The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-05-19

thee from all evil; the Lord shall pre-
serve thy SOUL And then the garden
er comes up another path of the garden,
and he comes where there are some
beautiful buds. and l say, 'Stop, oh
gardener, do not break them Off" But
he breaks them off, the beautiful buds,
and / see a great futter among the
leaves, and / wonder what he
is doing, and he says, Il do
not come to destroy these flow
ers; 1 am only going to plant
them in a higher terrace, and in the
garden around my palace. have come
into my garden to gather lilies. Unjust
take back whole cluster of rosebuds.
Peace, troubled soul, all shall be well.
Suffer the little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not, for of such is
the kingdom of Heaven Oh. glorious
gardener Of the church, Christ comes
to it now, and he has a right to come.
We look into the face of the gardener
as he breaks off the bud, and we say:
Thou art worthy to have them; thy
will be done The hardest PRAYER a
bereaved father or mother ever uttered
Thy will be done"
But you have noticed that around
every kings garden there is a high
wall. You may have stood at the wall
of a kings court and thought: "How
/ would like to see that garden"
and, while you were watching. the gar
dener opened the gate and the royal
equipage swept through it, and you
caught glimpse of the garden, but only
a glimpse. for then the gates closed.
l bless God that this garden of Christ
has gates on all sides: that they are
opened by day. opened by night. and
whOsoever will may come in. Oh, how
many there are who die in the desert
who might revel in the gardenI How
many there are who are seeking in the
garden of this world that satisfaction
which they can never find.
1t was so with Theodore Hook. who
made all nations laugh while he was
living. And vet Theodore Hook on a
certain day. when in the midst of his
revelry he caught glimpse of his own
face and his own apparel in the mirror,
said: That is true. look just as
AMIDST, body, mind. soul and estate,
lost!' And so it was with Shenstone
about his garden. of which | spoke in
the beginning of my sermon. He sat
down amid all its beauties and wrung
his hands and said: Il have lost my
way to happiness. l am frantic: l hate
everything; l hate myself as mad man
ought to" Alas. 50 many in the gar
dens of this world are looking for that
flower they can never find except in the
garden Of Christ.
Substantial comfort viii not grow
IN natures barren soil
All We can boast til christ we know
Is vanity and toll
How many have tried all the fount-
aims Of this worlds pleasure, but never
tasted of the stream from Lebanon!
How many have reveled in other gar
dens. to their souls ruin. but never
plucked one flower from the garden Of
our God. l swing open all the gates Of
the garden and invite you IN. whatever
your history, whatever your sins. what
ever your temptations. whatever your
trouble. The invita- ton comes no more
to one than to all: Nv hoseyer viii, let
him come"
The flowers of earthly gardens soon
fade. but blessed be God. there are gar
lands that never wither. and through
the grace of Christ Jesus we may enter
into the joys which are provided for US
at Gods right hand. Oh. come into the
garden. And remember. a the closing
thought. that God not only brings US
into a garden here. but il is = garden
all the way with those who trust and
love and serve him. garden all through
the struggles of this life, Z garden all
up the slope of Heaven
There everlasting spring abides
And rever-vf. hcFing flowers
Death, like = narrow stream, divides
That Heavenly land from ours.