Connecticut western news., 1897-11-18
ry day, ana in 20 years you will have ,ada BOO popv,la hapryv lika what

ety day, ana in 20 years you will have made ', 300 people happy l like what Wellington said after the battle of Wa terloo, and when he was in pursuit of the French with his advance guard, and Colonel Harvey said to him, General. you had better not go any farther, for you may be shot at by some straggler from the bushes" And Wellington re- piled: "Let them fire away. The battle is won and my life is of no value now. My friends, we ought never to be reck- less, but if through the pardoning and rescuing grace of Christ, you have gain ed the victory over sin and death and hell you need fear nothing on the earth or under the earth. Let all the sharp shooters of perdition blaze away. You may ride on in joy triumphant. Reli- zion for the funeral Oh, yes, but re- ligion for the wedding breakfast, re- ligion for the brightest spring morning and autumn's most gorgeous sunset. Religion for the day when the stocks are up just as much as when stocks are down. Religion when respiration is easy as we'll as for tho last gasp; when the temperature is normal as well as when it reaches 104.
 It may be bold thing to say, but l risk it, that if all people, without re- spect to belief or character, at death passed into everlasting happiness, re. ligion for this world is such luxury that no man or woman could afford to do without it. Why was it that in the parable of the prodigal son the finger ring was ordered put upon the returned wanderers hand before the shoes were ordered for his tired feet? Are not shoes more important for our comfort than finger rings? Oh, yes but it was to im- press the world with the fact that reli- zion is luxury as well as a necessity. ''Put ring on his hand and shoes on his feet" If in sermonio or exhortatory or social recommendations of religion we put the chief emphasis on the fact that for our safety we must have it when the door of the next world is opened, poor human nature will take the risk and say, 1T will wait until the door begins to open. But show them the radiant truth, that the table of Gods love and pardon is now laid with all the fruits which the orchards of Gods love and pardon and helpfulness can supply, and they will come in and sit down with all the other banqueters, terrestrial and celestial. Oh, fetch on the citrons, and the apples, and the walnuts, and the pomegranates of Solo mons orchard.
 In Pilates Orehhrd.
 But having introduced you to Adam s orchard and carried you awhile through Solomon's orchard, 1 want to take a walk with you through Pilate's orchard of three trees cn hill 70 feet high, ten minutes' walk from the gate of Jerusa- lem. After had read that our great grandfather and great grandmother had been driven out of the first orchard, made up my mind that the Lord would not be defeated in that way. 1 said to myself that when they had been poi soned by the fruit of that one tree, some where, somehow, there would be pro- vided an anti0ote for the poison. l said: Where is the other tree that will undo the work of that tree? Where is the other orchard that will repair the dam age received in the first orchard?h And I read on until found the orchard and its center tree as mighty for cure as this one had been for ruin, and as the one tree ill Adams orchard had its branches laden with the red fruit of carnage, and the pale fruit of suffering, and the spot ted fruit of decay, and the bitter fruit of disappointment, found in Pilate' s oracnrd tree which, though stripped of all its leaves and struck through by an iron bolt xs long as your arm, never theless bore the richest fruit that was ever gathered. Like the trees of the first orchard, this wss planted, blossomed and bore fruit all in one day.
 Paul was impulsiye sRd vehement of | nature, and he laid hold of that tree with both arms and shook it till the ground all rocnd looked like an orchard the morning after an autumnal equinox, and, careful lest he step on some of the fruit, gathered up basketful of it for the Galatians, crying out, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gent1enese, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. The other two trees of Pilates orchard were loaded, the one with the hard fruits of obduraoy and She other with the tender fruit of repentance, but the center tree Chow | will I ever forget the day l sat on the exact place where it was planted(-ths | center tree of that orchard yields the | antidote for the poisoned nations There I is in old England the hollow of tree where king hid. and there is in New l England tree in which a document oi national importance was kept inyiolate, ] and there have bean trees of great girth | and immense shade and vast wealth oi
 fruitage, but no other tree had such
 value of reminiscence, or depth of root,
 or spread of branch, or infinitude o1
 fruitage as the center tree of Pilates
 orchard. Before I pass this day from
 under it would like to drop on both
 knees and with both hands outspread
 and uplifted toward the heavens cry out { with all the nations of earth and heav
 en: "I believe in God, the Father Al | mighty, Maker of heaven and earth
 and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, ou,
 Lord, who was conceived by the Holy
 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffer
 ed under PontiuS Pilate, was crucified
 dead and buried. He descended int<
 hell. The third day he rose from tht
 dead. He ascended into heaven and sit
 teth on the right hand of God the Fla
 ther Almighty. From thence he shal
 come to judge the quick and the dead. , | Et. Johns Orchard.
 ! Now, in this discourse of the pomolo ey of the Bible, or God amid the or
 chards, having shown you Adams or
 chard and Solomon's orchard and Pi
 late's orchard, I now take you into St
 Johns orchard, and I will stop there
 for having seen that you will want t'
 see nothing more. St. John himself
 having seen that orchard, discharged
 whole yolley of Come! Comei Come
 and then pronounced the benediction
 "Ths grace of our Lord Jesus Christ b
 with you all. Amen." Then the ban
 ished evangelist closes the book, ant
 the Bible is done. The dear old bool
 opened with Adams orchard and close