St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-10-25

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your soul not recognize its obligation
to God to bear fruit in its turn?
The very passion Of vegetation al
about us, from the rare plants of tn
garden to the weeds that grow every
where, is one of Fruit Bearing. Ny
mower during the summer has KEEP
my lawn clipped close and the occa
sional plantain has had hard exist
ence, but I noticed that the more
cropped them, the closer they pressed
to the ground, and although the leave:
were SCARED and small, the stalks o:
seed were vigorous and well developed
and seemed instinctively to hug thu
ground to escape the cutting knives
of the mower. Over in the corner o.
the yard where the mower did Xo'
reach was a plant with large ane
spreading leaves, and high rearing
stalks of seeds, the natural healthy
attitude of the plant. But the plantair
in the grass plot threatened by the
mower bent every energy and every
ingenuity to the maturing OF its seeds
The passion ruling the hidden life OF
that plant was Fruit Bearing. Every
energy went to the accomplishment
of this supreme ambition. The NOV.
ing impulse of its life was that it
might bear fruit and thus perpetuatc
it's species.
The ruling passion of the human life
should be Fruit Bearing in Christ, for
which it was created, and without
which the soul dies alone, having moth
ing wherewith it's life can be perpetu'
ated beyond the grave. In connection
with this thought may be quoted the
words of Christ:
Except corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it abideth alone;
but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit" The germ of life in the corn
is impatient until it is set free in the
spreading roots, growing stalk and
ripening ear. It's Fruit Bearing per-
petuates it's life. It finds new and
fuller life in the fruit which is the
reward of its service. And no less is
the necessity and obligation of Fruit
Bearing resting upon you, for ''herein
is My Father glorified that ye bear
much fruit. so shall We by My disci-
pies" Fruit Bearing is test of dis
cipleship, and fruitless life reveals
the fact that we are not abiding in the
vine, Notwithstanding lip profession,
but are branches destined to be cut
away and cast into the fire.
Conditions of Fruit Bearing.-You
are to bear fruit, but not the fruit
which is grown apart from the Vine
in the life of the unregenerate man
"As the branch cannot bear fruit OF
itself, except it abide in the vine; no
more can We, except ye abide in Me-
Here is the secret of Fruit Bearing:
the kind of Fruit Bearing which is able
to satisfy God. Apart from the True
Vine you may be able to grow fruits
of character and life which will de-
ceive the world. but you cannot deceive
God, and the false fruit will be cast
out with the severed branch which
gave it birth and both will be burned
If you would bear fruit you must
abide in the Vine.
But how to become part of the Vine
is of first Importance. No one by Ma.
ture is part of the True Vine, but we
may be grated therein. This process
is realized at conversion. Faith in
Jesus Christ as the only begotten Sor
of God and the Saviour of the world
brings us into the vital relationship
to the True Vine which enables us
to bear fruit to the satisfying, OF, as
our text puts it, to the clarifying, OF
God. The figure of the vine and the
branch shows how close and vital is
the relationship which is sustained be.
tween Christ and those who have beer
sleansed in His precious blood and
have been born new creatures in Him
In fact, as Mr.. Moody used to say:
"God has made no provision in the
Bible for isolation. Scripture expires
sions all show a contrary state Of
things: We are branches in the vine
members in the body, stones in the
temple, brothers and sisters in thu
family, bearing close relation to each
other. We have first to look up ane
realize our relation to God; and the1
to learn the various relationships we
have to our neighbors. All are in thei1
different inches, filling the place Goo
has given them; and we must desire
not only to serve God, but by love t.
serve one another"
The condition of vital Importance te
Fruit Bearing is abiding in the Vine
The bearing of fruit follows as most
inevitable result. If the life of Christ
the Vine, is flowing through us, the
branches, it will be as natural for us tt
bear fruit as for the rain to fall from
the overshadowing cloud upon the
earth. AS the sap responds to tn,
wooing of springtime, and comes
coursing through the channels ant
ducts of the parent trunk and sends
the throb of awakening life to the
outermost branches, so the life OF
Christ, the True Vine, flows to the
branches which abide in Him, and they
feel the electric thrill of that life which
is unending. The sap in the natura
vine serves three-fold purpose, ever
as does the life of Jesus Christ as il
flows through the believer: First, il
keeps the branch in a healthy condi
ton; second, it helps it to grow, an6
third, it compels Fruit Bearing.
A healthy branch must be fed by
the life of the vine. If anything oc
ours to disturb the normal condition
of the vine, and restrict the flow OF
sap to the branch, an enfeebled con.
dition ensues, growth is stopped
and Fruit Bearing made impossible
Make ligature around the branch
Of vine, cutting of part Of the
life-giving, growth-feeding sap, and
see how long your branch will re,
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