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 that her  child  had  scarcely  taken  his  first  breath  when she breathed  her  last. So it  was  with  God  the Creator and  God  the  Redeemer. When first  He created  man  it  was  with  joy  and  exultation,  but  the product of  His  hands  proved  a  failure, — man  abandoned Him  so  that  God  remained  still  practically alone. " Unless  the  seed  die,  itself  remaineth  alone." But man's  regeneration  was  accomplished  by  the  torments and  death  of  the  man-God,  and  the  result  was that the  dead  seed  brought  forth  much  fruit. For the Church  to-day  stands  like  a  mighty  tree  towering above all  earthly  things,  her  branches  and  members spreading everywhere,  clothed  with  the  fair  foliage  of her  rites  and  ceremonies,  adorned  with  the  blossoms of innocence  and  laden  with  the  fruits  of  sanctity,  and men gaze  at  her  and  marvel  that  so  great  a  plant should have  sprung  from  so  small  a  seed,  that  that limp figure  on  the  cross  should  be  the  author  of  so mighty  and  such  a  perfectly  organized  institution. Such exaltation  has  Christ  achieved  that  even  the  instrument of  His  torture,  the  cross,  previously  the  object of  dread  and  horror,  has  become  for  mankind  a ladder  of  Jacob  leading  heavenward,  a  tree  of  life  in the  midst  of  earth,  laden  with  precious  fruit,  a  rock in an  arid  desert  from  which,  when  struck,  gush  forth sweet waters,  an  inexhaustible  widow's  cruse,  affording us  our  daily  bread  and  the  wherewithal  to  satisfy our heavenly  creditor. With the  sign  of  the  cross temples and  altars  are  consecrated,  ministers  ordained, and  the  sacraments  administered. We place it on  our  spires  to  point  us  heavenward,  on  our  fore-