The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-07-05
GRAPES FROM CANAAN.
Dear Voices Coming Across the Water
That Tell of Happiness,
Of Rapturous Meeting and Everlasting
Life-Those Gone Before Are Not
Lost Forever-Sermon by Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage, ID. ID.

and cut down from tnence DrdHCu
with one cluster of grapes, and they
bare it between two upon staff. !"
The long trudge of the Israelites
across the wilderness was almost ended.
They had come to the borders of the
promised land. OF the 600,000 adults
who started from Egypt for Canaan
how many do you suppose got there?
Five hundred thousand? Oh, no. Not
200, 900, not 100000, not fifty, nor TWEEN
ty, nor ten; but only two men.
Oh, it was ruinous march that Gods
people made; but their children were
living and they were on the march, and
now that they had come up to the bor-
ders of the promised land, they were
very curious to know what kind OF
place it was, and whether it would be
safe to go over. So scouting party Is
sent out to reconnoiter, and they ex-
amined the land, and they came back
bringing specimens of its growths.
Just as you came back from California,
bringing to your family a basket of
pears, or plums, or apples to show what
monstrous fruit they have there, so this
scouting party cut off the biggest bunch
of grapes they could find. twas SO large
that one man could not carry it, and
they thrust pole through the cluster,
and there was one man at either end of
the pole, and so the bunch of grapes
was transported. was, some time ago,
in luxuriant vineyard. The vine
dresser had done his work. The vine
had clambered up and spread it's wealth
all over the arbor. The sun and shower
had mixed cup which the vine drank
until with flushed cheek it lay clam
bering in the light, cluster against
the cheek of cluster The rinds
of the grapes seemed almost
bursting with the juice in the
warm lips of the autumnal day, and it
seemed as if all you had to do was to
lift chalice toward the cluster and it's
life would begin to drip away.
But, my friends, in these rigorous
climes, we know nothing about large
grapes. Strabo states that in Bible
times and in Bible lands there were
grapevines so large that it took two
men with outstretched arms to reach
around them, and he says there were
clusters two cubits in length, or twice
the length from the elbow to the tip of
the long finger.
And Achaius, dwelling in those lands
tells us that during the time he was
smitten with fever one grape would
Stake his thirst for the whole day. No
wonder, then, in these Bible times two
men thought it worth their while to
put their strength together to carry
down one cluster of grapes from the
promised land.
But this morning l bring you larger
cluster from the heavenly Eschol-a
| cluster of hopes, cluster of prospects,
| a cluster of Christian consultations; and
am expecting that one taste of it will
rouse up your appetite for the heavenly
Canaan. During the past winter some
of this congregation have gone away
| never to return.
The aged have put down their staff
and taken up the scepter. Men in mid
life came home from Office or shop, and
did not go back again, and never will
go back again. And the dear children,
some of them, have been gathered in
Christ's arms. He found this world toe
rough place for them, and so he has
gathered them in. And oh, how many
wounded souls there are-wounds for
which his world offers no medicament,
/ nd he ofA 7
Jesus Christ there shall come a consola-
ton there will be no consolation at all.
Oh, that the Cod of all comfort would
Aelp me while l preach, and that the
God of all comfort would help you
while you hear.
First, console you with the divinely
sanctioned idea that your departed
friends are as much yours now as they
ever were. know you sometimes get
the idea in your mind, when you have
this kind of trouble, that your friends
are cut off from you, and they are nc
longer yours; but the desire to have all
, our loved ones in the same lot in the
cemetery is a natural desire, univer
sal desire, and therefore a God-im
planted desire, and is nightly suggest
i've of the fact that death has no power
to break up the family relations. Il
our loved ones go away from our pos
session why put fence around our lot
in the cemetery? Why the gathering
of four or five names on one family
monument? Why the planting Of
one cypress-vine so that it covers al
the cluster of graves? Why put the
husband beside the wife, and the chill
dren at their feet? Why the bolt OF
the gate of our lot, and the charge t.
the keepers of the ground to see tina
the grass is cut and the vine attended
20, and the flowers phntedP Why no
put our departed friends in one com
mon field or grave? Oh, it is becaus,
they are'ours That child, 0 stricken
mother! is as much yours this morning
rs in the solemn hour when God put i
against your heart and said as of old
"Take this child and nurse it for m,
and will give thee thy wages" 1t i
no mere within. 1t is divinely planted
principle in the soul and God certainl,
would not plant a lie, and He would
not culture liel Abraham would no
allow Sarah to be buried in stranger
grounds, although some very beautiful
ground was offered him free gift; blu
he pays 400 shekels for Machpelah, tn,
cave, and the trees overshadowing it.
The grave has been well kept, ant
to-day the Christian traveller stands il
thoughtful and admiring mood, gain!
upon Machpelah, where Abraham AM
Sarah are taking their long rest of fou