Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-07-30

not there, then shame on the church. Relig-
ion l. not a mere Towering sentimentality.
Il is a practical, life-giving, healthful
fruit, not posieS, but apples. oh"
Says somebody, II don't see what
your garden or the church has
Yielded Where did your asylums come
'FRONT.' and your hoSpitalsi and your insti-
tutions of mercyl 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 Gailee He laid the
cornerstone OF every lunatic asylum that has
ever been established When Christ said to
The sick man: take up thy bed and walk"
- al che corne. stone or every no ,pital the
world has ever seen. When Christ said: II
was in prison and We visited me- He laid the
conversions OF every prison reform as5ocia-
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. l
know there are some weeds that ought to be
thrown over the fence | know there are
some crabapple trees that ought to be cut
down l know there are some wild grapes
that ought to be uprootsd; but are YOU going
to destroy the whole garden because of a lit
tie gnarled frulti You will find worm-eaten
leaves in Fontainobleau and insects that
sing in the fairy groves of the Champs
ElyseeS. You do not tear down and DESTROY
the whole garden because there are few
specimens of gnarled fruit. l admit there
a men and women in the chul CHI 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 Chris ian men and women-hoiy, lies ed,
useful, consscrated and triumphant There
/ no grander collection in all the earth than
the collection of Christians. There are
Chri,tia 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 a higher
type of th1iacter 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 too There
is a woman who has drunken husband who
has exhibited more faith and pat ence and
courage than Ridley in the fire. He was con-
sumed in twenty minutes. Hers has been
twenty years martyrdoIn. Yonder Is a man
who has been fifteen years on his back, I'M
able even to feed himself yet calm and peace
full as though he lay on one of the green banks
of heaven, watching the oarsmen dip their
paddles in the crystal river. Why, it seems
to me this moment as if st. Paul threw to us
a pomologist'S catalogue of the fruits grow
ing In this great garden of Christ-love, Joy,
peace patience, charity, brotherly kindness,
gentlene;s, 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, good while
ago. When that tree was planted it was SO
split and bruised and barke1 men said moth
ing would ever grow upon it; but no sooner
had that tree been planted than it budIed
and bios ome1 and fruited, and the soldiers
spears were only the clubs that strlck down
that fruit and it fell into the lap of the ma
tions and men be gan to pick it up AMI eat it,
and they found in it an antidote to all thirst,
to all poison, to all sin, to all death-the
smallest clu ter larger than the famous one
of Eshcol, which two men carried On staff
between them IL 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 led a garden because it is thor
oughly irrigated. No garden could prosper
long without plenty Of water. have seen a
garden in the midst of u desert, yet bloom
ing and luxuriant All around was dearth
and barrenness; but there were pipes and aJue-
ducts reaching from this garden up to TIE
mountains, and through those aqueducts the
water came streaming down and tossing up
into beautiful fountains until every root and
leaf and flower we're SatuI ated. That is like
the church. The church is u garden in the
midst of great desert of sin and suffering
but it is well irrigated, for ''our eyes are
unto the hills from when e cometh our help u
From the mountains of Gods strength there
| flow down rivers Of gladness. There is a
| river the stream whereof shall make glad
| the city of our God. Preaching the gospel
is one of these aqueducts. The Bible is au-
other. Baptism and the Lords Supper ara
| alueducts Water to slake the thirst water
! to restore the faint, water to wash tha 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 80 thoroughly
irrigated! You know that the beauty of
Versailles and Chatsworth depends very
much upon the great supply of water
| came to the latter place, Chatsworth one day
| when strangers are not to be admitted; but
by an indu ement which always seemed as
applicable to an Engli,hnan as an Ameri-
can, got in and then the gardener went far
ND above the sta rs of stone and turned on
the water. saw it cleaning on the dry
pavement coming down from step to step
until it came so near could hear the must
cal rush, and all over the high, broad stairs
it came foaming, flashing, roaring dow
until sunlig 1t and wave in g!eesome wrestlt
| az lily leeU. OU IL ID w Ill Uile
of God. Everything comes from above, ioJ
from Dove, adoption from above, satisfac
ton from above Oh, that now God would
turn on the waters Of salvat. on, that the,
might flow down through this heritage, an,
til 1t to-day we might find this place to b
"Elim, with twelve wells of water and tire
score and ten palm trees"
Hark hear the latch OF the garden gate
and look to see who is coming. | hear tn
voice OF Christ: Il am come into my gar
den " say: "Come in, o Jesus we hav
been waiting for Thee; walk all through tn
paths. Look at the flowers. look at the fruit
pluck that which Thou wilt for Thysalf.
Jesus comes into the garden and up to tina
old man and touches him aud says: "Almo:
home, father, not many more aches for thee
| will never leave thee: l will never forsai
thee take courage little longer and wi
steady thy tottering steps and will sootf
thy troubles and give thee rest courage, oil
man." Then Christ goes up another garde
path and He comes to soul in trouble an
he says; Peace! all is well. l have seen tn
tears; l have heard thy prayer. The su
shall not smite thee by day NJ
the moon by night The Lol
shall preserve thee from all evil. He wi
preserve thy soul Courage, o trouble
spiritl" Then see Jesus going up anoth
garden path and l see great exciteme
among the leaves, and hasten up that ga
den path to see what Jesus is doing ther
and lo He is breaking off flowers sharp al
clean from the stem, and | say: "Sto
Jesus, don't kill those beautiful flowers l
turns to me aud says: 81 have come into n
garden to gather lilies, and mean to ia
these up TO higher terra aud for the ga
den around my palace, and there Will pla
them, and in better soil and better air tn
snail put forth brighter leaves and sweet
| IN md M froC hall &.
ever" And / looked up into His face a
said; ''Well, it is His garden. and Hs has
right to do wnas He will with it. Thy "
be dorer'-the hardest prayer man ey
made
1t has seemed as If Jesus Christ took Il
best; from many of your households the be
one is gone You knew that she was Il