The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-23

1s- ANQELEs, co.. september 16.-

inc HtHNbii vi lltt ahb4NhSAAhH ~
fruits, brings to us breath of the Vine
yards, The text Is Cantloles L, 6. But
mine own vineyard have not kept"
Yes, I have seen neglected vineyard.
No man can fully understand what my
text means unless he has roamed through
one and has seen the rabbits scurry
through the weeds two feet high, and has
lifted up the long, unpruned vines. heavy
laden with undeveloped grapes, immature
through lack Of care, and has seen how
the suckers have shot out from under the
crowns as vipers sapplng away the
strength of the vines and yet, as a rule,
bearing no fruit. Yes, have been through
such a vineyard. l have wandered through
one, accompanied by an old vine grower.
I have seen him pathetically lift up vine
after vine, as a physician might look at
the gangrened limb of little child, which
decomposition has been caused by the mall
practice Of an ignorant doctor, and have
heard him say "Shamel shamel 1t is n
perfect shame to let this vineyard go to
waste. Why, even after this neglect,
there are at least sixty pounds of good
grapes upon that one vine alone. Shame,
shame, to destroy such a vineyard as this
growing upon such rich soil" Thus we
went through acres upon acres of these
neglected vines.
Perhaps you would like to know how we
came to sec this fine vineyard going to
waste. l had turned my steps homewar4,
Ny summer vacation in Southern Califor-
mia was about ended. The duties of a
blIEV M a 80 I,oo 40
the city. With a companion was taking
a short cut through one of the very rare
~ travelled canyons, when suddenly, as
night overlook us, we came upon a de-
serted farm. or ranch. 1t was in one of
the garden spots Of the world For nearly
twenty years its owner had lived there,
battling against consumption. A few
months before we arrived the end had
come, and his paln-raeked body was
placed In the dust from whence 1t came.
For some years before he died all his
energies We're evidently exhausted In a
physical struggle for mere existence.
There were the broad fields stretching
away, practically uncultivated There
we're the beautiful trees near to his ranch
home just as nature had grown them.
There were the deserted rooms of his
dwelling, with one OF the walls fallen in
upon his empty bed. The beo-s and week
ly periodicals were still Ing around.
There were even some of = cancelled
checks lying upon the floor. There was L
farm, or ranch, of 500 acres. 30 of which
were tllable, with their orchards and
fields and vineyards, but with no hand to
care for them. The doves, the quails, tho
rabbits, the bees, were everywhere hold
ing high carnival. As we lay for few
nights under those trees, we could hear
ha ~1s al ~ ha fo<x -
barks and the coyotes yells as they were
starting out to hunt their prey! 1t was q
beautiful, but a sad, sad place. For this
place. like Victors Hugo's Notre Dame had
a spirit. We could see moving everywhere
the frail. sick form of the late owner,
who, on account of his physical ailments.
had been compelled to neglect those fields
and orchards and vineyards.
Neglected Vineyard.
There might have been some excuse for
the sick man who owned this neglected
vineyard of which ! have spoken to have
neglected his vineyard, but there is no ex-
cuse for us to neglect our spiritual vine
yards, as the author of Canticles declares
the church of God has been doing. Now,
as we all, each fall, delight to eat the rich,
luscious grapes which are placed upon our
dining room tables, I thought this morn
ing l would draw my sermonic illustra-
tions from the vineyard industries of the
world. My comparison will not be found
in the grapevines which some Of us raise
In our country homes, where we build a
little arbor in our back yards and there
allow few vines to grow over 1t, under
which we flee to escape the intense heat
of the mdnoon sun But / will draw my
illustrations from the grape industries OF
Southern California and the Holy Land,
where grape growing Is a business upon
an enlarged scale, and where the vines,
laid out in long rows s by or by 10,
stretch themselves over hundreds and
sometimes over thousands upon thou
sands of acres, as the cornhelds spread
themselves over the prairies Of Kansas or
the wheat fields grow In the Dakotas.
Many of the oriental cities like Samaria
were nothing more or less than great cen
ters for this grape industry. The plains of
Abel Keramin were sometimes called "the
Plains of Vineyards. The grapes of the
valley of Eshcol not only made their
vines Chamber over all the hillsides and
the lowlands between Hebron and Kadesh,
but those grapes were famous for their
size and sweetness as well as for their
quantity. Thus we have not only great
industry from which to draw our sermon
ic comparisons, but we also have tho
grapes, which formed one of the chief in
dustries of the Hebrew race. milne own
vineyard have l not kept" should offer a
vital theme for all Christians.
The words which introduce my text are;
MY mothers children are angry with
me. They made me keeper of the Vine
yards, but mine own vineyard have | not
kept" That is the word picture of son
who has been left the executor of his ia :
theirs estate. The last sickness has come.
The funeral is over. The will has been
read. The will goes something thuswse;
This is my last will and testament. If |
should be called suddenly away, | leave
all my vineyards to my children, share
and share alike But that these proper
ties may be made to pay their maximums,
leave my oldest son as the executor of
the whole estate. He is to prune the vine
yards and cultivate them and market the
fruit and divide the proceeds with the
other children until they become of age
and can care for their own" The eldest
son is conscientious. He takes care of the
vineyards of his brothers and sisters. Gull
tivating and pruning them. and brings
them to a high state of development. Each
of the vineyards goes out of his hands as
one brother or sister after another comes
of age. The eldest son then discovers that
while he was caring FOR those other vine-
yards his own vineyard has fallen into
ruin, The writer is describing the folly
of one-sided policy the neglect of one
duty to perform another; as the teacher,
so attentive to the progress of his own
pupils that he neglects his own develop
ment and falls behind his time. or the
preacher. intent on the welfare of his
flock, while his own sons, who had the
first claim on him. are neglected and go