Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-05-27

pa~s.iva-beautiful snowdrop. but / don't like
hin. 1NUuld rather have one Giant Of Bat
Tie than 5000 snowdrops.
Give me a man who may make some mis-
takes in his ardor for the Lords Service
rather than that kind Of nature which spends
its whole life in doing but one thing, and
tnat r keeping equilibrium. There are snow
drops in all the churches-men without any
sympathy. Very good they are IN the
garden OF the Lord therefore Il know they
ought to be there, but always snowdrops.
You have seen In some places perhaps q
century plant. do not suppose there is a
person in this house who has ever seen more
than one century plant in full bloom, and
when you see the century plant your emo
lions are stirred. You look at it and say.
This flower has been gathering up its beauty
for a whole century, and it will not bloom
again for another hundred years" Well. /
have to tell you that In this garden Of the
church. spoken Of in my text, there Is a cen
fury plant.
In has gathered up its bloom from all the
ages or ETERNITY, ana ~ centuries ago 1t put
forth its glory. II is not only a century plant,
but a passion fower-the passion flower Of
Christ. a crimson flower. blood at the root
and blood On the leaves, the passion flower of
Jeeus, the century plant Of eternity. Come.
o winds from the north. and winds from the
south. and winds from the east, and winds
from the west, and scatter the perfume Of
this flower through all Nations.
His worth. il all the Nations knew.
Sure the whole earth would love Him too.
Thou. the Christ Of all the ages. hast gar
ments smelling Of myrrh and aloes and cas-
STA out Of the ivory palaces.
| 60 further and say the church Of Christ
is appropriately compared to a garden be-
cause of its thorough irrigation. There can
no luxuriant garden without plenty OF
water. saw a garden in the midst OF the
desert amid the Rocky mountains. l said,
How is it possible you have 50 many
flowers, so much rich fruit. in a desert for
miles around?' l suppose some Of you have
seen those gardens. Well, they told me they
had a%queducts and pipes reaching up to the
hills. and the SHOWS melted on the Sierra
Nevada and the Rocky mountains and then
poured down in water TO those ~a4ueducts,
and it kept the fields III great luxurlance.
And / thought to mvself-how like the gar
den Of Christ All around It the harrennes-
Of sin and the barrenness Of the world. bur
our eyes are unto the hills. from whenco
cometh our help. There is d river the
streams whereof shall make glad the city Of
our God. the 70 Intain Of gardens and streams
from Lebanon. Water to Stake the thirst,
water to refresh the f~ainting, water ~ wash
t1' anclean. water to toss up in fountains
"adcr the sun Of Righteousness until you can
zee the rainbow around the throne.
| wandered in a garden OF Brazilian cashev
nut. and | saw the luxuriance OF those car.
dens was helped by the abundant supply 81
water. came to it on a day when strangers
We're not admitted. but by a strange coinci
'ence. at the moment | got in. the king:
chariot passed. and the gardener went 40 or
the hill and t;.rned on the water. and it cam.
flashing down the broad stairs Of stone unit
sunlight and wave in gleesome WreStl" tun
bled at my feet. And so if is with this ""rao'
H If Christ Er,rth.
pardon from above. peace from above. CON
Tort from above. sanctiflcatiOn from above
streams from Lebanon. Oh, the cOnSolatiO
IN this thought Would God that the garden
erS turned on the fountain Of salvation unit
the pace where We sit and stand migI
become Elm with twelve wells {
water and threeScOre and ten palm trees. Bl
near His sound at the garden gate. hea
he lifting of the latch of the gate, VIII
comes there! 1t IS the Gardener. who pass
IN through the garden gate. He come
through this path Of the garden. and II
comes to the aged man. and He saws so
man, L come to help thee; | come
strengthen thee. Down to hoary hairs I WI
shelter thee | will give thee strength at IL
, une OF OLD age. | will not leave; | wi
, never forsake thee. Peace. broken hearte
> olu man l VIII he thy consolation forever
: And then Christ. the Gardener. comes Il
|, another path of the garden. and He sees
soul In great trouble, and He saws. Illus
troubled spirit the sun shall not smite tn,
ny day, nor the moon by night the Lol
8 shali preserve thee from all evil the Lol
,, shall preserve thy soul" And then the Ga
!, dener comes up another path of the carde
: ana he comes where there are some beautif
buds. and say. stop. 0 Gardener dc n
, break them off" But He breaks them o
. the beautiful buds, and I see a great hutt
among the leaves. and l wonder What He
= doing, and He SAYS: II do nofLeome
- GpStT0E these fau-nrc -
. plant them in a higher terrace al
y IN the garden around NV p
q ace. | have come into My garden to gath
lilies. | must take back a whole cluster
a rosehuds. Peace. troubled soul all shall
we'll. Suffer theIittle children TO come mn
Ne and forbid them not. for of such is t
- kingdom of heaven" Oh. glorious Garden
OF the church Christ come, To it now, al
he mas a right to come. We look into t
- face of the Gardener as He breaks off thebr
- and we say. Thou art worthy to have the
y Thy will be lone" The hardest PRAYER
Thy will be done
But you have noticed that around eve
! KING garden there is a high wall. Youm
have stood at the wall Of a kings court a
thought, How l would like to see that =,
den" and while YOU were Watching
i gardener opened the gate. and the 70,
equlpase swept through it. and you caus
l. a glimpse of the garden. but only a elimp
20 Tor then the gates closed.
~ bless God that this garden Of Christ b
- gates on all sides that they are opened
y day. opened by night, and whatsoever y
may come In. Oh, how many there are "
r. die In the desert when they might re
ur In the garden, How many there are "
na are seeking in the garden OF this world Il
W satisfaction which they can never find
50 1t was so with Theodore Hook. who n,
a. all nations laugh while be was living. 4
ny yer theodore on a certain day. when in
midst OF his reveiry he caught q glimpse
he MS own face and his own apparel in
:. mirror. said: That Is true. Hook lust
~ !am-iost. body. mind. soul and estate. los
And SO 1t was with Shenstone about his 9
oen. OF which spoke in the beginning of
~ sermon He sat down amid all its bea
l and WrunS his hands and said. Il have
- my way to happiness l an frantic: h
everything; | hate myself a. a mad 7
L. ought to- Alas. So many in the gardens
h this world are looking for that lower Il
~ never can find except il the garden Ct Chr
III Substantial comfort vii 10. grow
In natures barren soil
LAG All we can boast TIL Cs-s. we kraw