"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." —John xv. 4.
Again spring time appears upon the stage to play her part. She is always young and fair, and as winning as though she had never appeared before. Although her phenomena have been repeated for ages, they have never grown old, and they call forth the same expressions of delight as when we too were young and fair,— before we had taken on years full of the knowledge of good and evil," which now we learn must be cast off, if we would find our way to youth and purity. How common the expression, "Look at the grass, it has grown an inch in a night!" after playing hide and seek all day with sunshine and shower. So with our little church,— a branch,— after months of light and shadow, sunshine and shower, the first day of April, under the genial warmth of the sunshine of Truth, and the refreshing showers of pure thought, receiving new vigor from the Vine, this little branch brought forth the phenomenon of growth of many inches (twenty-two if each accession is an inch). And as the grass wears a smile after the first spring shower, so we went to our homes that day with faces radiant with smiles.
What a joyous thought, that to-day all over the land this wonder is repeated, and even the Vine has increased her capacity to meet the increased demand of her branches.
