The amusing story is told of Frederick Douglas who rose from slavery to quite a place in history. When in bondage in the South, he was wont to pray the Lord to give him his freedom. But he said the Lord did not answer his prayer. Again and again he prayed, but the Lord did not answer his petition. "One night," said he, "I went out and set my eyes on the North Star, and scratched gravel behind, and then the Lord answered my prayer." No wonder the paper he afterwards edited was called the _North Star_. If more people who are in bondage to fear, and are longing at the same time for deliverance, would do as this man of color did--set their spiritual eyes on the pole star of freedom, and scratch gravel--they would soon find their prayers for liberty answered. CHAPTER IV IT IS NOTED FOR ITS FRUITFULNESS In the orient, where the date palm thrives the best, it is astonishing the quantity of delicious fruit it bears. It affords one of the chief industries, and is one of the principal articles of food. Seeing the inspired Word declares that the righteous flourish like the palm tree, it stands to reason that the righteous bear an abundance of spiritual fruit. Fruit-bearing is the chief characteristic of the saint. "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" (Rom. 6: 23). A nonfruit-bearing holiness is a nonentity. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2). In other words, every Christian who ceases to bear fruit, becomes a backslider and is cut off; while every one that bears fruit, keeps connected with the True Vine, and gets cleansed, or sanctified. This statement simply means, then, that one must get cleansed, or lose what grace he has. These are solemn truths, and each one should look well to his fruit bearing, and continue in the same. "Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22, 23). All palm tree saints are in the fruit business. There is no law, says the text, against such a business. There is no law written in the Bible, or upon our hearts that opposes it. There is no law of nature that runs counter to it. The law of the land does not forbid one having love, joy, peace, or any of the other varieties. Even formal ecclesiastical law does not oppose one having love, joy, peace, or the others mentioned; but sometimes it raises a hue and cry, and brings forth a storm of persecution when the outward manifestations of this fruit intrude into their graveyard quietness, and thus disturb their death.