Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-07-13

! There is woman who kas a drunken hus-
band, who has exhibited moro faith and
patience and courass than Hugh Lati-
mer in the fire. He was consumed in twenty
minutes. Hers has been twenty years
martyrdon. Yonier is man who has lain
! fifteen years on his back, unable oven to
feed himself, yet calm and peaceful as
though he lay on one of the green banks OF
! heaven watching the oarsmen dip their p;.d-
dies In the crystal river Why, it seems to
me this moment as if Paul threw to us
pomo!ogist's catalogue of the fruits grow
ing in this great garden of Christ-loye, JOY,
peace, patience, charity. brotherly Kindness,
gentleness, mercy-ylOrious fruit, enough TO
hll all the baskets of earth AMI heaven.
have not told you of the better tree in
this garden AMI 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 barked men said moth
Ing would ever grow upon it, bur no sooner
had that tree been planted than it bu1de1
and blossoned and frutted, and the soldiers
spears were only the clubs that struck down
that fruit and it fell into the lap Of the MI
tions, and mon began 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 cluster larger than the ia
nous one of Eshcol, which two men carried
on staff between th9n. If the one apple
in Eden killed the race this one cluster of
mercy shall restore.
Again, the church. in my tevt, IS appro-
priately called a garIen beclus3 it is thor
oughly irrigated. No garlen could prosper
long without plenty OF water. have seen I
garden in the midst of a desert, yet bloom
ing and luXuriant. All around were deartll
and barrenness, but there were pipes, aque-
ducts reaching from this garden up to the
mountains, and through those aqueducts the
water came streaming down and tossing up
into beautiful fountains until every root ami
leaf and flower was saturated. That is like
the church. The church is q garden in the
midst OF q great desert Of sin and suffering.
1t is we'll irrigated. for "our eyes are unto
the hills, from whence cOmeth our help. "
From the mountains Of Go IS strength there
flow down rivers OF gladnesS. There IS
river the stream whereof shall make
glad the city of our God. Preaching the
gospel is one of these aQueducts. The Bible
is another. Baptism AMI the Lords supper
are aqueducts. Water TO shake the thirst
water to restore the faint, water to wash the
unclean, water tosseI high up in tho light OF
the sun OF Righteousness. showing Us tho
rainbow around the throne. Oh, was there
ever garden so thoroughly irrigated? You
know the beauty of Versailles and Chats
worth 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 byan inducement which
always seemed as applicable to an English
man as an American, [ got in, and then the
gardener went far up above the stairs OF
stone and turned on the water. L saw it
cleaning on the dry pavement, coming
down from step to step until it came so near
could hear the musical rush, and all over
the high, broad stairs it came foaming, flash
ing, 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-pardon from above, Joy from
above, adoption from above, sancti1cation
from above. Oh, that now God 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 twelve wells of water and
threescore and ten palm trees.
Hark! hear the latch at the ga rden gate,
and look to see who is coming. I hear the
voice Of Christ. 81 am come into My gar
den. 1saY Come in, 0 Jesus We have
been waiting for Thee. Walk all through
these 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 moro
aches for thee. 1 will never leave thee.
l will never forsake thee. Take courage
little longer, and [ will steady thy
tottering steps. and 1 will soothe thy
troubles AMI give thee rest. Courage, old
man. Then Christ goes up another garden
path, and He comes to soul in trouble and
says: ''Pcace! ! all is well. 1 have seen thy
tears [ have heard thy prayer. The sun
shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon
by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil; He will preserve thy soul.
Courage, 0 troubled spirit" Then I SEQ
Jesus going up another garden path. aud
L see great excitement among the leaves,
AMI L hasten up that garden path to
see what Jesus is doing there, and 10
He is breaking off flowers, sharp and clean,
from the stem, and say, "Stop, Jesus, don't
kill those beautiful flowers" He turns
to me and says 81 have come into NV gar
den to gather lilies, and I mean to take these
up to a high terrace. and for the garden
around My palace, and there I will plant
them, and in better soil, and in better air
They shall put forth brighter leaves and
sWeeter redOience. and no frost shall touch
them forever" And I looked up into His
face and said, ''WeIl. it is His garden, and He
has a right to do what He will with it, Thy
will be done'-the hardest prayer man
ever made.
notice that the fine gardens sometimes
have nigh fences around them and cannot
get in. 1t is SO with the kings garden. The
only gimpSeS you ever get OF such garden
is when the king rides out In his splendid
carriage. 1t is not go with this garden-the
Kings garlen. throw wide open the gate
and tell you ali to come in. No monopoly
in religion. WhOsoever will, may. Choose
now between desert and garden. Many
of you have tried the garden Of this world 8
grin. SO 1t was with Theodore Hook He
made llthe world laugh. He makes US laugh
now when we read his poems, but he
could not make his own heart laugh. While
in the midst of his festivities he confronted
lookingglass, and he saw himself and said {.
''There. that is true. | look up Just as am
-done up in body, mind and purse" So 1t
was with Shemstone, Of whose garden told
at tho beginning of my sermon. He sat
down amid those bowers and said: 81 have
lost my road to happiness. am angry and
envious and frantic and despise everything
man to do" Oh, ye weary souls, come
into Chrlst's garden to-day and
pluck little heartsease! Christ is the only
rest and the only pardon for q perturbed
spirit. Do you not think your chance has
almost come? You men and women who
have been waiting year 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 pardon and salvation had come?
Oh man, what grudge hast thou against thy
poor soul that thou wilt not let it be saved?
[ feel us if salvation must come now to some
of your hearts.
Some years ago a 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 3inking deeper and
deeper, and the 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 an |
went - came AMI went but her turn
did not seem to come After awhile
she could wait no longer, and she leaped
on the taffrail AMI then sprang into the
sea, crying to the boatman: ''Saye me
next! Save me next! !" On, how manyhlye
gone as lore into Coils mercy, and yet you
are clingtnS to the wreck OF Gin! Others
nave accepted the pardon of Christ, but you
are in peril. Why not this morning make a
rush for your immortal rescue, crying until
Jesus shall near you AMI heaven ami earth
ring with the cry: Save me next! Saya
me nextI
New Gold Fields.
Quite a large number OF new gold fields
are being explored in California. and il is
predicted that there will be this Nenr q con-