National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-07-12


smelling SAVIOR Of Christ, my Lord
His worth, II all the nations knew
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too.
Again. The church may be appropriately
compared TO garden, because " is place
of select fruits That would be strange
garden which had In Il no berries, no plums,
or peaches, or apricots The coarser fruits
are planted in the orchard or they are set
out on the sunny hill side; but the choicest
fruits are kept In the garden. SO in the
world outside the church, Christ has planted
charity, generosity, integrity; but he in-
tends the choicest fruits to be In the gar
den, and II they are rot there, then shame
on the church. Religion is not n mere
Towering sentimentality. IL is practical,
lifegiving, healthful fruit--not posles, but
apples. "0h," says somebody, 81 don't
see what your garden OF the church has
yieldedn Where did your asylums come
from and your hospitals and your insti-
buttons Of mercy; Christ planted every one
Of them; He planted them in His garden.
When Christ gave sight TO Bartimeus he
laid the cornerstone OF every blind asylum
that has ever been built. When Christ
soothed the demoniac OF Galilee He laid
the cornerstone of every lunatic asylum
that has ever been established. When
Christ said to the elck man; "Take up thy
bed and walk, - He laid the cornerstone OF
every hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said ~ was In prison and ye
visited Me,n he laid the cornerstone of
every prison reform association that has
ever been formed. The Church Of Christ
is glorious garden, and II is full Of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit in IL. |
know that there are some weeds that ought
to be thrown over the fence. / know there
are some crab apple trees that ought to be
cut down. / Know there are some wild
grapes that ought to be uprooted, but are
you going to destroy the whole garden be-
cause of a little gnarled fruitp You will
find worm. eaten leaves In Fontainebleau
and insects than sting in the fairy groves Of
the. Champs Elysees: You not tear down
and destroy the whole garden because there
are a few specimens OF gnarled fruit.
admit there are men and women In the
church who ought not TO be there; but
let us be Just as frank and admit the fact
that there are hundreds and thousands and
tens Of thousands Of glorious Christian men
and women-holy, blessed, useful, conse-
Grated, and triumphant. There is no
grander collection In all the earth than
the collection Of Christians. There are
Christian men in this house whose religion
is not q matter OF psalm singing and church.
going. Tomorrow morning that religion
will keep them Just as consistent aud con-
secrated in their worldly occupation as
it ever kept them at the communion
table. There are women here to-day
Of q higher type OF character than Mary OF
Bethany. They not only sit at the feet OF
Christ, but they 60 out into the kitchen to
help Martha in her work, that she may sit
there to. There Is a woman who has
drunken husband who has exhibited more
faith and patience and courage than Ridley
in the fire. He was consumed in twenty
minutes. Hers has been twenty years.
martyrdom. Yonder is man who has
been fifteen years on his back, unable even
to feed himself, yet calm and peaceful as
though he lay on one OF the green banks OF
heaven, watching the oarsmen dip their
paddles In the crystal river. Why, II seems
to me this moment as IL st. Paul threw to
us pomologlst's catalogue Of the fruits
growing in this great garden Of Christ
love, joy, peace, patience, charity, brotherly
kindness, gentleness, Investigations fruit,
enough to fill all the baskets Of earth and
heaven.
have not told you of the better tree In
this garden and OF the better fruit. 1t was
planted Just outside Jerusalem a good
while ago. When that tree was planted 1t
was so split and bruised, and barked, men
said nothing would ever grow upon IL; but
no sooner had that tree been planted than
1t budded and blossomed and fruited, and
the soldiers spears were only the clubs
the lap Of the nations, and men began TO
pick 1t up and eat 1t, and they found In II
an antidote to all thirst, to all poison, to
all sin, to all death--the smallest cluster
larger than the famous one OF Eshcol, which
| two men carried on a staff between them.
| II the one apple in Eden killed the race,
this one cluster Of mercy shall restore 1t.
Again The chu;ch In my text is ap-
| propriately called garden, because 1T Is
| fhnrnIuhlu frrtuatn1 pnnl1
prosper long without plenty Of water.
have seen garden in the midst Of desert
yet blooming and luxuriant. AL around
| was dearth and barrenness, but there were
| pipes, aqueducts, reaching from this gar
den up to the mountains, and through
those aqueducts the water came streaming
| down and tossing up into beautiful foun
tains, until every root and leaf and flower
| were saturated. That is like the church
| The church is a garden In the midst OF Q
| great desert OF sin and suffering; but II IL
| well irrigated, for sour eyes are unto the
hills from whence cometh our help" From
the mountains Of Gods strength there flow
down rivers OF gladness. "There is rive
the stream whereof shall make glad the
one Of these aqueducts. The Bible Is an
other. Baptism and the Lords supper ar,
aqueducts. Water to slake the thirst
water to wash the unclean, water tossed
high up in the light OF the sun of righteous
ness, showing us the rainbow around tn
throne. Oh, was there ever garden s.
thoroughly irrigatedH You know that thu
beauty OF Versailles and Chatsworth dc
ponds very much upon the great supply Q
water. / came to the latter place, Chatt
worth, one day when strangers are not b
be admitted, but by an inducement whic
always seemed as applicable to an English
man as an American got In, and then tn
gardener went far up above the stairs G
stone and turned on the water. saw
cleaning on the dry pavement, comm
down from step to step until 1t came 5
near / could hear the musical rush, and a
over the high, broad stairs 1t came foaming
flashing, roaring down until sunlight an
wave in gleesome wrestle tumbled at m
feet. SO 1t is with the Church Of Goo
Everything comes from above; pardo
from above, Joy from above, adoption fror
above, sanctitcation from above. Oh, tina
now God would turn on the waters Of sa
walton that they might flow down througl
this heritage, and that to-day we might fint
wells Of water and three score and To
palm trees |" -s,. ....... .......
Hark hear the latch Of the garde
gate, and l look to see who Is coming.
hear the voice Of Christ. 81 am com
into my garden.n l say "Come In,
Jesus we have been waiting for The
walk all through the paths. Look at IL
which Thou wilt for Thyself." jest
comes into the garden and up
that old man, and touches him an
says "Almost home, father, not mar
more aches for thee; will never leay
thee; take courage little longer and wi
: steady thy totterlng steps, and l wi
, soothe thy troubles and give thee res
Courage, old man. Then Christ goes U
soul in trouble "Peace all is well. hay
seen thy tears. have heard thy praYe
The sun shall not smite thee by day nor IL
, moon by night. The Lord shall presery
thee from all evil; He will presery