A Tap-Root: Firm Foundations for Christian Faith
A TAP-ROOT.—No one ever saw a black hickory tree blown out of root. The hurricane may twist it off or break it down, though even that seldom occurs; but it cannot drag it out of the ground. The reason is that this tree, while it sends out plenty of surface roots, always sends a strong tap-root straight down into the solid subsoil, and lays hold of the foundations of stone or clay or hardpan, as the case may be. There are other trees—the beech, maple, and ash—which interlace the surface with a web of roots; but in a storm, especially if the ground previously has been water-soaked, over they go! A Christian is not safe and reliable unless he has sent a tap-root down into hard, strong foundations of Christian doctrine. Surface roots of sentiment and emotion have their uses, but they are not good for much, either in a dry time or in a tempest.