Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-05-06

l know there 1s some poor fruit In &. ]
6now there arc some weeds that ought to Be
thrown over the fonoe. know there are
some crab apple trees that ought to be cut
down. know there are some Wild grapes
that ought to b uprooted, but are you going
10 destroy the whole garden because OF .
little Rnaxied fruit7 You will nnd worm
Baten leaves in Ronfainebieau ana insects
that sting in the fairy groves OF the Champs
Elysees. You do not tear down and destroy
the whole garden because there are few
specimens Of gnaried fruit. I admit there
are men and women In the church who
ought not to be there, but let US be just rs
frank and admit the fact that there are hum
1reds and thousands and tens OF thousands
u glorious Christian men and women-hoIy,
blessed. useful, consecrated aud triumphant.
There is no grander, nobler collection in all
he earth than the collection of Christians.
There arc Christian men in this house
whose religion is not q matter of psalm sing
hat religion will keep them Just as consis-
ent and consecrated In their worldly Occu-
,ation as II ever kept them at the COM
nunion table. There are women here to-
lay of a higher type OF char ,cter than Mary
u Bethany. They not only sit at the feet OF
Christ, but they go out into the kitchen to
help Martha In her work that she may sit
here too. There Is a woman who has a
3runkard husband who has exhibited more
.aith and patience aud courage that Ridley
n the fire. He was consumed In twenty
minutes Hers has been a twenty years
nartyrdom. YOnder is a man who has been
fifteen years on his back. unablet to feed him.
self, yet calm and peaceful as though no lay
IN one of the green banks Of heaven, watch
ng the oarsmen dip their paddle in the crys-
al riverl Why, It seems to me this moment
Is II st. Paul threw to US a pomologist's
catalogue Of the fruits growing In this great
garden Of Christ-love, Joy, peace, patience,
| ,harity, brotheriy kindness, gentleness,
mercy, glorious fruit, enough to fill all the
baskets of earth aud heaven.
Again. the church in my text is ap
ropriately called q garden because 1t ia
prosper long without plenty of water. !
have seen a garden In the midst of desert,
yet blooming and luxuriant ALI around US
we're dearth and barrenness, but there
we're pipes, aqueducts. reaching from this
garden up to the mountains, and through
Town and tossing up into beautiful foun-
:ains, until every root ami leaf and flower
vas saturated. That Is like the church.
The church Is . garden In the midst of a
great desert Of sin and suffering, but It Is
veil irrigated. for "Our eyes are unto the
aills from whence cometh our help" From
he mountains Of Gods strength there fiow
iown rivers Of gladness. ''There is q river
the stream whereof shall make glad
the city OF our God" Preaching the
gospel is one of the aqueducts. Tho
Bible Is another. Baptism and the Lords
supper are aqueducts. Water to slake the
thirst, water to wash the unclean, water
tossed high up in the light Of the Bon Of
Righteous, showing us the rainbow around
the throne. Oh, was there ever garden so
thoroughly irrigated You know that the
beauty of Versailles and Chatsworth depends
very much upon the great supply Of water.
came to the latter place, OhaiswOrth, one
Jay when strangers are not to be admitted,
but by an inducement which always seemed
- potent with an Englfshman as an Ameri-
nan got In, and then the gardener went fal
up above the stairs Of stone and turned on
tho water. l saw II eieeming on the dry
pavement coming down from step to step un-
III II came 30 near could hear the musical
rush and all over the high, broad stairs Il
same foaming, flashing, roaring down, un-
III sunlight and wave in gleesome wrestle
tumbled at my feet. 80 II is with the church
pardon from above, joy from above, adoption
from above, santifcation from above.
Hark? Ihear the latch Of the garden gate,
and I look to see who Il coming. l hear the
soice Of Christ. II am come into Ny gar
den." say: "Come In, o Jesusl We have
paths. Look at the aOwera, look at the
fruit; pluck tnat which Thou wilt for Thy
self. Jesus comes into the gtrten and up
to that old man and touches him, and says:
almost home, father; not many more aches
tor thea. Will never leave thee. Take
courage little longer. and will steady thy
tottering steps, and will soothe thy trou.
blas and give thee rest. Courage. old man."
Then Christ goes up another garden path,
and He comes to . soul In trouble and Says
"Peace! All IL we'll 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, o trou.
bled spiritr'
Then ! see Jesus going up another gardoi
path, and see great oxcifenent among the
leaves, and hasten up that garden path to
.ee what Jesus 10 doing there, and l0i He Is
breaking on flowers shar.. and clean from
those beautiful nowers." He turns to me
and says: 81 have come into Nv garden to
gather lilies, and mean to take these up to
! higher terrace, for the gardea; around Ny
palace, and there I will plant them, and In
better soil and in better air they shall put
and no frost shall touch them forever" And
looked up into His face and said: swell. II
b His garden, and He has q right to do what
He will with 1t. Thy will be donel'' the
hardest prayer ever man made
= 1t has seemed as II Jesus Christ took tho
best; from many OF you. households the
best one Is gone. You know that she was
too good for this world; she was tae sea-
Hest in her ways, the deepest In her anec.
lions, and when ut last the sickness came
you had no faith in medicines. You knew
that the hour OF parting hal come. and whsr
through the rich grace OF the Lord Jesm
Christ, you surrendered that treasure yor
said. "Lord Jesus. take 1t. 1t is the hes
! "a have: take II. Thou art worthy" Tho
bthers in the household may have been OIL
Rrosser mold. She was OF the finest.
The heaven OF your little ones will not be
fairly begun until you get there. All the
4 kindness shown them BY immorfals will not
| make them forget you. There they are, the
radiant throngs that went out from your
homes. throw kiss to the sweet dariings
They are all we'll now in the lalace. The
crippled child has Q sound foot now. A lit
tie lame child says, "Ma. will be lame IN
/, hoaven?'' mo, my darling. you won't bt
: lame in heaven" A little sick child says
| INA. will I be sick in heaven2' "No, my
| dear, you won't be sick in heaven" A LITTLE
blind child says, ma. will be blind II
4. heaven7' ''No, my dear, you won't be biinf
| h heaven. They arc all we'll there"
notice that the lne gardens sometime'
have high fences around them and you can.
not get in. Il b 20 with . kings garden
The only glimpse you ever get Of such I
garden 4 when the king rides out In hil
naendid aeruaeA. 4 Il not ~ With TIL