The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-09-08

timentality. IL is a practical. lif.
giving, healthful fruit not posies, but
apples.
'Oh," says somebody. II don't see
what your garden OF the church Ia,
yieldedi" Where did your asylum,
come from? And your hospitals
And your institutions of mercy:
Christ planted every one of them;
He planted them in His garden. When
Christ gave sight TO Bartimeus, He
laid the cornerstone OF every blind
asylum that has ever been built
When Christ soothed the demoniac
of Galilee, He laid the cornerstone OF
every lunatic asylum that has ever
been established. When Christ said
to the sick man: Take up thy bed
and walk He laid the cornerstone
of every hospital the world has ever
seen. When Christ said: II was in
prison and ye visited me-" He laid the
cornerstone OF every prison reform
association that has ever been or
ganized. The church Of Christ is a
glorious garden. and il is full of fruit.
] know there is some poor fruit in II.
j know there are some weeds that
ought to be thrown over the fence.
] know there are some crap apple
trees that ought to be cut down,
know there are some wild grapes that
ought TO be uprooted, but are YOU
going To- destroy the whole garden
because OF n little gnarled fruit I?
You will find worm eaten leaves in
Fontainebleau and insects that sting
in the fairy groves OF the Champs
Elysees. You do not tear down and
destroy the whole garden because
there are few specimens of gnarled
fruit.
! admit there are men and women
in the church who ought not to he
there, but let US he just as frank and
Admit the fact that there are hun
dreds and thousands and tens OF thou
sands of glorious Christian men and
women holy. blessed useful. conse-
Grated and triumphant. There is no
grander collection in all the earth
than the collection OF Christians.
There are Christian men in every
church whose religion is not mat.
ter Of psalm singing and church CO.
ing. Tomorrow morning that reli-
gion will keep them just as consist
rnt and conSecrated in their worldly
occupation as j, ever kept them n
the communion table There are
women with US to-day Of higher
type Of character than Mary OF Beth
any They not only sit at the feet
OF Christ. but they go out into the
kitchen To help Martha in her work.
that she may sit there. too. There
is woman who has a drunken hns-
band who has exhibited more faith
and patience and courage than Rid
ley in the fire. lie was consumed in
90 minutes. Hers has been a 2A-years'
martyrdom. Wonder is man who
has been Is years on his back. unable
10 feed himself. yet calm and peace
full as though he lay on one Of the
green banks of Heaven. watching the
oarsmen dip their paddles in the crys-
tai river! Why. il seems 10 me this
moment as II ST. Paul threw 10 us
a pomologist'S catalogue Of the fruits
growing in this great garden Of
Christ-love, joy peace patience.
character, broth"rly kindness. gentle
ness. mercy: glorious fruit, enough 10
fill all the baskets Of earth ana
Heaven.
| have not told you Of the better
tree in this garden and Of The better
fruit. 1, was planted just outside
Jerusalem a good while ago When
-ha- 'ree was planted. il was 80 split
--3 bruised and barlcd men said
nothing would ever grow upon 1t. but
- sooner had that Tree been planted
ma. !; padded and blossomed and
'r-i'eo. and he soldiers spears were
H1. r H. clubs that struck down that
fru5t and il fell into the lap Of the
aa'iOns and men began 20 pick il UP
ana "a u. and they found in Il an
auiidpre 70 all thirst. 20 all poison.
10 al sin. 20 az death: the smallest
cluster larger Than the famous one
Of Eshcol. which Two men carried on
a stan between them II the one
apple in Eden. killed the race. this one
cluster Of mercy shall restore
Again. the church in nv text IS
appropriately called garden because
il Is thoroughly irrigated No gar
den could prosper long without plen-
~ Of water. ] have seen garden
in the midst Of desert, yet bloom
ing and .luNuriant. All around was
dearth and barrenneSs. but there
were pipes. aqueducts, reaching from
this garden up to the mountains,
! and through these aqueducts the wa
ter came nling down and toss
ing up into beautiful fountains until
every root and leaf and flower was
| saturated. That is like the church.
| The church is n garden in the midst
of great desert Of sin and suffering.
but il is well irrigated. for 'our eyes
are unto the hills from whence COM
eth our help" From the mountains
Of Gods strength there flow down
rivers Of gladness. There is river
the stream whereof shall make glad
the city Of our God" Preaching the
Gospel is one of the aqueducis. The
Bible is another. Baptism and the
Lords Supper are agueducts. Water
| TO Stake the thirst. water 10 wash the