Connecticut western news., 1897-11-18

St. John saw two rows of trees on each side of river, and it differed from oth- CT orchards in the fact that the trees bore 12 manner of fruits. The learned translators of our common Bible say it means l2 different kinds of fruits in one year. Albert Barnes says it means 12 crops of tue same kind Of fruit in one year. Not able to decide which is the more accurate translation, adopt both. If it mean l2 different kinds of fruit, it declares variety in heavenly joy. If it means l2 crops of the same kind of fruit it declares abundance in heavenly joy, and they are both true.
 Variety? Oh, yesl Not an eternity with nothing but music; that oratorio would be too protracted. Not an eternity of procession on white horses; that would be too long in the stirrups. Not an eternity of watching the river; that would be too much of the picturesque. Not an eternity of plucking fruits from the tree of life; that would be too much of the heavenly orchard. But all man. ner of varieties, and I will tell you of at least 12 of those varieties: Joy of di- vine worship, joy over the victories of the Lamb who was slain, joy over the repentant sinners, joy of accounting our own rescue, joy of embracing old friends, joy at recognition of patriarchs, apostles, evangelists and martyrs, joy of ringing harmonies, joy of reknitting broken friendships. joy at the explanation of Proyidentiai mysteries, joy at walking the boulevards of gold, joy at looking at walls green with emerald and blue with sapphire and crimson with jasper and aflash with amethyst, entered through swinging gates, their posts, their hinges and their panels of richest pearl; joy that there is to be no subsi- dence, no reaction, no terminus to the felicity. All that makes 12 different joys l2 manner of fruits. So much for variety. But if you take the other inter- pretation and say it means l2 crops a year 1 am with you still, for that means abundance. That will be the first place we ever got into where there is enough of everything, enough of health, enough of light, enough of supernal association, enough of love, enough of knowledge, enough of joy. The orchards of this lower world put out all their energies for few days in autumn, and then, having yielded one crop, their banners ef foliage are dropped out of tho air, and all their beauty is adjourned until the blossoming of the next May time
 But 12 crops in the heavenly orchard during that which on earth we call a year mean abundance perpetually.
 The Heavenly Orchard.
 While there is enough of the pomp of
 he city about heaven for those who like the city best, I thank God there is enough in the Bible about country scen- cry in heaven to please those of us who were born in the country and never got over it. Now you may have streets of gold in heaven. Give me the orchards with 12 manner of fruits and yielding
 their fruit every month, and the leaves
 of the trees are for "the healing of the nations, and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants
 shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in theil foreheads, and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither
 light of the sun, for the Lord God giv-
 eth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever" But just think of 8
 place 20 brilliant that the monday SUI
 shall be removed from the mantle oi
 the sky because it is too feeble taper. Yet most of all am I impressed with the fact that I am not yet fit for that place, nor you either. By the recon structing and sanctifying grace of Christ we need to be made all over. And lei us be getting our passports ready if VI want to get into that country. An earth ly passport is personal matter, telling our height, our girth, the color of oul hair, our features, our complexion anG our age. l cannot get into foreigr port on your passport, nor can you gel
 in on mine. Each one of us for himselt needs divine signature, written by tn, wounded hand of the Son of God, tt get into the heavenly orchard, under thu laden branches of which, in Gods goot time, we may meet the Adam of tn, first orchard and the Solomon of tn, second orchard, and the St. John of tn, last orchard, to sit down under the tre, of which the church in the book O Canticles speaks when it says: "As tn, l apple tree among the trees of the wood so is my beloved among the sons. I sa l down under his shadow with great de light, and his fruit was sweet to m.
 taste," and there it may be found tha 1 today we learned the danger of hanker | ing after one thing more, and that re | hgion is a luxury, and that there is
 divine antidote for all poisons, and tha
 we had created in us an appetite fo heaven, and that it was a wholesom l and saving thing for us to have dis
 coursed on the pomology of the Bible 1 or God among the orchards.