The Gospel in the trees : with pulpit opinions of common things.

Front matter

The Gospel in the Trees

BY

ALEXANDER CLARK.

Introduction

By the Rev. William Reeves, D.D., President of the Pittsburgh Conference.

|HE productions of the pulpit, when published, if not generally, have often, been unpopular. For this fact a reason must exist somewhere ; and surely it can not be found in the nature of the subjects : these are so overwhelmingly important that it would seem next to impossible that they should not, more or less, engross the attention of all men. The being, perfections, and character of G-od, together with his relations to mankind ; his revealed will ; his holy law ; his glorious Gospel ; the origin, apostacy, redemption, and final destiny of man, — are all subjects of such transcendent interest to every rational soul, that it is marvelous, indeed, that discourses on these grand truths should fail to secure attention. Besides : — see what an infinite variety of topics these all-absorbing subjects and facts of the Bible suggest ! And these are to be enforced by divine authority, exhibited in different points of light, and illustrated by the tropology of the universe ! The subject matter of the ministers of the Gospel, is ahsolutely inexhaustible, and should always appear fresh and new. Why then should a sermon on Salvation, preached or printed, be either dull or dry f

Assuming that preachers who publish their opinions are par excellent with other authors in the requisite qualifications for their work, having such wide and fruitful fields from which to gather their golden productions, if they fail to interest the reading public, is not the fault in the manner of communication, rather than in the subject matter of the communication itself? This thought is penned in the face of the fact that multitudes of men and women have no relish for real religion. For people of all shades of religious sentiment will go to hear an able preacher. Thousands of speculative skeptics would be delighted to listen to the logical arguments of Asa Shinn, the entrancing eloquence of T. H. Stockton, the angelic sweetness and persuasion of a Summer field, the fervent zeal of a Spurgeon, or the religious earnestness of a Brooks, or a Talmadge. Then why not read the sermons of earnest authors ? True they are without the charms of the living voice ; so with other publications. Doctrinal discussions, to be sure, however important, do not generally interest the masses of the people. And let us sanction it or censure it, as we may, still the fact remains. But experimental and practical Christianity, ought to be, and can be, made interesting to the human mind.

Introduction.

True it is, however, that, with a. large class of readers of the present age, light literature, and that of a fictitious character, is the chief commodity called for : these intellectual and religious dyspeptics are incapable of either relishing or digesting any solid or nurturing mental aliment. Still, there are multitudes living in the land, both in the Church and out of it, who are not hopelessly infected with this literary epidemic, who eagerly embrace every opportunity to profit by the productions of the press, even though they spring from the pulpit.

Here, then, is a publication for the people, with the modest title of " The Gospel in the Trees: with Pulpit Opinions on Common Things," the author of which was my pastor the first year of his regular ministry, in 1862, in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. It is both natural and proper, therefore, that I should notice the work by this word of Introduction, which duty I do with real and solid satisfaction and pleasure.

But to the book itself; and it speaks for itself. Gotten up in the finest of style, its external garniture is a suitable index' to the internal goodness and grace it contains. Suffer me to pen a few particulars : —

And first, the author is unique in his treatment and applications of topics. The thoughts, caught from Nature, the Bible, the Times, and the People, are made his own ; and new in figure and adornment is the drapery with which they are clothed. And this is always a io Introduction.

cause of usefulness and success. His manhood is firm and bold, though modest and mild ; and he dwells on the practical applications of divine truth to men's hearts and lives, rather than the discussion of theological theories and doctrinal distinctions and differences. He thinks and speaks, as one accountable alone to God ; and, urging all men to a recognition of their individuality, hints that the Bible and Christ are distinct and peculiar to every soul in the race.

Another feature on the face of this subject, is, the adaptation of these discourses to the demands of the day. It is not simply truth of any sort, however sacred it may be, and earnestly presented, that succeeds ; but truth which stands related to times and seasons. This is the most conclusive argumentum ad hominem — the irresistible logic of facts, and facts before the people's eyes. And this course is sanctioned by the Saviour, "who spake as never man spake." See his inimitable parables, the facts of which were borrowed from the common avocations and occurrences of every-day life. Every thing visible, tangible, and audible, was used to illustrate the Gospel and the duties and privileges of vital religion. In this course, then, our author aims to tread in the footsteps of the Great Teacher himself.

Again : the style of these sermons may be denominated discursive description. Mr. Clark is not a polemic ; he possesses no taste for speculative divinity ; I may say in truth he is not a scholastic sermonizer ; he is not at

Introduction. n home in homiletics. But this he has — an instinctive sense of the beautiful. All nature to him is one great garden ; his forte is floral, and in his view the Gospel has charms which ought to win every human soul to Christ.

The writer confesses the fact, that while he himself is the antipode of this — a tame, plodding doctrinaire — his mind admires, and his heart appreciates the beautiful visions brought to view in such discourses as these and others unpublished. Moreover, our author is free and out-spoken ; pointed in reproof ; strikes any where and every where at the popular sins of the day ; so that there is strong sentiment as well as savory meat in his sermons. In this he is a true minister ; in his Master's name he utters his message, fearless of the frowns, and regardless of the smiles, of his fellow men.

Also, it is observable that Mr. Clark makes frequent use of the types and symbols of the Scriptures — and paints his pictures from these divine models. Did not the ancient seers the same ? Both the major and the minor prophets wrote and spoke as they were inspired, and according to the visions they beheld — whether of weal or woe. Isaiah, the great model and master prophet, commences thus:— "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem," etc. And Jeremiah, the weeping or pensive prophet, says :— " Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou ? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree," etc. And the impetuous prophet Ezekiel, who at the command of God, smote with his hand, and stamped with his foot, and poured out divine denunciations like a flood ; yet even to him — while " among the captives by the river of Chebar, the heavens were opened, and he saw visions of God." So also, and more, of Daniel, a man so highly favored of the Lord. And so with the minor prophets ; but the time would fail me to speak of them all. Zechariah blended vision and symbol. See a splendid specimen in his fourth chapter, respecting the "golden candlestick," and the " two olive trees," etc. And all are familiar, not only with the logical reasoning of St. Paul, the eloquence of Apollos, the point of Peter, the practicalness of James, but the wonderful visions and symbols of St. John. Indeed, in him are blended both the polemic and the prophet — the defender of the faith, and the son of consolation. Why, then, should not modem preachers make good practical use of the types and symbols, or other figurative passages of Scripture, to illustrate and enforce the precious truths of the Gospel ? For anagoge afforded some of the sharpest arrows in the quiver of the great apostle of the Gentiles.

A true teacher never descends to the infinitessimal resemblances between a figure and a fact. With him a figure never goes on " all-fours." He makes a good use of a trope, type, or symbol, and leaves it without loathing or alloy. And thus it is that his figures are always fresh and full of interest.

And not the symbolical and typical parts of the Bible alone, but our author treats of the topical also. And his selections on these subjects are among the most interesting which this wide field affords. For as the Horse is, by common consent, regarded as the noblest animal in all animated nature ; so the Tree is the prince in the vegetable kingdom. And as, from their associations, we read of the "Sacred Mountains," and the " Sacred Streams," are not the Trees of the Bible worthy of the same appellation, and for the same reason ? What high honor our Maker bestowed upon the " Tree of Life" in the midst of the garden of Eden V And the first precept God gave to man in this trial life, was touching the test tree, " the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." For the health and the salvation of the world were placed in connection with these two trees ! The inspired penmen, in the days of old, often used the tree as a type of a saint. And in that beautiful and expressive symbolic vision of the holy waters issuing from the temple, by Ezekiel — upon the bank on either side of the river, were those emblematic fruit-bearing, evergreen trees, whose very leaves were full of meaning and for medicine. And the blessed Saviour, in his inimitable Sermon on the Mount, in giving a test of the genuine Christian, and to expose the spurious, used the same similitude.. When we look upon the stately trunk, the spreading branches, the beautiful foliage, to say nothing of the delicious fruit, of some trees, is it any marvel that they should have sacred uses in the Scriptures ? And others of an humbler growth, and not so imposing in appearance, may be still more fragrant and fruitful.

Moreover, different trees have their peculiar characteristics, in form, location, and habitudes : and in these respects they are used for the purposes of illustration and adornment, if not of enforcement also, respecting the Church. And in this practical application, Mr. Clark makes a happy use of them. In this part of the book, particularly, the " Gospel in the Trees," the author seems to have broken new ground. For, save a few seed thoughts scattered abroad in biblical dictionaries, and elementary works, as "Brown on the Metaphors, " in all the range of Biblical literature, so far as I am aware, no author has trodden this field before.

The author of this book breathes a truly catholic spirit. With some, perhaps, his Christian liberality may seem excessive, if not bordering occasionally on the ground of heterodoxy. But let them not take alarm, if in the out-pouring of heart-feelings the denominational shibboleth be not as audibly and distinctly uttered aa could be desired ; or if there should be an apparent lisping of a technical vowel or consonant, according to our creed, on some minor points ; yet if, in general, we hear the sweet voice of the language of Canaan, and never a single sentence in the dialect of Ashdod, let our fears subside. "While Christ and his cross are the leading theme, and we are often conducted to the top of Pisgah, let us rejoice, and hope for happy results.

May I give the religious genealogy of our author ? By birth and education a Presbyterian of the strictest school ; and by adoption and life a Methodist of the republican order. From such a Calvinio-Arminian Christian, might we not reasonably look for safe and evangelical opinions ? To speak in the language of Phrenology, from such prominent indications, may we not say that the orthodoxy of such a minister ought, at least, to be above suspicion ? And from the same premises, from the blending of such religious natures, ought we not to expect a little mixture of theological thoughts ? Being also freed from some sectarian shackles, should we marvel at the repeated rebukes of denominational bigotry observable in this book? Further, in the providence of God, this anti-sectarian spirit, so prominent in his religious youth, was probably strengthened, if not intensified, during the formation of his ministerial character. Mr. Clark's second field of labor, was the junior pastorate of the Church of the New Testament, in the city of Philadelphia, in connection with Thos. H. Stockton, D. D., a man of God, whose mind can not be fettered with denominational restrictions, and the restraints of bodies of divinity ; but with the universal commission of the Saviour in his hand,

J6 Introduction.

and the love of Jesus burning in his heart, he longs to embrace all mankind, and press them to his bosom. This world-wide sympathy for sinners, while it is not opposed to the doctrine of the Methodist Church, but in exact accordance with it, doubtless tended to establish our author in his course, which was already bordering on ultraism, and induced him to neglect the doctrinal due-guards, which are considered necessary to a proper security against the appearance of error. And then, as if to confirm him in his extra-liberal faith, he next accepted a call to the pastorate of Union Chapel, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at that time an independent Methodist congregation, under no Annual or General Conference authority, where he remained until appointed by his own Conference to his present charge in Pittsburgh. From these facts, a seeming fault may be the more readily excused.

I heartily recommend this volume to all classes of people, and hope it may have a ready sale, and be extensively circulated, as it deserves.

New Brighton, Pa., Jan. 27, 1868.

JV. B. I have permission to announce that the author of this work has in preparation, to be published at some future time, if Providence permit, two companion volumes to the present, — the one entitled " Tlie Gospel in the Waters," the other "The Gospel in the

Mountains.'''1

W R.

The Gospel in the Trees.

I. The Apple Tree

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Cant. ii. :j.

HERE is seldom a more interesting sight than that of a large and spreading apple tree, dense in foliage and golden in fruit, standing in its perfection, outside the orchard, and offering its shade, and fragrance, and fruitage to the traveler weary of wandering beneath the hot sun. In the oriental lands such a scene has peculiar significance. The hungry stranger, seeing the inviting apples and the welcome shadow, hastens to the refreshment which awaits him, and rests, eats, gives thanks, and is strong.

The word apple grows from a root, which in the original signifies fragrance. The term is generic,

2 17 and authorities differ in regard to its precise application, some believing that it refers to the citron, others to the orange, and a few to the quince. The most reliable information, however, gives the word a meaning in accordance with its specific use by modern horticulturists, the designation of a fruit different and distinct from the three varieties just named. In the book of Joel, (i: 12), the apple is classified with the fig tree, the vine, the palm, and the pomegranate, as among the principal fruit-bearing trees of Palestine. Elsewhere in the Bible the apple is spoken of as a valuable and pleasant product ; and it is employed to ornament some of the most beautiful imagery in the Scriptures, as, for example, in Proverbs, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

The poets of many lands and ages have sung the charming beauties of the apple tree, and none more sweetly than our own Christian American, William Cullen Brvant : —

Come, let us plant the apple tree !

Cleave the tough greensward with the spade ;

Wide let its hollow bed be made ;

There gently lay the roots, and thero

The Apple Tree.

And press it o'er them tenderly.

As round the sleeping infant's feet We softly fold the cradle-sheet : So plant we the apple tree.

What^plant we in the apple tree ?

Buds, which the breath of summer days

Shall lengthen into leafy sprays ;

Boughs, where the thrush with crimson breast,

Shall haunt and sing and hide her nest.

We plant upon the sunny lea A shadow for the noontide hour, A shelter from the summer shower,

When we plant the apple tree.

What plant we in the apple tree ? Sweets for a hundred flowery springs, To load the May wind's restless wings, When, from the orchard row, he pours Its fragrance through our open doors ;

A world of blossoms for the bee; Flowers for the sick girl's silent room; For the glad infant, sprigs of bloom,

We plant with the apple tree.

What plant we in the apple tree ? Fruits that shall swell in sunny June, And redden in the August noon, And drop, as gentle airs come by -That faja the blue September sky ;

While children, wild with noisy glee, Shall scent their fragrance as they pass, And search for them the tufted grass

At the foot of the apple tree.

But the apple tree, like the other trees of the Bible, is illustrative of gospel truth, and may be contemplated in its relation to the trees of the wood as an emblem of Christ in his relation to the people.

A tree in Paradise, standing among beautiful, fragrant, and fruitful trees, was made the test of man's obedience; but it became the occasion of his transgression ; and Adam was driven, a sinner, without the gates.

But then a Tree in the outer wilderness was planted, the seed of an Eden promise, and although a long while appearing, in the fullness of time it sprang forth and grew as a root out of a dry ground, among deformed, obnoxious and barren trees, bearing in its branches a perfect cure for the disobedience of a banished race. As the first Adam ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, and thereby brought death into the world ; so the second Adam bore in his own body, on the tree, the fruits of man's disobedience, thereby bringing life into the world : " For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

Every thing that was lost in Adam shall be regained in Christ for all the heirs of salvation. And as man fell by an exercise of his will, choosing the forbidden fruit ; so is he restored, by an exercise of his will — by faith — choosing the proffered righteousness of Christ; for in all the plan of redemption, man's free agency is honored, because it is the crowning excellence of God's last and best creation. In the earthly Eden, we see the tree of life guarded ; but in the heavenly Eden, we see the Tree of Life with saints having the right to partake of its fruits within the gates. The far separated ends of revelation at last unite. The Eden and the Patmos trees touch and blend their branches. Paradise is opened ; sinners, redeemed, enter in ; face answers to face ; the beginning of the work of salvation answers to its end ; and the Tree of Life bears its immortal fruits beside the crystal river which gladdens the city and garden of God.

Let us consider a few of the characteristics of the apple tree, taking it in its nature and relations as a type of Christ.

1. The Apple Tree is a Tender Tree. It requires the care of culturing hands to protect it against the roughness of accident, and the turbulence of the elements. The young apple tree, frail and fragile as a plant in its stalk and branches, venturing from its clod to the open air and sunlight, comes into the range of storm; and the gardener's eye is over it long before it rises to the dignity of blossom-bearing. It has a helpless infancy, and must be trained up through scorching summers, bending storms, and pinching winters, before its fibers are matured sufficiently for autumn burdens of fruit.

So Christ appears, as a little child, tender and dependent, in Mary's arms. The infant Jesus is placed in the nurturing care of an earthly mother. God is manifest in the flesh, and assumes humanity in its lowest and weakest form, breathing his first breath in the chill dampness of a stable , and coming into the sphere of trial, and toil, and suffering, long before he reaches the age of manhood. He grows in wisdom and stature as any other human being, surrounded by the same alien atmosphere, and tempted in every point as other sons of men.

In lowly Bethlehem, a heavenly purpose becomes a tangible fact; in the poor shepherd's home village, humble and obscure, the King Almighty becomes a helpless babe. "God becomes his own interpreter, and translates his truth into a fact which shall be tender and yet thrilling and powerful in all ages and in all lands." For the central theme of Christ's advent and reign is good will to men.

"As a tiny seed in the ground puts forth a stem which rises and spreads to a tree, with great boughs out-pointing in every direction, bearing leaves and blossoms, and fruits, and shades on every side ; so the obscure birth of a little, tender babe, has influenced all history, sacred and secular, before and after, and become the exponent of the civilization of all nations."

.." See how small room my infant Lord doth take, Whom all the world is not enough to hold ! Who of his years or of his age hath told ? Never such age so young ; never a child so old !"

But see the child! Those tender little hands shall be torn. Those tiny feet shall walk a rough and thorny world, and be nailed to the tree. That blooming cheek shall be buffeted and spit upon. That radiant brow shall be crowned with thorns. That delicate flesh shall be mangled and bruised and broken. The tenderest heart that ever beat in any breast shall bear an unutterable grief. That fairest one among ten thousand shall thirst and be mocked with vinegar, shall agonize, and bow his head, and bleed, and die !

We have the incidents of the Saviour's birth, of his ministry, and of his death ; but the details of his youth are not written. Once, when he is about twelve years old, we have a glimpse of him in the temple, reasoning with the doctors ; and yet, with mental strength to hold unanswering rabbis at bay, he moves in a body still watched and guarded by a mother ; for, missing him from her side, she seeks him in maternal solicitude, apprehensive that accident might have befallen her absent child.

He passed through childhood to manhood in the home of Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, so like other young men in appearance, so modest and amiable in his life, that he was known as the pious mechanic's son, receiving the discipline of family training, and admired by all his neighbors for his filial obedience and industrious habits. Our Lord had a human body just like our own, save that it was healthful and perfect from infancy to maturity; and none the less so by reason of humble fare, and the physical exercise of daily work. Thus he taught, by his example, before his sacred ministry began, the gospel of human dignity and perfection in lowly life and in honest toil. So educated, he acquired the wisdom and stature of a man, tenderhearted and gentle-worded, even though his hands were hard and his temples bronzed by out-door work. He was one of the common people, ready to rejoice with those who rejoiced, and to weep with those who wept. Tenderness was a distinguishing trait in his character, both as the Son of Man, and as the Son of God. In the full vigor of his perfected manhood, and in all the words and acts of his ministry as the anointed of Heaven, he was gentle, pitying, merciful, and kind. He never outgrew his sympathies. On his way, armed with Omnipotence to open the rocky grave of Lazarus, he spoke of him as his friend, and wept in brotherly affliction with the bereaved sisters of Bethany. The Builder of the Universe, and able to banish wrong and sorrow for ever from the remotest corner of his creation ; yet, remembering man as a responsible moral agent, and looking down from Olivet to Jerusalem, he wept over the wicked city. On the very cross, upstretched, and bleeding at the cruel thrust of the Roman spear, surrounded by taunting enemies, he prayed, "Father, forgive them: they know not what they do." Looking for i6 The Apple Tree.

the last time down to his mother, houseless and homeless as when she first looked down upon his infant form in the manger, he bespoke for her a friend in his beloved John. 0 was not Christ's a tender life ?

And while Jesus grew in stature until he attained full maturity of form and feature, the grace and dignity and manner of a perfect man, so in his mind and heart there was development. His blessed faculties expanded; his divine knowledge increased; heavenly strength was communicated. There never was error to correct, for there never was any liability to sin. But there were the maturing and strengthening of all the faculties and forces of his life, just as in the case of any other youth in the human family. He assumed our humanity,— not a better. Gentleness, tenderness, and purity, the possibilities for every man to show through his entire life, with their accompanying graces of meekness, kindness, and love, by which his character was pervaded, were exhibited in all his looks, words, and actions as a child, as a mechanic, as a man, and as the world's Redeemer. His innate holiness, his entire conformity to the law and will of God, his undisturbed devotion, and

The Apple Tree. in

his serene outer life, made him pre-eminently a model for all who bear the image of God, and wear the habiliments of mortality. For tenderness of heart, and lovingness of life, Jesus is first and best of all! "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, s® is my beloved among the sons of men."

2. The Apple Tree is a Shadowy Tree. Its spreading boughs are covered with foliage, and the wide-arching canopy of leaves is so low, and the shade so broad and cool, that the lightest breeze will fan a fragrance from the overhanging verdure to the face of the traveler resting beneath. There is a substantiality in the leaves, dense, closetextured and profuse, and a tenacity in clinging to the branches which make the shadows of the apple tree peculiarly grateful and refreshing. In the heat of the day there is no spot more inviting than the dark shade of an apple tree.

So Christ, in' his perfect righteousness, having grown up sinless in thought, bountiful in word and work, and beautiful in life, through all the experiences of humanity from infancy to manhood, affords the shadow of protection and refreshment to his people. He shelters them from the wrath of God which blazes down as scorching sun-fire from the firmament of eternal justice, from th^ curse of the broken law, and from the accusations of enlightened conscience. This figure of refuge for a weary soul is represented by at least three other emblems beside the apple tree, as if to intensify the thought until it become in every mind a blessed fact. In Isaiah, (xyiii: 4,) soul recumbence by the way is likened to a cloud in harvest, high and wide-extending ; but this emblem shows transientness, and is not complete. Then again it is presented as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, dense, certain, and cool ; but this figure indicates a one-sided shelter, and is not yet complete. Again it is typified in such words as these: " There shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat." This seems to include the close and local shadow-protection of a tree, the high and broad shadow-protection of a cloud, the intense and invigorating shadow-protection of a rock, as well as the complete and constant shadow-protection of the tabernacle itself. Thus Christ offers the weary soul ample, complete, and perpetual shelter from this sultry world ; and beneath the shadow of this Divine Apple Tree, may every