Milford chronicle., 1906-09-21

spiritual vineyard. You have inner
tied his example of a Christian life
well lived. You have inherited the ex-
ample of the joy and peace which come
to a noble Christian man who, In every
word he speaks and in every deed he
does, speaks and lives for God. Am
wrong i'm declaring that the vineyards
which have come to you are inherited
vineyards? Your inherited spiritual
vineyards are as old as the prayers
your father made on the day he first
knelt at the communion Of the Lords
supper. They are as old as the pray
ers he made on the day he dedicated
you to God when you were baptized at
the church affairs. They are as old as
the prayers he made for you at the
family altar on the day you left the
old homestead. They are as old as the
blessing and benediction he gave when
he put his trembling hand upon your
head on the day he died, when he said,
"Nly boy, gave you to God when you
were born; give you to God now that
must leave you to stand before the
Judgment seat of Christ" Oh, my
friends, what a spiritual blessing has
been yours Your gospel vines were
not planted last week or last year.
You have an inherited gospel vineyard.
You have inherited those vineyards di-
rectly from your fathers and mothers
Christian lives and consecrated home.
You cannot if you would, and you
would not if you could, get away from
this vital, spiritual, life giving doc
trine.
We do not inherit our gospel vines
alone. We also inherit a vast acreage
of rich, uncultivated soil. upon which |
we should plant new vineyards and !
enlarge our grape producing regions. |
In other words, no child has a right |
to be content with the work which his
fOrefathers accomplished. Each new !
generation has greater opportunities |
for doing good than had the genera
tions which preceded it. Therefore it !
is your duty and mine to be cOntinu |
ally going ahead and doing larger and |
grander and nObler work than did our |
fathers and mothers. We should profit |
by their mistakes as well as successes. |
To speak figuratively, by standing upon |
their broad shoulders we should lift |
our heads higher than they did. There
fore we should have a larger horizon |
for our gospel vision. Let me illus
trate my thought from the vineyard
industry of southern California.
Planting New Vineyards.
l am IL vineyard grower. The time
of the annual ingathering Of grapes is
past. You are also vineyard grower
We have been close friends for years.
Having a few weeks to rest up before
the January and February pruning"
you come to make me a visit. With
great pride l take you through my
TO show you their richness.
l say: Yes, those are fine vines. My
father planted them fifty years ago.
He lived here and died here. These
vines were his one thought He put
his best lifeblood into their develop
ment." On the way back to the house
we climb a hill and point out to you
the extent of my property. do you
see all those vines at our feet? Well,
they are all mine. Do you see those
posts running down from yonder hills
clear into the center of the valley by
hose broad fields? Well, all that land
S mine. Do you see those fields to the
east, and that jutting of rock yOnder2
Well, all that land is mine. There is
10 soil in all this region which is richer
ind better than those broad fields of
nine" "Oh," you say to me, "then
rour father only cultivated a small 4
)art of his ranch. The vines were only j
planted in a small area Of the land c
which he Owned.' !
YES" l reply. "While father lived :
he vineyard growers did not know as
much about grape raising as we do ?
low. Our fOrefathers did not have the ,
ystem we have. Wire fences were :
lot invented at that time They did S
ot know as much about pruning and
Besides that, this country :
ras so sparsely settled fifty years ago 3
hat it would have been impossible to 8
ave gathered enough wOrkmen at 7
ne time to have picked the grapes on Z
he vines when they were ripe That =
Tork has to be done very quickly. F
hen, If my father had been able to p
ick all these grapes there were so few v
eOple living in southern California at -
lat time that there would have been r
o markets for the grapes after they
ad been picked. Thus my father only
lanted a tenth part of his ranch into
lneyards." Then you say: "But con-
tions have changed. Why do you not
lange? Why do you continue to let y"
] these fields he idle because your
lther did? He had a reason for this
lllow land.x You have none. Do you m
ot realize that God holds you to ac- II
,unt not only for taking care of your n
Lthers vineyards, but also for plant I
g new vineyards of your own7" All,
~ are naght. You are right. am not
lIy. tO:be held accountable to God for
IFrying q2 the good work which my al,
hristian sather and mother did. but an
am also to be held accountable to