Connecticut western news., 1896-04-30

die, it is martyrdom. You find a great many roses in the gardens, but only a few "Giants of Battle" Men say, Why don't you have more of them in the church?" I say, Why don't you have in the world more Humboldts and Wellingtons" God gives to some ten talents; to another, one.
 In this garden of the church which Christ has planted I also find the snow- drops, beautiful, but cold looking. seem- ingly another phase of winter. mean those Christians who are precise in their tastes, unimpassioned, pure as snow drops and as cold. They never shed any tears; they never get excited; they never say anything rashly; they never do any thing precipitately. Their pulses never futter; their nerves never twitch; their indignation never boils over They live longer than most people, but their life is in minor key. They never run up to c above the staff. In their music of life they have no staccato passages Christ planted them in the church, and they must be of some service or they would not be there-snowdrops, always snow drops
 But have not told you of the most beautiful flower of all this garden spoken of in the text. If you see century plant, your emotions are startled. You say, "Why, this flower has been 100 years gathering up for one bloom, and it will be 100 years more before other petals will come out" But have to tell you 1R %Aa% all eternity, and that l, 900 years ago put forth its bloom never to wither. It is the passion plant of the crossl Prophets foretold it, Bethlehem shepherds looked upon it in the bud, the rocks shook at it's bursting, and the dead got up in their winding sheets to see its full bloom. It is crimson flower-blood at the roots, blood on the branches, blood on all the leaves. Its perfume is to fill all the nations. Its breath is heaven. Come, O winds from the north, and winds from the south, and winds from the east, and winds from the west, and bear to all the earth the sweet smelling savor of Christ, my Lordi
 His worth if all the nations knew,
 Sure the whole earth would love him too.
 Choice Fruits.
 Again, the church may be appropriate ly compared to garden because it is g place of fruits. That would be a strange garden which had in it no berries, no plums or peaches or apricots. The coarser fruits are planted in the orchard, or they are set out on the sunny hillside, but the choicest fruits are kept in the gar den. So in the world outside the church Christ has planted a great many beauti- ful thines-patience, charity, generosity, integrity-but he intends the choicest fruits to be in the garden, and if they are not there, then shame on the church.
 Religion is not mere sentimentality. It is a practical, life giving, healthful fruit-not posies, but apples. "Oh, " says somebody, "I don't see what your garden of the church has yielded 1" In reply I ask where did your asylums come from, and your hospitals. and your institutions of mercyf Christ planted every one of them. He planted them in his garden. When Christ gave sight to Bartimeus, he laid the cornerstone to every blind asylum that has ever been built. When Christ soothed the demoni- ac of Galilee, he laid the cornerstone of every lunatic asylum that has ever been established When Christ said to the sick man, "Take up thy bed and walk, '' he laid the cornerstone of every hospital the world has ever seen. When Christ said, 1T was in prison and ye visited me," he laid the cornerstone of every prison reform association that has ever been organized. The church of Christ is a glorious garden, and it is full of fruit.
 know there is some poor fruit in it. I know there are some weeds that ought to be thrown over the fence. I know there are some crab apple trees that ought to be cut down. I know there are some wild grapes that ought to be up. rooted, but are you going to destroy the whole garden because of a little gnarled fruit? You will find worm eaten leaves in Fontainebleau and insects that sting il the fairy groves of the Champs Elysees, You do not tear down and destroy the whole garden because there are few specimens of gnarled fruit I admi, there are men and women in the church who ought not to be there, but let us be just as frank and admit the fact that there are hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of glorious Christian men and women-holy, blessed, useful. consecrated and triumphant There i; no grander, nobler collection in all tho earth than the collection of Christians
 There are Christian men in this house whose religion is not a matter of psalm singing and church going. Tomorrow morning that religion will keep them just as consistent and consecrated il their worldly occupation as it ever kept them at the communion table. There arr women here today of higher type O. character than Mary of Bethany. They not only sit at the feet of Christ, bu they go out into the kitchen to hell there too. There is woman who has { drunkard husband who has exhibited more faith and patience and courag than Ridley in the fire. He was con stunned in 90 minutes. Hers has been 20 years martyrdom. Wonder is a mal who has been 15 years on his back, un 
 able to feed himself, yet calm ant peaceful as though he lay on one of tn green banks of heaven, watching tn oarsmen dip their paddle in the crysta river Why, it seems to me this momen as if St. Paul threw to us a pomologist' catalogue of the fruits growing in thi great garden of Christ-love, joy, peace patience, charity, brotherly kindness gentleness, mercy, glorious fruit, enougl to fill all the baskets of earth and heav en-
 We'll Irrigated.
 Again, the church in my text is ap propriately called garden because it thoroughly irrigated. No garden coul prosper long without plenty of water.
 have seen garden in the midst of desert, yet blooming and luxuriant. Al around us were dearth and barrenness but there were pipes aqueducts, reach ing from this garden up to the noun