The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-28

the sunny hillside; but the choicest fruits are
kept in the garden. So in the world outside
the church Christ had planted great many
beautiful things-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. Relig-
ion is not mere sTiod 0witfng sentmentality
fruit not posies, but apples. "O OH"
says somebody, 81 don't see what
your garden Of the church has
Welded" Where did your asylums come
from? and your hospitalsl and your insti-
tutions 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 Ga'ilee He laid the
cornerstone Of every luuatic asylum that has
ever been established 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-
ton that has ever been formed. The church
Of Christ is glorious garden and it Is full
of fruit.
know there is some poor fruit in it. I
know there are some weeds that ought to be
thrown over the fence. I know there are
some crabapple trees that ought to be cut
down. I know there are some wild grapes
that ought to be uprooted; but are you going
to destroy the whole garden because of lit
tie gnarled fruit! You will find worm-eaten
leaves in Fontainobleau and insects that
sting in the fairy groves Of the Champs
Elysees. You do not tear down and destroy
tho whole garden because there are q few
specimens Of gnarled fruit. I admit there
@ 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 glori-
Gus Christian men and women-holy blessed,
useful, consecrated and triumphant There
/, no grander collection in all the earth than
she collection of Christians. There are
Christian men in this house whose religion Is
not a matter Of psalm-singing and church
going. Tomorrow morning that reli
gion will keep them just as consistent
and consecrated in their worldly occupation as
it ever 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, bnt
they 20 out into the kitchen to help Martha
in her work that she may sit thereto There
is woman who has drunken husband who
has exhibited more faith and patience and
courage than Ridley in the fire. He was con-
sumed in twenty minutes. Hers has been
twenty years martyrdom. Yonder Is man
who has been fifteen years on his back, un-
able even to feed himself, yet calm and peace
full as though he lay on one Of the green banks
paddles in the crystal river. Why, it seems
to me this moment as if st. Paul threw to us
q pomologist's catalogue of the fruits grow
ing In this great garden Of Christ-love, Joy,
peace. patience, charity, brotherly kindness,
gentleness, mercy-glorious fruit, enough to
fill all tn, 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 it was so
split and bruised and barked men said moth
ing would ever grow upon it; but no sooner
had that tree been planted than it budded
and blos:omed and fruited, and the soldiers
spears were only the clubs that struck down
that fruit and it fell into the lap Of the ma
tions, and men began to pick it up and eat it,
and they found in it an antidote to all thirst,
to all poison, to all sin, to all death-the
smallest cluster larger than the famous one
of Eshcpl, which two men carried en- staff
between them. If the apple in Eden killed
the race, this one cluster Of mercy shall re-
store it.
Again, the church in my text is appropri-
ately called garden because it is thor
long without plenty Of water. have seen
garden in the midst of desert, yet bloom.
ing and luxuliant. All around was dearth
and barrenness; /; but there were pipes and aque-
ducts reaching from this garden up to the
and through those aqueducts the
water came streaming down and tossing up
into beautiful fountains until every root aud
Leaf and flower were saturated That is like
the church. The church is garden in the
midst of great desert of sin and suffering;
but it is well irrigated, for "our eyes are
unto the hills from whence cometh our help"
From the mountains Of Gods strength there
river tho stream whereof shall make glad
the city of our God. Preaching the gospel
is one Of these aqueducts. The Bible is an
other. Baptism and the. Lords Supper are
a1ueducts. Water to slake the thirst, water
to restore ths faint, water to wash the un-
clean, water tossed high up in the light Of
the Sun Of Righteousness, showing the rain
bow around the throne.
Oh, was there ever garden 50 thoroughly
irrigated! You know that the beauty Of
Versailles and Chatsworth depends very
much upon the great supply Of water. l
,ame to the latter place, Chatsworth, one day
when strangers are not to be admitted; but
by an inducement which always seemed as
applicable to an Englishman as an Ameri
,an, got in, and then the gardener went far
no above the stairs of stone and turned on
The water. saw it cleaning on the dry
coming down from step to step
until it came so near could hear the musi-
cal 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. Everything comes from above, JOY
from above, adoption from above, satisfac-
tion from above. Oh, that now God would
turn on the waters OF salvation, that they
might flow down through this heritage, and
that to-day we might find this place to be
itElim, with twelve wells Of water'and three
score and ten palm trees"
Hark! hear the latch Of the garden gate,
and look to see who is coming. hear the
voice of Christ: II am come into my gar
den say:. "Come in, o Jesus, we have
been waiting for Thee; walk all through the
paths. Look at the flowers. look at the fruit:
pluck that which Thou wilt for Thyself."
Jesus comes into the garden and up to that
old man and touches him and says: almost
home, father, not many more aches for thee:
I will never leave thee: will never forsake
thee; take courage little longer and will
steady thy tottering steps and will soothe
thy troubles and give thee rest; courage, old
man. Then Christ goes up another garden
path and He comes to q soul in trouble and
be saws: "Peace! all is well. have seen thy
tears; I have heard thy prayer. The sun
shall not smite thee by day nor
the moon by night The Lord
shall preserve thee from oil evil He will
preserve thy soul. Courage, o troubled
spiritr Then see Jesus going up another
garden path and I see great excitement
among the leaves, and hasten up that gar
den path to see what Jesus is doing there,
and 10! He is breaking off flowers sharp and
clean from the stem, and I say: "Stop,