In the earlier days of persecution of holiness professors, how often the fighting faction has tried to snow some of God's fire-baptized saints under, only to see them rise up through the snowdrift, with perennial freshness and smiling face ready for the next cold blizzard of snow. Or, perhaps it was a wet blanket suddenly thrown over them and their testimony, but the fire within only burnt its way through and turned the wet into steam and proved the possessor to be practically invulnerable. It is indeed hard to cut off one's growth when it comes from within. There may be a momentary check at times when unforeseen obstacles are thrust in one's way, but the growth producing qualities within assert themselves and burst out with increasing force which make the tormentors wonder "what next?" CHAPTER XIV THE PALM TREE HAS A COARSE, ROUGH EXTERIOR; BUT IT IS SOFT AT HEART In spite of its symmetry, its wonderful beauty and its perennial freshness, the palm tree has rather a harsh exterior. But being an endogenous tree, its pithy interior makes it always soft at the center, or heart. In the realm of grace, we often find some of God's best saints with a somewhat coarse-grained exterior. They may be uncouth, unlettered, uncultured, and reared in the backwoods, but they can look up with Job and say, "He maketh my heart soft." While Christian education is to be prized, and culture to be much esteemed, there are some who have not had these advantages, yet have proved by actual experience that God's grace is free for all, and a clean, soft heart can abide beneath a rough exterior. Methinks Elijah, with his rough garments and shaggy hair, had underneath his crude exterior one of the softest hearts of his time. John the Baptist, with camel's hair clothing, leathern girdle, and locust pabulum had a kind, soft heart within. Sometimes God's people are much misunderstood because of their natural uncouthness and blunt manners, when, if their hearts could be seen, they would appear whiter than snow and softer than silk. Thank God, He knows. The beautiful blessing of "perfect love" has been often misunderstood. Some seem to think it is a sort of lovey-dovey, sentimental something that makes its possessor smile on everybody and everything no matter what the moral quality may be. Perfect love sometimes assumes the rugged type, and deals along drastic lines. It can weep with those who weep, but when there is a very critical operation to perform, there may be no place for tears just then, for tears would blind the eyes. Elijah, whose heart was full of perfect love, came to a place where the false prophets had to be exterminated, and he had grace and grit enough to carry out the heaven-appointed program.