The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-07-18

fifteen years on his back, unable even to
feed himself, yet calm and peaceful as
though he lay on one of the green banks Of
heaven watching the oarsmen dip their pad
dies in the crystal riverI Why, 1t seems to
me this moment as il Paul threw to us
pomologist's catalogue of the fruits grow.
ing in this great garden Of Christ-love. Joy,
peace, patience, charity. brotherly kindness,
gentleness, mercy-glorious fruit. enough to
1ll all the baskets OF earth and heaven.
have not told you Of the better tree In
this garden and of the better fruit. 1t was
planted just outside Jerusalem coed while
ago. When that tree was planted, tt WAS so
split and bruised and barked men said moth
ing would ever grow upon it, but no sooner
had that tree been planted than It budded
and blossomed and fruited, and the soldiers
spears were only the clubs that struck down
that fruit, and it fell into the lap Of the ma
tions, and men began to pick 1t up and 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 a staff between them. If the one apple
in Eden killed the race this one cluster OF
mercy shall restore.
Again, the church, in my text, Is appro-
priately called garden because 1t is thor.
ouyhly irrigated. No garden could prosper
long without plenty OF water. 1 have seen
garden IN the midst Of desert, yet bloom
Ing and luxuriant. "a around were dearth
and barrenness, but rnere 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 and
leaf and flower was saturated. That is like
the church. The church Is garden in the
midst OF great desert Of sin and suffering.
It Is we'll irrigated, for "our eyes are unto
the hills, from whence cometh our he 10. -"
From the mountains of Gods strength there
flow down rivers Of gladness. There Is
a 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 and the Lords supper
are aqueducts. Water to slnke the thirst,
water to restore the faint, water to wash the
unclean, water tossed high up in the light OF
the sun OF righteousness, showing us the
RAINBOW around the throne. Oh, was there
ever garden 80 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 by an inducement. which
always seemed as applicable to on English.
man as an American, I got In, and then the
gardener went far up above the stairs OF
stone and turned on the water. T saw 1t
cleaning on the dry pavement, coming
down from step to step, until 1t came so near
I could hear the musical rush, and all over
the high, broad stairs 1t came foamipg flash
ing, 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, sanctiflcation
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
threescore and ten palm trees.
Hark! hear the latch at the garden gate,
and look to see who is coming. hear the
voice Of Christ, 'I am come into My gar
den." Isay: "Come in, Jesus we have
been waiting for Thee. Walk all through
these paths. LOOK nt 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 more
aches for thee. will never leave thee.
7 will never forsake thee. Take courage
a little longer, and will steady thy
tottering steps. and I will soothe thy
troubles and give thee rest. Courage, old
man." Then Christ goes up another garden
path, and He comes to q soul in trouble and
tears T 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, o troubled spirit" Then see
Jesus going up another garden path. and
7 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 stem, and say, 'Stop, Jesus. don't
kill those beautiful flowers" He turns
to me and says 81 have come into NY gar
den to gather lilies, and I mean to take these
up to high terrace, and for the garIen
around My palace, and there I will plant
them, and in better soil, and in better air.
They shall put forth brighter leaves and
them forever" And looked up into His
face and said, "Well, it Is His garden. and He
has a right 10 do what He will with it. Thy
will be done''-the hardest prayer man
ever made.
notice that the fine gardens sometimes
have high fences around them, and I 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. It Is not go with this garden-the
Kings garden. throw wide open the gate
and tell you all 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 worlds
delight. You have found 1t has been cha
grin. So 1t was with Theodore Hook. He
made allthe 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
q lookingglass, and he saw himself and said:
''There. that is true. lookup just rs I am
was with Shemstone, of whose garden I told
at the beginning of my sermon. He sat
down amid those bowers and said: 81 have
lost my road to happiness. I am angry and
enyious and frantic and despise everything
around me, just as 1t becomes mad
man to do" Oh, ye weary souls, come
into Christ's garden to-day and
pluck little henrtsease! Christ is the only
rest and the only pardon for IL pertlrbed
spirit. Do you not think your chance has
almost come? You men and wo men who
have been waiting year after year for some
good opportunity in which to accept Christ,
put nave postpoue IL D, IL, ~, oo ontS, Wv
you not feel rs 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 1t be saved2
T feel rs if salvation must come now to some
Of your nearts.
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 the one boat could not take
the passengers very swiftly. little girl
stood ON the deck Whiting for her turn