Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-11-24


itor that he might announce name.
from eagle TO bat, and from lion 10
mole, SO | suppose theirs were in para
disc specimens of every kind of fruit
tree. And an that enormous orchard
there were not only enough OF the
original family of two, but enough
fruit fell ripe TO the ground, and was
never picked mp. TO supply whole towns
and villages. il they had existed. But
the infatuated couple turned away
from all these other trees and faced
this tree; and fruit of that they will
have though il cost them all paradise.
The story of Eden is re jected by some
as an improbability. n not an impoSsi-
bility; but nothing on earth is easier
for me to believe than the truth OF this
Edenic story, for have seen the same
thing in this year of our Lord 1897.
could call them by name, IL it were
polite and righteous TO do so, the men
who have sacrificed IA paradise on earth
and a paradise in Heaven for one sin.
Their home went. Their library went
Their good name went Their field
of usefulness went Their health
went Their immortal soul went.
My friends. there Is Just one
sin that will turn you out of paradise
il you do not quit IL You know what
it is, and God knows, and you had bet
ter drop the hand and arm lifted to-
ward that bending bough before YOU
pluck Your own ruin. When Adam
stood upon tiptoc and took in his right
hand that one round peach, or apricot,
or apple, Satan reached up and pulled
down the round. beautiful world of
our present residence. Ovcrworl<cd
artist overwrOught merchant, ambi-
tious politician, avaricious spcculator,
better take Nhat warming from Adams
orchard and stop before you put out
for that one thing more.
But / turn from Adams orchard TO
Solomon's orchard With his own
hand be writes: Il made me gardens
and orchards. Not depending on the
natural fall of rain, lac irrigated those
orchards. Pieces of the aqueduct that
watercd those gardens have seen. and
the reservoirs are as perfect as when
thousands OF years ago the masons
trowcl smoothcd the mortar over their
gray surfaces. No orchard OF oldcn
or modern time probably ever had its
thirst So well slallcd The largest of
these reservoir, is 5S2 feet long, 2O7
feet wide and 50 feet deep. These
reservoirs solomon refers TO when he
says: Il made me pools of water. TO
water herewith the wood that
/ br.ngeth forth trees" Solomon
used 10 ride out TO that
orchard before breakfast II gave
him an appetite and something to think
| about all tho day. Ioscphus. the his
| torian, represents him as going out
early in the morning from Jerusalem
10 the famed rocks of Etam, fertile
! region. delightful with paradises and
running springs. Thithcr the king. in
robes of white, rode in his chariot, cs-
cortcd 10y a troop OF mounted archers
I chosen for their youth and stature,
and clad i'm Tyrian purple whose long
| hair, powdered with gold dust.
| spur6lcd i'm the sun" After Solo
/ mon had taken his morning ride in
/ these luNuriant orchards he would sit
/ down and write those wonderful things
/ i'm the Bible. drawing his ilustra-
/ tions from the fruit, he had that very
morning plucllcd or ridden under. And
/ wishing to praise the coming Christ he
| says: AS the apple tree among the
| trees OF the wood. so is my beloved. "
| And wishing 10 dcscril, the love of
| the church for her Lord, he writes:
Comfort me with apples FOR / am sick
| of love. nc desiring 10 make reference
| 10 the white hair of the octogcnarian,
and just before having noticed that the
! blossoms Of the almond tree were
/ white nc says of the aged man: THE
almond tree shall flourish" The wal
nuts and the pomcgranatcs, and the
mandrakcs. and the figs make Solo
mons writings a divinely arranged
/ fruit basket.
What mean Solomon's orchards and
| Solomon's gardens? for they seem TO
minEle, the two into one, flowers un-
der foot and pOmcgranates over
| head. TO me they suggest that reli-
| gion is a luxury. III along the world
has looked upon religion chiefly as a
dire necessity lifeboat from the
| shipwreck a ladder from the conha-
grafton. soft landing place after we
| have been showed off the precipice Of
| this planet. Asa consequence so many
| have said: I'VE will await prcpara-
ton for the future until the crash Of
| the shipwrccl,. until the conhagration
| is in full blaze, until we reach the
brinl, Of the prccipicc."
No doubt religion is iucxprcssiblv
| important for the last exigcncy. But
/ what do the apples and the figs and the
melons. and the pomcgranatcs and the
/ citrons and the olives Of solomon
orchard mean? Luxury! They mean
that our religion is the luscious the
aromatic. the punEent, the abOrescent.
/ the sfilorcsccnt, the foliagcd. the UNI
| brageous. They mean what Edward
/ Payson meant when he decided: III my
| happiness continues TO increase / can
not support il much longer" II means
what Bahia Padmanji, "A Hindoo con-
vert. meant when he said: II long for
my bed, not that / may sleep lie
awake often and long-but 10 hold
communication with my God" 1t means
what the old colOred man said when
he was accosted by the colportcur.
"t nclc. how are you?" II is very
painful i'm my knee, but. thank my
/ Heavenly Master, I'm caused 20 be
thankful My good Master just rib
me nuf 60 make me humble" And
do YOU enjoy religion as much now.
Uncle Jack, as when you could go 60
church and class meetings?' Eyes.