The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-07-12

| thoroughly irrigated. No garden could
prosper long without plenty of water. I
bave seen garden in the midst of Il
dese!t, yet blooming and luxuriant. All
around WAS dearth and barrenuess, but
therc wero pipcs, aqueducts reaching
from this garden up to tho mountains,
aud through these aqueducts tho water
came streaming down and tossing up
into beautiful fountains until every root
and leaf and flower was saturated. That
is liko Tho church. Tho church is gar.
den in iho midst of q great desert of sin
and suffering. IL ID vol irrigated, for
"our eyes are onto tho hills, lSom
whence cOMeth our help" From Tho
mountains of Gods strength there flow
down rivers of gladness. There is q
river the stream whoroof shall make glad
tho city Of our God. Preaching the gos--
pei ls one OF these aqueducts, Tho BIZ
bio ls another. Baptism and the Lords
supper aro aqueducts, Water TO slake
tho thirst, water 10 restore tho faint,
water to wash the unclean, water tossed
high up in the light of the sun of right
eousuess showing us the rainbow around
the throne. On, was there ever garden
80 thoroughly irrigated? You know tho
beauty Of Versailles and hatsWorth
depends very much on the great supply
Of water. came 10 the latter place
(Chatsworth) one day when strangers
arc not TO be admitted, but by On in
ducement, which always seened as ap-
pllcable TO OIL Englishman 10 au Amer
lean, l got in, and then tho gardener
went far up above tho stairs ofstone and
turned on tho water. I saw it cleaning
on the dry pavement coming down
from step to step; until 1t came SO near
l could hear the musical rush, and all
over the high, broad stairs it came
roaming, flashing, roaring down until
sunlight and wave In gleesome wrestle
tumbled at my feet. So 1t is with the
church of God. Everything comes from
above--pardon from above, JOY from
above, adoption from above, sanctilica-
tion 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 Jour places to be "Elims,"
with IL wells Of water and threescore
and ten palm trees.
Lark, l hear the latch at the garden
gate, and I look to see who is comingl
l hear the voice of Christ, "I am come
Jesus; we have been waiting for thee
Walk all through these paths. Look at
the flowers look at the fruit. Pluck
that which thou viii! for thyseIf." "
Jesus comes into the garden and up to
| that old man and touches him and
says: almost home, father. Not many
more aches for thee. will never leave
thee. l will never forsake thee. Take
courage little longer, ard L will
stand thy tottering steps, and 1 will
soothe thy troubles and give thee rest.
Courage, old man." Then Christ goes
up another garden path, and he
peace; all Is well. have seen thy
tears: have heerd thy prayer. The
sun shall not smite the by day, nor the
preserve thee N from "a all ''Vev evil. "'nia IIo
will preserve thy soul. Courage, O
troubled spirit" Then | see Jesus
going up another garden path, and
see great excitement among the leaves,
and hasten up that garden path to SEQ
what Jesus Is doing there, and. 10, he is
breaking off flowers, sharp and clean,
from the steam, and l say, stop, don't
kill those beautiful flowers" He turns
garden to gather lilies, and | mean to
take these up to higher terrace and
for the garden around my palace, and
there / will plant them and in better
air. They shall put forth brighter
leaves and sweeter redolence, and no
frost shall touch them forever" And
| 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 done"-the hardest prayer q
man ever made.
notice that the fine gardens some.
times have high fences around them,
n ID On NDit 1n
kings garden. The only glimpses you
over get Of such garden Is when the
king rides out In his splendid carriage.
1t is not so with this garden the kings
garden. L throw wide open the gate
and tell you all to como In. No mon
opoly In religion. Whosoever will, may
choose now between n desert and Il
garden. Many of you have tried the
garden of this worlds delight. You
have found IL has been a chagrin. So it
was with Theodore Hook. He made
all the world laugh. lie makes us
laugh now when we read his poems,
laugh. While in the midet of his fest
ivities, no confronted q looking glass,
and he saw himself and said: "There,
that is true. look just as tam, done
up In body, mind and purse So it was
with Shenstone, of whose garden l told
you at the beginning of my sermon.
lie sat down amid those bowers and
said: al have lost my road to happiness
am angry and envious and frantic ana
despise everything around me, just as
1t becomes a madman to do" On, ye
weary souls, come into Christ's garden
today and pluck a little heartseasel
Christ Is the only rest and the
pardon for perturbed spirit
Do you not think your chance
has almost Gomez You men and wo.
men VINO have been waiting year and
after year for some good opportunity
In which to accept Christ, but have
postponed it 5, 10, 20, 30 years, do you
not feel rs 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
savedp 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
1noDar and that ono hoat ooI,I6 MT