Newport weekly independent., 1901-09-06

there are no other hills as compared With it, and I have noticed in every sect where the cross of Chriso is set forth it 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 hos 1 tllity. All we hav4 to do is just to get up on the mount of Gods bless ing and pluck these olive branches and wave them before the throne. Peace through our Lord Jesus Christ!
 Oh, it does not make much differ ence what the world thinks of you. l but come into the warm, intimate, glowing and everlasting relationship with the God of the whole universe! That is the joy that makes a hal leluiah seem stupid. Why do we want to have peace through our Lord Jesus i Christ? Why, if we had gone on in 10000 years of war against God we could not have captured so much as a sword or a cavalry stirrup or l listed off one of the wheels of the chariot of his omnipotence. But the moment we bring this olive branch i God and all Heaven come on our side. Peace through our Lord Jesus C-.rist, and no other kind of peace IS worth anything.
 But my text takes a step further, and it says, Go into the mountain and fetch olive branches and pine branches and palm branches. Now. the palm tree was very much honored l by the ancients. It had 360 different uses. The fruit was conserved, the sap was a beverage, the stems were ground up for food for camels. The i base of the leaves was turned into hats and mats and baskets, and from the root to the top of the highest ! leaf there was usefulness. The tree grew S5 feet in height sometimes, and it spread leaves four and five feet 1 long. It meant usefulness, and it 1neant victory for what l it produced and victory because it was brought into celebrations of l triumph. And oh, how much we want the palm branches in the churches of Jesus Christ at this time! A great many Christians do not amount to anything. You have to shove them off the trac-, to let the Lords chariOts come along.
 l know the old plan was, the plan TOW is, in regard to worldly invest ments-you hear it, merchants tell you-do not put everything into one thing, do not put all your eggs into one basket. But I have to tell you in this matter of religion you had better give your all to God and then get in yourself. Oh, says some one, My business is to sell silks and cloths,' We'll, then, my brother, sell silks and cloths to the glory of God. And some one says, "My business is to raise corn and carrots" Then, my brother, raise corn and carrots to the glory of God. And some one says, My business is to manufacture horseshoe nails" Then manufacture horseshoe nails to the glory of God. There is nothing for you to do that you ought to do but for the glory of God.
 Usefulness is typifed by the palm | tree. An, we do not want in the church any more people that are merely weeping willows, signing into the water, standing and admiring their long lashes in the glassy spring. No wild cherry, dropping bitter fruit. We want palm trees, holding some thing for God, something for angels, something for man. I am tired and sick of this fiat, tame, insipid, satin slippered, nambypamby, hightytighty religion! It is worth nothing for this world, and it is destruction for eter- nifty. Give me 500 men and women fully consecrated to Christ, and we will take this city for God in three years. Give me 10000 men and women fully up to the Christian l standard. In ten years 10000 of them would take the whole earth for God. But when are we going to be- gin? We all want to be useful. There is not man in the pews that does not want to be useful When are we going to begin?
 But the palm branch also meant victory. You all know that. In all ages, in all lands, the palm branch means victory. Well, now, we are by nature the servants of satan. He stole us, he has his eye on us, he wants to keep us. But word comes from our Father that if we will try to break loose from this doing of wrong our Father will help us, and we look the black tyrant in the face, and we fly at him, and we wrestle him down, and we put our heel on his neck and we oc1ind hin, in Lo