Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-06-19
"A BUNCH OF GRAPES.
THE THEME OF DR.. TAlhIEGE'S SER
MON AT THE TABERNACLE.

The oivineIy Sanctioned Idea of Death.
Mrs. Si.-ourney's .scaueifas Kines-Bc-
fore the Resurrection
BRooKLYN. June 1S--Rev- DIR. Tel
mage in selecting theme for today's
Sermon in the Brooklyn Tabernaclec chose
one peculiarly suitable to the season of
fruits. the title being Grapes From
Canaan and the text Numbers xiii. %.
And they came unto the brook of Es-
chol and cut down from thence a branch
with one cluster of grapes. and they
bare it between two upon staff.
The long trudge of the Israel0es across
the wilderness was almost ended. They
had come to the borders of the prOmiscsl
land Of the 100000 adults who started
from Egypt for Canaan. how many do
YOU suppose got there? Five hundred
thousand? Oh. no. Not 100000. not
100000. nor 30. nor 90 nor 10, but only
9 men Oh it was Il ruinoUs march
that Gods people mode. but their chill
dren were living and they were on the
march. and now that they had come up
TO the borders of the promised land they
were very curious TO know what kind of
a place it was and whether it would be
,
sent out to reconnoiter. and they exam
inc the land. and they come back bring
ing specimens of its growth.
Just as you came back from Califor-
mia. bringing to your family IL basket OF
pears or plu1ns or apples TO show what
monstrous fruit they have there. SO this
scouting party cut off the biggest bunch
of grapes they could find 1t WAS so
,.
and they thrust IL pole through the clls-
ter, and there was one man 1t either end
of the pole and so the bunch of grapes
was transported.
was some time ago in :. lu1Uriant
vineyard. The vine dresser had done his
work The vine had clalniSerecl up and
spread it's wealth all over the Gr.or. The
sun and shower had mixed IL cup which
the vine drank until with flashed cheek
it lay slumbering IL the light, cluster
against the check of cluster The rinds
of TIE cranes seemed almost bursting
with the Juice in the warm lips of the
autumnal day. and it seemed rs if all
you had IL do was TO lift Il chalice
toward the cluster and lis Iifeblood
would begin to Grip away. But, my
friends. IN these rigorous c6;oes we know
nothing about large grapes
Starbo states that in Bible times and
in Bible lands there were grapevineS so
large that It took two men with out
stretched arms to reach round them, and
he says there were clusters ? cubits in
length. CT twice the length from the ell
bow to the tip of the long finger. And
Achaieus. dwelling in those lands, tells
us that during the time he Was snlitten
with fever one :r-;.re would Stake his
thirst for the whole day. No wonder,
then. il: these Bible times two 1ncn
thought it worth their while 20 put their
strength together to carry down one
cluster Of grapes from the promised
land.
THE DIvTr,E IDEA
But this morning bring you Il larger
cluster from the heavenly Eschol-;. clus-
ter of hopes. Il cluster of prospects, L clus-
ter of Christian c0nsols,t: ons. and | am
expecting that one taste of it viii ro1So
up your appetite for the heavenly Ca
naan. During the past winter SONIC of
this congregation have gone away never
to return The aged have put down
their staff and taken mp the sc~i.tc-.
Men in Llidlifc came lGluc from o3--cu CT
shop and did not go hack a.: nd
never will go b2c.- ;:.,sain- And tin lear
children. some Of them. have been 2,:tll
cred IN Christ's arms Ee found this
world too rough Il place for then. sad
so he has gathered them in. and, oh.
how many wounded SOILS there arc
wounds for which this world offers no
medicament-and unless from the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ there shall
come consolation there viii be no con-
ISOLATION at ell. Oh. that the God of all
comfort would help me while l preach
and that the God Of all comfort would
help you while you hear.
First. | console you with the divirely
sanctioned idea that yoUr departed
friends are as much yours now rs 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 no
longer yours. but the desire to have all
our loved ones in the same lot in the
cemetery is a natural desire, d universal
desire and therefore God implanted
desire and is mighty suggestive of the
fact that death has no power to break
up the family relations.
If our loved ones go away from our
possession, why put FENCE around
our lot in the cemetery? Why the
gathering of four or five names on
one family monument? Why the plant
ing of one cypress vine SO that it covers
all the cluster of graves? Why put
the husband beside the wife and the
children at their feet? Why the bolt on
the gate of our lot, and the charge to
the keepers of the ground to see that the
grass Is cut and the vine attended to and
the flowers planted? Why not put our
departed friends in one common field and