The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-07-11
are not tc be admitted, but by an in
y,oer,oDI ,-binn oln-oCc oannncJ oc on,

pllcable to an Eogishman as au Amer
lean, got in, and then the gardener
went far up above the stairs ofstone anC
turned on the water. I saw it cleaning
on tie dry pavement coming dowr
from step to step; until it came SO near
| could hear the musical rush, and al
over the high, broad stairs it came
foaming, flashing, roaring down unit
sunlight and wave in gleeS0me WreStle
tumbled at my feet. So it is with the
church of Gcd. Everything comes from
above-pardon from above, Joy from
| above, adoption from above, sanctltica
ton from above. Oh, that now Goo
would turn on the waters Of salvation
that they might flow down through his
| heritage and that this day we might
each find our places to be "Elims,
with y wells OF water and threesc0rs
and ten palm trees.
Hark, | hear the latch at the garden
gate, ana | look to see who is coming
| Thear the voice Of Christ, Il am come
into my gardem.' say: "Come in, q
Jesus; we have been waiting for thee
Walk all through these paths. Look at
the nowers. look at the fruit. Pluck
that which thou viii for thyself. .
Jesus comes into the garden ard up to
that old man aud touches him and
saws: "Almost home, father. Not many
more aches for thee. / Will never leave
thee. I will never forSake thee. Take
courage a little longer, ard l will
stand 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 a soul in trouble and says:
"Peace; all is well, l have seen thy
tears. have heerd thy prayer. The
sun shal! not smite the by day, nor the
moon by night. The Lord shall
preserve thee from all evil. He
will preserve thy soul. Courage, o
troubled spirit" Then l see Jesus
going up another garden path, and |
see great excitement among the leaves,
and | hasten up that garden path to see
what Jesus is doing there, and. 10, he is
breaking off flowers, sharp and clean,
from the steam, and l say, stop, ion't
kill those beautiful flowers" He turns
to me and says: 81 have come into my
garden to gather lilies, and l mean to
take these up to higher terrace and
for the garden around my palace, aud
there l will plant them and in better
air. They shall put forth brighter
leaves and sweeter redolence, and nc
frost shall touch them forever" And
l looked up into his face and said
"Well, it is his garden, and he has a
right to do what he will with it. Thy
Will be 0one"-the hardest prayer a
man ever made.
l notice that the fine gardens some.
times have high fences around snem,
and l cannot get in. 1t is so with the
kings garden. The only glimpses you
ever get of such garden is when the
king rides out in his splendid carriage.
1t is not so with this garden the kings
garden. throw wide open the gate
and tell you all to come in. No mon
opoly in religion. WhosoeVer will, may
choose now between a desert and a
garden. Many of you have tried the
garden of this worlds delight. You
have found it has been a chagrin. So 1t
was with Theodore Hook. He made
all the world laugh. He makes us
laugh now when we read his poems,
but he could not make his own heart
laugh. While in the midet of his fest.
iYities, he confronted looking glass,
and he saw himself and said: There,
that's true. look just as l am, done
up in body, mind and purse" So it was
with Shenstone, of whose garden | told
you at the beginning of my sermon.
He sat down amid those bowers and
said: Il have lost my road to happiness
| am angry and enYious and frantic ana
despise everything around me, just as
it becomes a madman to do" On, ye
weary souls, come into Christ's garden
today and pluck a little heartsease!
Christ is the only rest and the
pardon for perturbed spirit.
Do you not think your chance
has almost come? You men and wo.
men VINO have been waiting year ana
after year for some good opportunity
in which to accept Christ, but have
postponed it 5, 10, 20, 80 years, do you
not feel as if now your hour of deliver
ance and salvation had come? Oh, man,
what grudge hast thou against thy
poor soul that thou wilt not let it be
saved? 1 feel as If salvation must come
now to some of your hearts.
Some years ago vessel struck on the
rocks. They had only one lifeboat. In
that lifeboat the passengers and crew
were getting ashore. The vessel had
foundered and was sinking deeper, and
deeper, and that one boat could not
take the passengers very swiftly. A
little girl stood on the deck, waiting
for her turn to get into the boat. The
boat came and Went-came and went
but her turn did not seem to come.
After awhile she could wait no longer,
and she leaped on the taffrail and then
sprang into the sea, crying t. the boat
man: "Save me next! Save me neXt!'
Oh, how many have gone ashore into
Coos mercy, and yet you are clinging
to the wreck of sin Others have accept
ed the pardon of Christ, but you are in
peril. Why not this morning make a
rush for your immortal rescue, crying
until Jesus shall hear you and heaven
and earth ring with the cry: "Save me
next" Save me next
COmDletely ExonersCsd.