The Newtown bee., 1903-09-11
HUNTINGTON.

HUNTINGTON.
 OLD HOME SUNDAY AT THE CONGREGA-
 TIONAL CHURCH.
 Rev w. L. Beard gave an excellent discouse in the Congregational church, Huntington, on Old Home Sunday. His text was from John 15: 1-16, and his theme, "Fruit-bearing." He said in substance: Reproduction, or fruit bearing, is the universal law in the natural world. This is the law as God made it in the first chapter of Genesis and we accept it and make our plans on the assumption that it will continue in vogue. Fruit bearing is also the universal law in the spiritual world. God has made the life and growth of His Church absolutely dependent on the fruit of the men and women who now compose the church. This makes the bearing of fruit in our spiritual lives duty, not something which we may do or not according to our inclina- tiOn. We know each other by the fruit which we are every day bringing forth. Unconsciously we are making our estimate of every one whom we meet, and we are doing this from the words we hear and the actions we see. We are each putting forth two kinds of fruit: First, that which is produced in our hearts, that which goes to make what we call characters; second, that which results from our influence on the lives of others. In the natural world a long time often intervenes be- tween the sowing and the reaping. So in spiritual fruit bearing we need pa tience. We are to supply the condi- tions that are to produce fruit. Then we must be willing for God to take His own time to bring the fruit to perfec- tion. The man who raises fruit looks for large quantity. So Christ says "Herein is my Father glorifed, that ye bear much fruit" In our fruit bear ing we must also take into account of the need of rest. This law of rest is universal in the natural world, it is all so law in the spiritual world. One may be so incorporate in his Christian work as to defeat the very end for which he is working. Then is the time for him to rest. As in the natur- al world cultivation is an important part of success in the raising of fruit, so in the spiritual realm cultivation is aCConfio1 Thorn Ic of cultivation: l. By daily prayer. ?. By daily study of the Bible. 3. By daily practicing Christian living. To live and produce fruit the branch must "abide' in the vine. In order to live and bear spiritual fruit we must abide in Christ. Our connection with Christ must be just as vital as is the conpec- tion of the branch with the vine. In Gal. 5: P, B, Paul enumerates the fruits which Christ would have us bring forth, 'love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithful ness, meekness, temperance. Fruit bearing is a natural process, even as the Christian life is the natural life for all men to live.
 Rev G. c. Sauer gave the following interesting address:
 "In coming to Huntington to-day l feel that l am coming home Not to the Old Home of my boyhOod, however; that lies among the hills of another state, beside a beautiful river No law e life with grip so profound, so potent, so permanent as that has and does; no other can ever be so truly homelike to me, or so beautifully adorned with in and without with the things that never die.
 It is another little boys home now, and those two who made it home fo1 me, now lie side by side, beneath the shade of stately elms, and not far from the murmuring river. And I am very glad indeed, to think that the 'Olo Home is another little boys home | now: that for another little boy it is the gate of Heaven, the place of happy laughter, plain fare and hard work anC in which broods the spirit of content ment and of prayer; that another bo, will have his soul awakened unde
 that dear roof, and find his Saviou
 there; and, from there, go out int the world to do a mans work with hi
 heart wide open to all the holy thing
 his mother loved.
 So, too in way, there will never b.
 another house, like this my Hunting
 ton home; for if m that other home,
 was dedicated to the Lord Jesus, thel
 here l was ordained to the Christian
 ministry, if there in that other hom l I first found Jesus Christ, then here, first began to preach the truth as it i in Him, that others might find Hir
 too. Terefore these two houses mus
 forever be linked together in my min and heart, and must forever have fo
 me, a peculiar preciousness. One 1 the place of life's dearest beginnings, of love and faith, of sorrow and prayer and of larger hope; the other is tn place where life's sweetest service bt gan.
 l At frequent intervals I have return