Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-11-20
FRUIT IN THE BIBLE.
REV. Or. rALMAeE ON GOD IN MA
TURE.

REV. Or. rALMAeE ON GOD IN MA
TURE.
The Orchards OF Adam. of Solomon. of
plate and of St. John-Tho Pomology
of the Bible-The Country Versus tho
City.
copyright. 1897. by American Press Asso-
lation.
WASHINGTON, Nov. l4.-Dr. Talmage
finds the divine hand III all tho domin-
ions of the natural world, and this ser
mon presents religion in its most radi-
ant attractiveness. The text is Genesis
i, IL, 1.-The fruit tree yielding fruit aft
er his kind. -
1t is "Wednesday morning in paradise.
The birds did not sing their opening
piece, nor the fish take their first swim
until the following Friday The solar
and lunar lights did not break through
the thick, chaotic fog of the world 8
manufacture until Thursday Before
that there was light, but it was electric
light OF phosphorescent light, not the
light of sun OF moon But the botanic
al and genealogical productions came on
Wednesday-tirst tho flowers and then
the fruits. The veil of fog is lifted, and
there stand the orchards. Watch the
sudden maturity of the fruit In our
time pear trees must have two years be-
fore they bear fruit, and peach trees
three years, and apple trees five years,
but here instantly complete orchard
springs into life. all the branches bear
ing fruit. The insectile forces. which
have been doing their worst to destroy
the fruits for 5000 years, had not yet
begun their invasion The curculio had
not yet stung the plum, nor the cater
pillar hurt the apple. nor had the phyl-
loxera plague. which has devastated the
vineyards of America and France, as
sailed the grapes. nor the borer perforat-
ed the wood nor the aphidcs ruined the
cherry, nor the grub punctured the nee
tarine, nor the blight struck the pear.
There stood the first orchard, with Il
perfection OF rind, and an exquisitcness
of color, and lusciousness of taste
and an affluence of production which it
may take thousands of years more Of
study of the science of fruits to repro
duce.
The Orchards.
Why was the orchard created two
days before the fish and birds and three
days before the cattle? Among other
things. to impress the world with les
son it is too stupid to learn-that fruit
diet is healthier than meat diet, and
that the former must precede the latter.
The reason there are in the world SO
many Of the imbruted and sensual is
that they have not improved by the
mighty. unnoticed fact that the or
chards of paradise preceded the herds
and aviaries and fish ponds Oh, those
fruit bearing trees on the banks of the
Euphrates and the Gihon and the Hid
dekel l wonder not that the ancient
Romans, ignorant Of our God, adored
Pomona. the goddess of fruits, and that
all the sylvan deities were said to wor-
ship her, and that groves were set apart
as her temples. You have thanked God
for bread thousand times. Have you
thanked him for the fruits which he
made the first course of food in the menu
of the worlds table? The acids of those
fruits to keep the worlds table from be-
ing insipid, and their sweets to keep 1t
from being too sour?
At this autumnal season how the or
chards breathe and glow. the leaves re-
moved, that the crimson, or pink. or
saffron, or the yellow, or brown may
the better appear, while the aromatics
fiji the air with invitation and reminis-
cence. AS you pass through the orchard
on these autumnal days and look up
through the arms of the trees laden with
fruit you hear humping on the ground
that which is fully ripe, and, throwing
your arms around the trunk, you give a
shake that sends down shower of gold
and fire on all sides Of you. Pile up in
baskets and barrels and bins and on
shelves and tables the divine supply
But these orchards have been under the
assault of at least 80 centuries-the
storm, the droughts, the winters, the
insectivora What must the first orchard
have beenf And yet it is the explorer S
evidence that on the site of that orchard
there is not an apricot, or an apple. or
an olive-nothing but desert and desc
latioD There is not enough to forage
the explorers horse. much less to feed
his own hunger In other words, that
first orchard is lost orchard How did
the proprietor and the proprietress OF
ali that INSTRUMENTATION OF fruitage
let the rich splendor slip their posses
sion2 1t was as now most OF the Or
chards are lost-namely, by wanting
more Access they had to all the fig
trees, apricots. walnuts. almonds, ap-
ples-bushels on bushels-and were for
hidden the use of only one tree IN the
orchard. Not satisfied with all but one,
they reached for that and lost the whole
orchard.
Go right down through the business
marts of the great cities and find among
the weighers and clerks and subordl-
mates men who once commanded the
commercial world They had whole
orchard of successes, but they wanted
lust one more thing-one more house OF
one more country seat or one more store
or one more railroad or one more million.
They clutched for that and lost all they
had gained For one more tree they lost
a whole orchard There are business
men ali around us worried nearly to
death. The doctor tells them they ought
to stop Insomnia or indigestion or ach-
ing at the base of the brain or ungovern-
able nerves tell them they ought to stop
They really have enough for themselves
and their families. Talk with them
about their overwork and urge more
onA thnU