The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-12-10
GOD AMONG ORCHARDS.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage on the
Pomology Of the Bible.
Adams Orchard, solomon's Orchard, ri.
iste's Orchard and that Of 1t. John
Presented-Adsms and Ewes
Of the Present Day.

ioaio"'hk autunnat sermon b
Rev. 1. Witt Talmage presents tn
religion of the Bible in its mos, a,
tractive form. 1t is based on the text
TIL fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind
Genesis a. :.
1t is Wednesday morning IN Para
disc. The birds did not sing tbei
opening piece, nor the fish take thei
first swim until the following Friday
The solar and lunar lights did no
break through the thick. chaotic TO,
OF the worlds manufacture unit
Thursday. Before that there wa
light, but it was electric light or phos
phorescent light, not the light of su,
or moon. But the botanical and pomo
logical productions came on Wednes
day-first the flowers, and then TIL,
fruits. The vail of fog is lifted
and there stand the orchards
Watch the sudden maturity o.
the fruit! In IL time pea,
trees must have two years before they
bear fruit, and peach trees three years
aud apple trees five years; but here,
instantly, a complete orchard springs
into life, all the branches bearing
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
caterpillar hurt the apple, no had the
phylioxera plague. which has devas-
tated the vineyards of America and
France. ~assailed the grapes, nor the
borer perforated the wood, nor the
aplldes ruined the cherry, nor the
grub punctured the nectarine, nor the
blight struck the pear. There stood
the first orchard, with a perfection OF
rind. and exquisiteness of color, and a
lu~sciousness Of taste, and an ai1l uence
of production which it may take thou
sands OF years more Of study OF the
science of fruits to reproduce.
Why was the orchard created two
days before the fish and birds, aud
three days before the cattle? Among
other things, to impress the world
"'oti iNoSph " Ia wv Stuplu VI lthfI--
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 hare not improved
by the mighty, unnoticed fact that the
orchards of paradise preceded the
herds. and aviaries, and fish ponds.
On, those fruit bearing trees on the
banks of the Euphrates and the Gihon
and the Hiddekell | wonder not that
the ancient Romans, ignorant of our
God, adored Pomona, the Goddess of
and that all the sylvan deities
said to worship her. and that
groves were set apart as her temples.
You have thanked God for bread IL
times. Have you thanked
Him for the fruits which He made the
first curse of food in the menu of the
table? The acids of those fruits
keep the worlds table from being
and their sweets to keep it
from being sour?
At this %autunnal season how the
orchards breathe and glow, the leaves
'emoved. that the crimson, or pink, or
or the yellow, or brown may
he better appear, while the aromatics
ill the air with invitation and remi-
absences. As you pass through the
on these autumnal days and
ook up through the arms OF the trees
alden with fruit, you hear humping
N the ground that which Is fully ripe,
nd, throwing your arms around the
runk, you give a shake that sends
|own q shower Of gold and fire on all
ldes of you. Pile up in baskets and
and bins, and on shelves and
the divine supply. But these
richards have been under the assault
at least 60 centuries the storm. the
roughts, the winters, the insect
gora. What must the first orchard
ave been? And yet is the ex-
evidence that on the site
+ that orchard there is not an apricot,
+ an apple, or an olive--nothing but
esert and desolation. There is not
nough TO forage the explorers horse.
less to feed his W hunger. In
Their words, that first orchard is a lost
richard. How did the proprietor and +,
proprietress of all that intercolum- ,
iation of fruitage let the rich splen- {
or slip their possession? 1t was as ;
ow most of the orchards are lost; I
amcly, by wanting more Access G
icy had to all the Zig trees, apricots, +
alnuts, almonds, apples-bushels on q
hshels-and were forbidden the use of 1
lly IL tree In the orchard. Not ,
with all but one, they reached |
n that and lost the whole or |
lard. Go right down through the a
isiness marts of the great cities and II
I'D among the weighers and clerks a
I'd subordinates, men who once COM
anded the commercial world. They I
I'd a whole orchard of successes, but O
ey wanted just one more thing, one $
ore house, or n more country seat, n
one more store, or one more rail- t
ad. or n o million. They d
for that and lost all they c
lined. For n more tree they lost q O
hole orchard. There are business q
IN all around us worried nearly to q
attn. The doctor tells them Il
ey ought to stop. Insom. v
0 or indigestion or aching at q
base of the brain or I'M Il
vernable nerves tell them they ought a,
stop. They really have enough for "
emselves and their families. Talk I,
tn them about their overwork, and h
&c more prudence and longer rest, IN
d they say: Yes, you are right; a,
ter ! have accomplished one more OF
ing that l have on my mind, l will 81
nd over my business to my sons and Fl
to Europe, and quit the kind Of ex- O,
usting life l have been living for the Fl
i 80 years Some morning you open d.
paper, and. looking At the death b,
lumn, you find he suddenly departed e
Is life. In trying to win just one Il
IRE tree he lost the whole orchard. b
! Ou see what an exnensiyo thinO Il ~