Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-06-28


heavy weight and pressure. Natural
lists say it grows when it is most
pressed down. You cannot keep it
you lay heavy weights upon it.
So it is with the palm tree Chris
tian; the more you try to keep him
said, with regard tc Christ: Away
with such fellow from the earth. for
It is not fiji that H. should live.:' Cru
cify Him. Cruelty Him. I'VE will
not lave this man Christ Jesus to reign
over U.S."
'sThey drove the nails into His hands,
The spear into His side.
The crown of thorns into His brow,
And they Knocked Him till He died."
They smote the Shepherd and the
sheep were scattered. so that from all
appearances Christ and His religion
were things.of the past; but were they?
1t was not fifty days until band of
men and women were in an upper
room, praying for the coming Of the
Holy Ghost, and when He came 5000
were converted and added to the
church by the power, and the Chris
tians went everywhere preaching the
Gospel. Then said the prosecutors:
"Stone Stephen '"rie Thomas to a
pillar!' Cruelty Peterr' Throw
John into cauldron of boiling oilv'
"Chop off PauFs head" "Stop them"
"Stop them. or they will turn the world
upside down" They killed the apos.
ties; but did they kill Christianity
Never! They might just as well try
to stop the earth turning OH it's axis, as
to prevent the coming of Christ's king
dom on earth. Christians have had
their thumbs in the thumb-screws;
their feet in the stocks; their lips cut
off; their eyes bored out; they have
been eaten by wild beasts: they have
been burned at the stake; they were
tortured in every conceivable manner.
Women have had their children taken
from them and themselves outraged.
.'They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain
with the sword; they wandered about
in sheep and goat skins; being desti-
tute, afflicted. tormented, Of whom the
world was not worthy and yet
through the burning of Rome, and the
Dark Ages. and the massacre of st.
Bartholomew, through all the past cen
turies Christianity has been growing
"like a cedar of Lebanon" it is -four
| ishing like the palm tree. This leads
| to our next thought.
VII. The palm tree is emblem Of
victory and rejoicing. The Jews en-
ployed palm branches on the feasts of
| tabernacles, and on festive occasions.
| They carried them before princes and
/, distinguished personages, waving them
! in token Of joy and triumph. The
| Egyptians waved palm branches in
honor of Osirus and bore them before
eonquerors in their triumphs. The rea-
son given by Plutarch why the SYM
| Dol was adopted by the idolators IL the
nature OF the wood. which 90 power
fully resists recumbent pressure; but
more enlightened nations bear palm
branches after q victory, TO aeknowa-
edge the author Of their success and
prosperity.
Said the presiding elder to the dis.
couraged minister, who had run away
from his charge: "Have they ever
spat upon your The minister said:
mo. they have not gone that far
Ibid they ever crown you with
thorns?" And the minister began to
weep. Then. said the elder: "WhO IL
going to reign at the end of this
world ?" Oh. friends! Jesus Christ has
won and is going to reign until all His
enemies are put under His feet. How
would one of the political parties feel
toward it's opponents, II that parry
knew that the victory was won already
and that all the work from now until
November wouA bo spent simply in
getting it's majority? The palm tree
Christian has victory over the world
the flesh. and the devil; yea, even
death itself. Tertullian said: 1--WE
conquer when we fall" We read such
statements as the following, i'll connec
tion with the death Of the martyrs
"He has received the palm OF martyr
dom.'' "He has been crowned WITH
the palm Of the martyrs" st. Agatha
replied to the tyrant: IF you DO moi
rend my body upon the rack, my sou
cannot enter the Paradise Of God witt
the palm of martyrdom." There are
|, palms upon the tombs of Caius, Ilbur
thus. .Xalerious. Mamimianus, Eilumenl