Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-04-27
= communion table Thcro are

| Character than Mary CT Bethany. They
net c1ly sit at the feet CT Christ, but
| they rs cut into the kitchen to help
| Martha in her work that she may sit
| there too There is a woman who has a
dr11nI,ard husband who has exhibited
mere faith and patience and courage
than Ridley in the fire. He was con-
sumed in 20 minutes. Hers has been a
30 years martyrdom. Yonder is a man
who has been 10 years on his back, I'M
able to feed himself, yet calm and
peaceful as though he lay on one Of the
green banks of heaven, watching the
oarsmen dip their paddle in the crystal
river! Why, it seems to me this moment
as if St. Paul threw to us pomologist's
catalogue of tie fruits growing in this
great garden Of Christ-love, ioy. peace,
patience, charity, brotherly kindness,
gentleness, mercy, glorious fruit, enough
to fill all the baskets Of earth and heav-
en-.
Well Irrigated.
Again, the church in my text is ap-
propriately called garden because it is
thoroughly irrigated. No garden could
prosper long without plenty of water I
have seen a garden in the midst Of q
desert, yet blooming and luxuriant All
around us were dearth and barrenness
but there were pipes, aqueducts, reach
ing from this garden up to the noun
tains, and through those aquoducts 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 a great desert
of sin and suffering, but it is well irri
gated, for "our eyes are unto the hills
from whence cometh our help From
the mountains Of Gods strength there
flow down 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. The
Bible is another. Baptism and the Lords
supper are aqueducts Water to Stake
the thirst, 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 a garden so thoroughly irri-
gated! You know that the beauty Of
Versailles and Chatsworth depends very
much upon the great supply of water. I
came to the latter place, ChatSwOrth,
one day when strangers are not to be adj
mitted, but by an inducement which
always seemed as potent with an Eng
lishman as an American / got in, and
then the gardener went far up above the
stairs Of stCne and turned On the water.
I saw it cleaning on the dry pavement
coming down from step to step until it
came SO near I could hear the musical
rush and all over the high, broad stairs
it came foaming, flashing, roaring down,
until sunlight and wave in gleesome
wrestle tumbled at my feet. So it is
with tho church of God Everything
comes from above-pardon from above,
joy from above, adoption from above,
sanctification from above.
Hark! l hear the latch of the garden
gate, and I look to see who is coming.
hear the voice of Christ, ct am como
into my garden. - 1 say: "Come in, G
jesus We have been waiting for thee.
Walk all through the paths. Look at
the flowers, look at the fruit; pluck that
which thou wilt for myself . Jesua
comes into the garden and up to thGt
old man and touches him, and says:
almost home, father; not many moro
aches for thee. I will never leave thee.
Take courage little longer, and [ VIII
steady thy lettering 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 soul in trouble and says: 'Peace!
All is we'll I 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 troubled spirit!''
Plucking the Flowers.
Then l see Jesus going up anot. e1
garden path, and I see great excitement
among the leaves, and I hasten up that
garden path to see what Jesus is doing
there, and 10! he is breaking off fiowC2s
sharp and clean from the stem, and
say. ''Stop, Jesus; don t kill those beau
tiful flowers - He turns to me and says:
81 have come into my garden to gather
lilies, and I mean to take these up to
higher terrace, for the garden around
my palace, and there will plant them,
and in better soil and in better air they
shall put forth brighter leaves and sweet
er 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 donep' the hardest
prayer ever man made.
It has seemed as if Jesus Christ took
the best; from many of your households
the best one is gone. You know that she
was too good for this world; she was
the gentlest in her ways, the deepest in
her affections, and when at last the sick-
ness came you had no faith in medicines.
You knew that the hour of parting had
come, and when, through the rich grace
Il ]