The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-09-06


was very much hOnored by the ancients.
lt had 800 different uses The fruit was
conserved, the sap was a beverage, the
stems were ground up for food for cam.
els, the base OF the leaves was turned
into hats and mats and baskets. and the
leaves were carried IN victorious process
slons. and from the root 70 the top of
| the highest leaf there was usefulness
| The tree grew eghty-fve feet in height
sometimes. and it spread broad leaves four
and five feet long. IL meant usefulness,
| and IL meant victory-usefulness for what
| II produced. victory because IL was
! brought into celebrations of triumph.
| And, oh. how much we want the palm
| branches in the churches of Jesus Christ
at this timei A great many Christians
do not amount TO anything. You have
| TO shove them of the track TO let the
| Lords chariots come along.
/ know the Old plan was. the plan now
is, in regard 10 worldly Investments
| you hear II. merchants tell you-do not
| put everything into one thing, do not
| put all your eggs into one basket but |
have 20 tell YOU in this matter of re-
llgion 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" Well. then,
my brother. sell silks and cloths TO the
g,ory of God. And some one says, MY
business Is TO raise corn and carrots"
lhen, NV brother. raise corn and carrots
20 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 10 do
that YOU ought TO do but for the glory
of God.
Usefulness is typiied by the palm tree.
All, we do not want in the church any
more people that are merely weeping will
afn inf ba
admiring their long lashes in the CLASSY
spring. No wild cherry dropping bitter
fruit. We want palm trees. holding
something for God, something for angels,
something for man. ] am tired and sick
of this fat, tame. insipid, satin slppered
namby pambv highly tightly religionl II
- worth nothing for this world, and it
- destruction for eternity. Give me 800
men and women fully consecrated TO
Christ, and wa will take this city for
God in three gears; give me 10000 men
and women illly up to the Christian
standard; in ten years 10000 of them
would take the whole earth for God.
But when are we going 70 beging We
all want 10 be useful. There is not a
man in the news that does not want to
be useful. When are we going to be-
gin'
Ledyard, the great traveller. was
trough; before the Geographical SoCsety
of Great Britain. AID they wanted him
to make some explorations in Africa, and
they showed him all the perils and all
the hard work and all the exposure. and
after they had told him what they want
ed him to do in Africa they said to him,
Now. Ledyard. when are you ready to
starty" He said, Tomorrow morning"
The learned men were astonished. They
thought he would take weeks or months
to get ready. Well, now. YOU tell me
YOU want TO be useful in Christian service.
When are YOU going to begin Oh that
you had the decision to say, Nov;
now! Oh. GO into the mount and gather
the palm branches!
But the palm branches also mean VIC
tory. Well, now, we are by nature the
servants of satsn. 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 some
day we rouse no, 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 grind him
in the dust, and we say, Victory, vic
tory, through our Lord Jesus Christi
Oh, what. grand thing it is to have
our backsl Blessed is he whose trans
gression is forgiven and whose sin is
covered"
Some one says, How about the fu-
ture" What, says the man. feel so
sick and worn out with the ailments of
life. You are going to be more than
conqueror; But. says the man. [ am so
tempted, / am pursued in life. You
are going to be more than conuueror. /,
who have so many ailments and heart
aches, going to be more than conqueror?
Yes, unless you are so self-conceited that
you want to manage all the affairs Of
your life yourself instead Of letting God
manage them, Do you want to drive
no. you say: Il want God to be my lead
err" Well, then, you will be more than
conqueror. Your last sickness will come,
and the physicians in the next room will
be talking about what they will do for
YOU. What difference will it make what
they do for YOU? You are going to be
well. everlastingly well. And when the
spirit has fled the body your friends will
be talking as to where they shall bury
you. What difference does it make to
YOU where they bury you? The angel of
the resurrection can pick you out of the
dust anywhere. and all the cemeteries OF
the earth are in Gods care Oh, you are
going to be more than conqueror
Do you not think we had better begin
now to celebrate the coming victory? In
the old meeting house at SomervilIe my
father used to lead the singing. and he
had the old fashioned tuning fork, and
he would strike it upon his knee and then
put the tuning fork to his ear to catch
the right pitch and start the hymn. But,
friend, do you not think we had better
be catching the pitch of the everlasting
song, the song of victory, when we shall
be more than conquerors? Had we not
better begin the rehearsal on earth?
My text brings VS. one step further.
II says go forth into the mount and
fetch olive branches, and pine branches,
and myrtle branches. and palm branches
and branches of thick trees. Now you
know very well--I make this remark un-
der the head of branches of thick trees
that booth or arbor made of slight
branches would not stand. The first blast
of the tempest would prostrate it, So,
then, the booth or arbor must have four
stout poles TO hold up the arbor or
booth, and hence for the building of the
arbor for this world we must have stout
branches of Thick trees. and so it is
IN the gospel arbor.
Blessed be God that we have a brawny
Christianity. not one easily upset. The
storms of life viii come upon US, and
we want strong doctrine; not only love,
but Justice; not only invitation. but
warning. 1t is a mighty gospel; it is an
omnipotent gospel. These are the stout
branches of thick trees
remember what Mr.. Finney said in
schoolhouse. The village was so bad
II was called Sodom. and it was said to
have only one good man IN all the village,
and he was called Lot, and Mr.. Finney
was preaching in the schoolhouse and
he described the destruction OF Soiom:
how the city was going to be destroyed
unless they repented. and that there
would be rain from heaven OF sorrow and