THE PALM TREE GETS OTHERS STARTED

Where this remarkable tree finds root, and grows, it is almost sure, sooner or later, to cause other palms to spring up; so that it does not need to be alone.

Take it out in the sands of the Sahara, when this product of nature gets started, others spring up, then more, and they bring the moisture to the surface, till the green grass begins to spread, and the springs come, till finally the beautiful oases are found here and there, and make the stopping places for the desert caravans, where the travelers find rest and coolness in the shadows and water for man and beast. There are places in the orient where the Arabs have planted these palms on purpose to start an oasis. Refreshing spot! Prolific palm trees! Reader, are you still measuring up? Are you growing alone? Has no other tree started because of your life and influence? May be you are saying, "We do not have any holiness meetings or prayermeetings where we live." But why? If not, why not? Is there not a kitchen in your house? What hinders you from having a good prayermeeting, or Sunday school there? Be careful, or you will not find yourself flourishing like the palm tree. Surely, you ought to get another tree started; then, by that one's influence, get another, then another, till springs arise in your desert place, and the spiritual oasis will call for the desert traveler to come and rest and drink.

Never rest contented to grow alone; it is too lonesome. It is neither like nature nor grace. Get some one else saved, or find out the reason why. We know a man who once held a prayermeeting in a schoolhouse six months before anybody else attended. Finally, they began to come and it resulted in a revival. See the persistence of some of the foreign missionaries. Think of the hardships of those early pioneers who blazed their way through dark continents, and with a determination to win, they pressed their way through and with faith and prayer and continuous efforts, they saw the fruit of their labor in others finding Christ as their personal Savior. With David Livingstone's heart in the middle of Africa, his sun-dried mummy in Westminster Abbey, his spirit in the glory world, do you not think he is glad he got others started to carry on his work in the land of darkness? If John G. Paton, taking his life in his hands, could go into the New Hebrides, and there brave the awful hardships and dangers of those cannibal islands, and finally win out and see them converted to God like a nation born in a day, does it not look as if you, my dear reader, ought to start the work somehow in your midst, and get hold of God by fasting and prayer, and never give up till an oasis is started in your community? "Where there is a will, there is a way." It takes grit and grace, but God's storehouse has never yet been exhausted, and there is yet the man to be born that has proved all the possibilities of grace.

Cast about in your mind and think of that person, perhaps only a lassie or lad, that found Christ, and though persecuted at home at first, yet, by faithful perseverance, finally won the whole family to God. Think of that one who dropped into the revival meeting some distance from his home and found the Lord, and then carried the fire back to his own community and the revival broke out there. Think of those faithful pilgrims who have moved far out into some frontier settlement and stood firm for God and holiness, and finally got a meeting started and today the church flourishes in their midst. They had the experience that flourishes like the palm tree.

There is something in the very nature and heart of the palm tree saint that longs and plans for the planting of God's kingdom among men. If one is so situated that he is isolated from sanctified people, he is not going to sit down on the stool of do-nothing and wither up and die; but he will begin to cast about and see what he can do to start a Sunday school, or a prayermeeting, or send for a holiness preacher. He must get other palms started in his community. Dr. Carradine tells the story of the two women at the toll bridge in Kentucky who got the blessing of sanctification and set about praying for a holiness meeting in their community. They prayed long and faithfully and would not give up. Somebody heard of their experience and visited them, then wrote an article about them and put it in the paper. A preacher providentially saw the article many miles from their abode, but it so got hold of his heart that he made up his mind to see them and get the same thing. God honored his desire and faith and was answering their prayer at the same time. This brother received the blessing and so preached it that others in his church received the same. At the conference this brother was persecuted on account of the newfound blessing of holiness, but he had grace enough to stand and endure and not retaliate. Dr. Carradine saw the abundant grace in this brother's heart and life, and it made him hungry for the same thing. In due time the persecuted brother was invited to hold a revival meeting in Dr. Carradine's church, which resulted in the doctor's getting the experience himself. Time passed on and finally the prayers of these two faithful women were answered, in that Dr. Carradine held a meeting in their town and led a number of others into the experience. These two palm tree saints felt a spiritual loneliness in being there without others growing, and so they never rested till they had a grove of them.

A certain preacher who was also a carpenter in southern California, was about to move to some new place. He carefully thought the matter over and decided to move to a place where he hoped in the near future to plant a grove of palm tree saints. He thought he and his family might form a nucleus and thus establish the church of his choice (for it was a holiness church) in that place. Accordingly he went, and worked at his trade and preached what he could and got as many interested as he was able, and after a while the writer, together with a fine band of workers, went to this town and pitched a tent and began to preach holiness. Before we left we established a church, with this brother as pastor, and now after a very few years, this brother is enjoying holiness in the heavenly world, and the church planted in that town is flourishing, having built a church and parsonage. There is something in it that wants to get others started. That is the secret of successful missionary work among the heathen. Carey leaves the cobbler's bench and sails across the seas and soon has his palm grove growing in India's soil. Paton moves to the Hebrides and jeopardizes his life among the savages, but never lets up till he sees the groves flourishing in that dark and dreary land. Livingstone plunges into darkest Africa alone, but he does not remain alone; God reaches those black and benighted savages and turns them into saints, and the oases begin on African soil. And so on all over the world today are being planted God's palm tree saints who are getting others started and the big world is now being dotted with palm tree groves. Thank God forever. Reader, where are you living? Is your abode far off from sanctified people? Do not get discouraged; God answers prayer. Do your best, and the first thing you know you will have some one to take his place by your side to push the work, and who knows but that in a short time there may be a flourishing community of full salvation saints there?