The Washington times., 1901-08-26
a LESSON FROM THE LILY.
Moral Perfection Development
Similar to Tint In Nature.


Luther Place Memorial Church by the
Rev. Z. ]. Hopkins, of Grafton, w Va.
He took for the text of his sermon Mat
thew vi:2S: Consider the lilies Of the
field. how they grow" In the course Of
his sermon the Rev Mr. Hopkins said
in part:
How beautiful Is the spectacle seen at
this season of the year, with nature in
all its fuIlness of life giving us SO many
evidences of the presence of an unseen
hand The seasons come with such regu-
Iarity that we know lust when to expect
the time for the putting forth of the
leaves upon the trees. the ouickening of
bind and the reviying of all plant life
No chance is discoverable. but everything
from the Creators hand working accord
ing to established natural law. As we
look over the hills AMI the Iowlands they
are beautiful with their new covering of
green. God has clothed anew all that
we see with a garment of beauty. The
valleys have answered to the summons
to awake. and already give large prom
Use Of fruitfulness. Even the lonely
places. the quiet of the woods. are not for
gotten. These TEEN with abundance of
wild flowers. The gardens around our
boroes sneal, to rs also of tho Goodness
Il
manifold are thy works In wisdom hast
thou made them all; the earth Is full of
thy riches
There are many varieties of the lily.
and 1t is not known with certainty to
which the Lord referred: but we may be-
heVe that 1t was one Of such beauty as
TO attract more than ordinary attention
me my may nave oeeh taken simply as
an Illustration oil all plant life. Many of
the Master lessons Tor us are drawn
liohi htture AS thc uisclpies mad enter
Gu upon tie new me anu had come mo
ne" i.i"tio'i9 "th JESUS ne wanted them
" uhuei s'aiu 'iiat their NE was to DE
iOii 'dte anu ahAiety' ana as
u.ei me eoiitIoi Vi tne father
'es vi 'he heIo- AS ne called
II. "'uiu cdii 10 US 10 cohsid-
ieS sio"' tnat we might
~ VI SPiti'udi sro"th' LOT
'ne coH.roi Oh the same
- -, - WI" iofnleu the MY,
hea,,tu =. - So" i"to tiiihs Oh
ont ~ h.r,,,o,,,, - nu' we are
proxtb ar5 ~. a. - ~ "a" Vi
cau TO consider that VEG ,,,iatt =, -,
in harmonious r.I,tjo,, Co.. g - 80 -,
opment
Life may no desisn,+a5 -, .,..
of time which intervepe,, h.,-,,aa,, az -
ginning and close % -.
unseen nowsr ,ha. ,-t,.I,
which the urs 10 80 - - NJ
,,,h,.o,..- " e"'e' IAN ny
Whatever name you maya principle, a
force-we can come no nearer a solution.
We can see the manifestations of ,,fa
its unfolainrs ara co., -, -, -. -
80 -. e. a.'1 eai assert win assur-
aiiee mat hIe Isl That Is as far as we
can go. Having this inward principle Of
life. the seed unfoIds i,sclf into tn ,,Ior,
raises ~. had 49,, a., -
GOES on Ire No.. - - s 5iounu' ana
soeS on us way 10 perfect development.
Oh one thing We may be sure, that life
must spring from life II mus, either
come az a d;rac, cro,,io-, -, ~ -.
-, ,,s. A'oii the SNe'
"a me OF as result OF secondary causes,
enabling that which has received life TO
reproduce itself. There Is no. hatter time
to behold this wonder 81 ,at,,ra - g.,
- - i'Aie eiau III
'he opening Oh the warm months How
patiently you waited and how anxiousiy
you watched for the first signs Of the
unfoided saad yo, l,re,,, H., 81 ,;es
- - ~ hhe" 'ha' the Inc
was there, ana you knew also the posi-
bilities that that seed contained within
itself Each seed sb,u ,,rod,,ca ,s,ar a.,
1,,,a ", a.. 10
ou uiu NOT MAKE the seeu' you
merely acted as an agent to enable the
seed to reach the point that God in
tended In this yo,, SEQ your bein,asera.s
=; ri, ,t.,
IA '-t-S vi . 'i'i' 'ian cannot mike even
one blade of grass. He might initiate 1t,
and even so faithfully produce a blade of
his own that You could scarcely detect
the difference between the artificial and
the real. But the likeness is only appar-
ent. That which God made will grow: II
has life and has within il the power of
reproduction All life is from God He
has life that is uncaused by any other
life. From everlasting to everlasting
thou art Cod There was never a time
when he was not; there will never b.. a
time when he shall cease to be Life in
its multiplied forms, in its interesting
aspects in its beauty and power. wh4th1
er in plant or animal. Is from the .Ciyer
of every good and perfect gift Do Won
ever look away from life TO the C;iver Of
Life? Do you ever rise In thought from
the thing created to him who has created
it? This is what Christ would have Won
to do. Consider the lilies how they grow,
He has in this. no doubt. a double lesson.
Not only consider them. so far as their
growth is concerned. but also consider
that the One who formed the lilv will
the works of his hands The Iilv grows