Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-05-08

reaches or apricots. The c0arSer fruits are
planted In the orchard. or they are set out
on the sunny hillside. but thu choicest fruits
are kept in the garden. SO In the world out
eide the church Christ has planted a great
many beautiful things-patience, charity,
generosity, integrity-but He intends the
choicest fruits 20 be IN the garden, and II
they are not there, then shame on the
church,
Religion is not a mere sentimentAlity. II
a a practical, life giving. healthful fruit
not poses. but apples. "Oh, says some
body, II don't sea what your garden Of the
church has welded" / reply I ask where
did your asylums come from, and your hos
piiRls, and your Institutions OF mercy7
Christ planted every one OF them. he plant
Ell them in His garden. When Christ gave
sight TO Bartimeus, He laid the cornerstone
20 every blind asylum that has ever been
built. When Christ s0Othed the demoniAo
OF Galilee, He laid the cornerstone OF every
lunatic asylum that has ever been estab-
lshed. When Christ said TO the sick mani
HTake IN thy bed and walk" He laid the
cornerstone Of every hospital the world has
ever seen. When Christ said: 81 was In
prison and we visited Me, )" He laid the cor
nerstOne OF every prison reform association
that has ever been organized. The church
OF Christ IS a GLORIOUS garden, aud Il Is tull
Of fruit.
| know there is some poor fruit in It. l
know there are some weeds that ought 70 be
thrown over the fence. / know there are
some crab apple trees that ought 10 be cut
down. 1 know there are some Wild grapes
that ought to be uprOote1. but are You going
TO destroy the whole garden because OF a
little gnarled fruit2 You will find worm
eaten leaves ia Fontainebeau and insects
that sting in the fairy groves Of the Champs
Eysees. You do not tear down and destroy
the whole garden because there are lew
specimens OF gnarled fruit. / admit there
are men and women in the church VINO
ought not TO be there, but let US be just as
frank and admit the fact that there are hun
dreds and thousands and tens OF thousands
OF glorious Christian men and women--holy,
blessed, useful, consecrated and triumphant
There is no grander, nobler collection in all
the earth than the collection Of Christians.
There are Christian men in this house
whose religion IL not a matter OF psalm sing
ing and church going. Tomorrow morning
that religion will keep them just as consis-
tent and consecrated in their worldly occu-
patton as il ever kept them at the COM
munion table. There ere women here to-
day OF higher type Of character than Mary
of Bethany. They not only sit at the feet OF
Christ, but they 90 out into the kitchen TO
help Martha in her work that she may sit
there too. There is woman who has
faith and patience aud courage that Ridley
In the fire. He was consumed in twenty
minutes. Hers has been twenty years
martyrdom. Yonder is o man who has been
fifteen wears on his back, unable to feed him
self, yet calm and peaceful as though he lay
on one OF the green banks Of heaven, watch
ing the oarsmen dip their paddle in the crys-
tai river! Why, it seems to me this moment
as il st. Paul threw to us q pomoogist's
. aafoIpg,1p ~ tina fruit5 prnuipu In this praar
garden Of Christ-lOve, joy, peace, patience,
charity, brotherly kindness, gentleness,
mercy, glorious fruit, enough to fill all the
/ baskets OF earth and heaven.
Again, the church In my text is APP
proprlately called a garden because ii is
thoroughly irrigated. No garden could
prosper long without plenty OF water. |
have seen a garden in the midst Of desert,
yet blooming and luXuriant. All around us
were dearth and barrenness, but there
were pipes, aqueducts. reaching from this
garden up to the mountains, and through
those aqueducts the water came streaming
down and tossing up into beautiful toun-
tains until every root and leaf and flower
was saturated. That is like the church.
The church is a garden in the midst Of a
great desert of sin and suffering, but It Is
well irrigated, for tour eyes are unto the
hills from whence cometh our help" From
the mountains OF Gods strength there flow
down rivers Of gladness. "Ihere is a 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 slake the
thirst, water to wash the unclean, water
tossed high up in the light OF the Son Of
Righteous, showing US the rainbow around
the throne. Oh, was there ever garden so
thoroushlN irrigated You Anuw thot tho
beauty OF Versailles and ChatsWorth 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 potent with an Englishman as an Ameri-
can got In, and then the gardener went far
up above the stairs of stone and turned on
the water. l saw 1t cleaning on the dry
pavement coming down from step to step I'M
til it came so near l could hear the musical
rush and all over the high, broad stairs il
came foamng, flashing roaring down. I'M
til sunlight and wave in gleesome wrestle
tumbled at my feet. 80 1t is with the church
Of God. Everything comes from above
pardon from above, Joy from above, adoption
from above, qualification from above.
Hark? l hear the latch of the garden gate,
and l look to see.who is coming. 1hear the
voice of Christ, II am come into My gar
den." | say: "Come in, o Jesus! We have
paths. Look at the flowers, look at the
fruit; pluck that which Thou wilt for Thy
self. 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 Take
courage little longer. and / will steady thy
lettering steps, and l will soothe thy trou.
bles and give thee rest. Courage, old man"
Then Christ goes up another garden path,
| and Hn n n Gpnl in trOiIlla and
"Peace All is 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-
bed spirit!'
Then see Jesus going up another garden
path, and | see great excitement among the
leaves. and hasten up that garden path to
see what Jesus is doing there and lol He is
breaking of flowers sharp and clean from
the stem, and say, "StOp, Jesus; don't kill
those beautiful flowers" He turns to me
and says: ~ have come into Ny garden to
gather lilies, and | mean to take these up to
II higher terrace, for the garden around My
palace and there will plant them, and In
better soil aud 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 right to do what
He will with it, Thy will be done" the
hardest prayer ever man made.
y Ii has seemed as il Jesus Christ took the
boot, FROM sAN.aS ef ssAt4~ hAnsAhal5s %ha
best one is gone. You know that she was
too good for this world; she was the gen-
tleat in her ways, the deepest In her affec
tons, and when at last the sickness came
you had no faith In medicines. You knew
that the hour of parting had come. and when
through the rich grace of the Lord Jesu:
Christ. you surrendered that treasure you
said "Lord Jesus. take it. 1t is the bes
we have; take It. Thou art worthyw The
others In the household may have been OF
grosser mold. She was of the finest.
| Tho hnnr-nr, ~ nrn,r littIn anna will not hn