Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-07-21
md they must be of soms service or they
would not be there; snowdrops, always

AA~eAS1
would not be there; suowdrops, always
snowdrops.
But have not told you of the most beau
tiful flower in all this garden spoken OF in
the text. If you see century plant youl
emotions are startled. You say: "Why,
this flower has been hundred years
gathering up for one bloom, and it will be
hundred years more before other petals
will come out" But have to tell you ol
plant that was gathering up from all
eternity, and that nineteen hundred year,
ago put forth its bloom never to wither.-
1t is the passioDplant of the Cross Proph
cts foretold it Bethlehem shepherds
looked upon it in the bud; the rocks shook
at it's bursting; and the dead got up in theil
winding sheets to see its full bloom. 1t is q
crimson fower-blood at the roots, blooG
on the branches, blood on all the leaves
Its perfume is to fill all the nations. Is
breath is heaven. Come, o winds frcEf The
north, and winds from the south, and winds
from the east, and winds from the west
and bear to all the earth the sweet-smelline
SAVIOR of Christ, my Lord
"His worth If all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love Him, too. ,
Again: The Church may be appropriate
ly compared to garden, because it is q
place of select fruits. That would be a
strange garden which had in it no berries,
no plums or peaches or apricots. The
coarser fruits are planted in the orchard OF
they are set out on the sunny hillsides
but the choicest fruits are kept in the
garden. So in the world outside the
Church, Christ has planted a great many
beautiful tbings-patience, charity, gener,
osity, integrity; but He intends the choicest
fruits to be in the garden, and if they are
not there, then shame on the Church.
Religion is not a mere Towering sentiment
ality. 1t is practical, life giving, health
full fruit--not posies, butapples. 80" says
somebody, 81 don't see what your garden
of the Church has yielded" Where did
your asylums come from and your hospi-
tails ? and your institutions of mercy
Christ planted every one of them; He plant
ed 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 establish
ed. When Christ said to the sick man -
"Take up thy bed and walk - He laid
the cornerstone of every hospital the world
has ever seen. When Christ said: II was
in prison and ye visited Me-" He laid the
cornerstone of every prison reform associa-
tion that has ever been formed. The
Church of Christ is glorious garden, and
it is full of fruit.
l know there is some poor fruit in it,
l know there are some weeds that ought to
be thrown over the fence. I know there
are some crab-apple trees that ought to be
cut. down. l know there are some wild
grapes that ought to be uprooted; but are
you going to destroy the whole garden be-
cause of little guarded fruit :? You will
find worm eaten leaves in Fontainebleau.
and insects that sting in the fairy groves Of
the Champ-Elysees. You do not tear
down and destroy the whole garden be-
cause there are a few specimens of gnarled
fruit. | admit there ale men and women
in the Church who ought not to be there;
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,
and triumphant. There is no
grander collection in all tho earth than the
collection of Christians. There are Chris
tian men in this house whose religion is not
a matter of psalm-singing and church.
going. To morrow morning that religion
will keep them just as consistent and con-
in their worldly occupation, as it
aver kept them at the communion table,
There are women here to-day of higher
type of character than Mary of Bethany
They not only sit at the feet of Christ,
out they 90 out into the kitchen to help
Martha in her work, that she may sit there,
200. There is woman who has drunken
husband who has exhibited more faith and
patience and courage than Ridley in the
ire. He was consumed in twenty min
ties. Hers has been a twenty years.
Yonder is a man who has
been fifteen years on his back, unable even
% feed himself, yet calm and peaceful as
hough he lay on one of the green banks of
heaven watching the oarsmen dip their
paddles in the crystal riverl Why, it seems
o me this moment as if st. Paul threw to
is pomologist's catalogue of the fruits
growing in this great garden of Christ
owe, joy, peace, patience, charity, brother
y kindness, gentleness, mercy-glorious
ruit, enough to fill all the baskets of earth.
md heaven.
have not told you of the better tree in
his garden and of the better fruit. 1t was
planted just outside Jerusalem good while
go. When that tree was planted, it was
% split and bruised, and barked, men said
lothing would ever grow upon it; but no
ooner had that tree been planted than it
,udded, and blossomed, and fruited, and
he soldiers spears were only the clubs that
truck down that fruit, and it fell into the
ap of the nations, and men began to pick
up and eat it, and they found in it an
.ntidOte to all thirst, to all poison, to all
in, to all death--the smallest cluster larger
han the famous one of Eshcol, which two
men carried on staff between them. If
he one apple in Eden killed the race, this
me cluster of mercy shall restore it.
Again: The Church in my text is appro-
,riately called garden, because it is thor
ughly irrigated. No garden could pros
'er long without plenty of water. have
cen garden in the midst of a desert. yet
blooming and luxuriant. All around was
learth and barrenness; but there were pipes,
queducts, reaching from this garden up to
he mountains, and through those aqueducts
he water came streaming down and tossing
Up into beautiful fountains, until every root
md leaf and flower was saturated. That
8 like the Church. The Church is a garden
n the midst of a great desert of sin and suf-
ering; but it is we'll irrigated, for ''our eyes
ire unto the hills from whencs cometh our
,elp." From the mountains of Gods
strength there flow down rivers of gladness.
There is river the stream whereof shall
make glad the city of or God" Preaching
,be Gospel is one of these aqueducts. The
Bible is another. Baptism and the Lords
supper are aqueducts. Water to slake the
thirst, water to wash the unclean, water
tossed high up in the light of the Sun of
showing us the rainbow
around the throne. o, was there ever a
garden SO thoroughly irrigated ? You know
that the beauty Of Versailles and Chats
worth depends very much upon the supply
Of water. l came to the latter place, Chats
worth, one day when strangers are not to
be admitted; but by an inducement which
always seemed as applicable to an English
man as an American, got in, and then the
gardener went far up above the stairs of
stone and turned on the water. l saw it
cleaning on the dry pavement, coming
down from step to step until icame SO near
[ could hear the musical rush, and all over
the high, broad stairs it came foaming,
flashing, roaring down, until sunlight and
wave in gleesome wrestle tumbled at my
feet. So it is with the Church of God. Ev-
erything comes from above; pardon from
above, joy from above, adoption from above,
sancti6cation from above. 0, that now