also became highly suggestive-of
our march toward heaven and OF the fact
that we are only living temporarily here,
as 1T We're in booths or arbors, on our
way to the Canaan of eternal rest. And
what was said to the Jews literally may
he SAID fguratively to all this audience.
20 forth into the mountain. and fetch
olive branches and pine branches and
myrtle bradches and palm branches and
branches of thick trees to make booths.
Yes, we are only here in n temporary
residence. We are marching on. The
merchant princes who used TO live in
Bowling Green, New York, have passed
away, and their residences are now the
fields of cheap merchants Where are
the men who fifty years ago owned Wash
ington and New York? Passed on. There
is no use in our driving our stakes too
deep into the earth; we are on the march.
The generations that have preceded us
have gone so far on that we cannot even
hear the sound Of their footsteps They
have gone over the hills and we are to
follow them.
But blessed be God, VIC are not in this
world left out of doors and unshcltered.
hOW IL L.. a. Z.
IN which our souls are to be comforted.
TO forth unto the mountain and fetch
olive branches. and pine branches and
myrtle branches. and palm branches and
branches of thick trees and build booths
Well, now, we are to-day to construct n
gospel arbor or GOSPEL booth and how
shall we construct It? Well we must
get all the tree branches and build Ac-
cordlng to my text, we must 20 uD into
the mount and bring olive branches. What
does that mean? The olive tree grows in
warm climates and it reaches the height
OF twenty or TWENTY-FIVE feet, a straight
stem, and then an oifshoot from that stem.
And then people come and they strip off
these branches sometimes and when in
time of war the general of one army takes
one OF these olive branches and goes out
10 the general OF another army, what does
that mean? Why, it means unsaddle the
war chargers; it means hang up the war
knapsacks. 1t IS but beautiful way of
saving peacei
Now. if we are to-day going to succeed
IN building this gospel arbor we must 90
INTO the mount OF Gods blessing and fetch
the olive branches, and whatever else we
must have we must have at least two olive
branches-peace with God and peace with
man When ] say peace with God, do
not mean TO represent God as an angry
chleftain having a grudgc against us, but
j do mean to affirm that there is no more
antagonism between a hound and a hare
between hawk and pullet, between ele-
plant and swine than there is hostility
between holiness and sin.
And If God is all holiness and we are all
SIN there must be readiustment, there
must be a reconstruction, there must be a
treaty, there must be Il stretching forth
of olive branches
There Is a great lawsuit going on now.
and 1t - lawsuit which man is bringing
against his Maker: that lawsuit is now on
the calendar 1t is the human versus the
divine; 1T is iniquity versus the immacu-
late; II IL weakness versus omnipotence
Man began it; God did not begin the law
suit. We began 1t; we assaulted our Ma
ker, ana the sooner we end this part of
the struggle in which the finite attempts
to overthrow the infinite and omnipotent
the sooner we end it the better Tray
elers tells us there is no such place as
Mount Calvary; that it is only a hill, only
an Insignificant hill. but / persist in calling
u the mount OF Gods divine mercy and
love: TAR grander than any other place on
earth, grander than the Alps or the Hi
malayas, and there are no other hills as
compared with 1t: and | have noticed in
every sect where the cross OF Christ is set
forth II is planted with olive branches.
And all we have to do is to get rid of
this war between God and ourselves, of
which we are all tired. We want to back
out OF the war we want to get rid of this
hostility. All we have to do is Just to get
up on the mount of Gods blessing ard
pluck these olive branches and wave them
Lord Jesus Christi
Oh, 1T does not make much difference
what the world thinks OF youl But come
INTO the warm. intimate glowing and
everlasting relationship with the God of
the whole universe; that is the Joy that
makes halleluiah seem stupid WHY do
we want TO have peace through our Lord
Jesus Christ: Why, If VIC had gone on in
lOOOO years of war against God we could
not have captured 80 much as a sword or
cavalry stirrup or twisted of one OF the
Wheeis OF the chariot of His omnipotence.
put the moment we bring this olive branch
God and all heaven come on our side
Peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. and
no other KIND OF peace is worth ANYTHING.
But then we must have that other olive
branch-peace with man. Now. it is very
easy to get up a quarrel There are Gun.
match OF provocation viii set them of
Ut IS easy enough TO get up a quarrel. But.
my brother, do you not think Won had
better nave your horns sawed of? Had
not You better make an apology? Had
not you better submit to "a little humiha.
tont On, You say, until that man
takes the first step j will never be MI
peace with him Nothing will be done
until he rs ready 10 take the first step -
You are q pretty Christian When would
TINS world bc saved if Christ had NOT
taken the first slcp2 We were i'm Tho
wrong; Christ was in the right. All right
and forever right and set He took the
FIRST step And instead of going and Get.
ting % knotty scourgc with which 90 whip
your antagonist. your enemy. YOU had bet
ter get zap ON tne radiant mount where
Christ suffered Tor His enemies and inst
taEe an olive branch, not stripping off the
soft. cool, fragrant leaves. leaving them all
on. and then try on them that posnei
switch. TO viii not hurt them. and n win
save YOU. Peace with God peace with
man. III you cannot take those two doc
trluce. YOU arc mo- Christian.
But my text goes further 10 saws "Co
up INTO the mountain and fetch olive
branches and pine branches" Now. what
ls suggested by tho pine branch? The
pine tree is healthy: 10 is aromatic. IN h.
evergreen. How often the physician saws
70 hrs invalid patients. "Go and have a
breath of the pines; that will inviporste
you. Why do such thousands of people
go South every year, IL BIS not merely TO
GET to q warmer climate. but to get the in.
fucHce Of tho ninc. There SIS health IN t..
and this pine branch of the text suggests
tho hplpfuIucss of our holy religion IL is