The Tupelo journal., 1902-09-19
satisfied with the good things which

ABOUT us, from the rare plants OF the
garden to the weeds that grow every
where, is one of Fruit Bearing. My
mower during the summer has kept
my lawn clipped close and the occa-
sional p1antain has had a hard exist
ence, but l noticed that the more I
cropped them, the closer they pressed
to the ground, and although the leaves
were SCARED and small, the stalks of
seed were vigorous and well developed,
and seemed ~instinctively to hug the
ground to escape the cutting knives
of the mower. Over in the corner of
the yard where the mower did not
reach was a plant with large and
spreading leaves, and high rearing
stalks of seeds, the natural healthy
attitude of the plant. But the plantain
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 O
ing impulse of its life was that it
I1lSlU DtdI IIu1U anu UIuS Z IDCbudtC
its 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 a 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 its life. 1t finds a new and
fuller life in the fruit which is the
reward of it's service. And no less is
the necessity and obligation of Fruit
Bearing resting upon you, for "herein
is Ny Father glorified that We bear
much fruit. so shall we by My disci-
pies" Fruit Bearing is a test of dis
cipleship. and a fruitless life reveals
the fact hat we are not abiding in the
vine, Notwithstanding lip profession,
but are branches destined to be cut
away and east 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 ye, except We 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 n 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 Son
of God and the Saviour of the world
brings us into the vital relationship
to bear fruit to the satisfying, or, 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 been
,leansed 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 express
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 the
family, bearing a close relation to each
other. We have first to look up and
realize our relation to God; and then
to learn the various relationships we
have to our neighbors. All are in their
different inches, filling the place God
has given them; and we must desire,
not only to serve God, but by love to
serve one another"
The condition of vital importance to
Fruit Bearing is abiding in the Vine.
The bearing of fruit follows as a most
inevitable result. If the life of Christ,
the Vine, is flowing through US, the
branches, it will be as natural for us to
bear fruit as for the rain to fall from
the overshadowing cloud upon the
earth. AS the sap responds to the
wooing of springtime, and comes
coursing through the channels and
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 natural
vine serves a three-fold purpose, even
as does the life of Jesus Christ as il
flows through the believer: First, it
keeps the branch in a healthy condi-
ton; second, it helps it to grow, and
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 a ligature around the branch
of a vine, cutting off a part of the
life-giving, growth-feeding sap, and
see how long your branch will re-
main healthy. The fresh green of
k4ba foliaua will Ciconnoor 4bo bo,I.