The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-05-31

water. and it came flashing down the
broad stairs of stone, until sunlight
and wave in gleesome wrestle tumbled
from above. And so it is with this
garden of Christ. Everything comes
from above-pardon from above, peace
from above, comfort from above,
sanctification from above. Streams
from Lebanon, oh! the consolation
in this thought. Would God that the
gardeners turned on the fountain of
salvation until the place where we sit
and stand might become Elm with
twelve wells of water and threescore
and ten palm trees But | hear His
sound at the garden gate; | hear the
lifting of the latch Of the gate. Who
comes there? Is it the Gardener who
passes in through the garden gate? He
comes through the path of the garden,
And He comes to the aged man, and He
says: "Old man, come to help thee: I
come to strengthen thee. Down to
hoary hairs | will shelter thee. will
give thee strength at the tine of old
age. will not leave; will never for
sake thee Peace, Broken-hearted old
man. | will be thy consolation for
ever.
And then Christ, the Gardener, comes
up another both of the garden and He
sees soul in great trouble, and He
says: Hush, troubled spirit, the sun
shall not smite thee by day, nor the
moon by night; the Lord shall preserve
thee from all evil; the Lord shall pre-
serve thy soul" And then the Gardener
comes up another path of the garden,
and he comes where there are some
beautiful buds, and / say: "Stop, Oh,
| Gardener, do not break them off, the
beautiful buds, and see great fiutter
among the leaves, and wonder what
He is doing, and He says: 81 do not
come to destroy these flowers, | am
only going to plant them in higher
terrace, and in my palace. | have come
into my garden to gather lilies. / must
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 tho
bud, and we say: "Thou art worthy ia
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 ev-
cry kings garden 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
We're watching the gardener opened the
gate and the royal equipage swept
through it and you caught a glimpse OF
the garden, but only glimpse, for then
the gates were closed.
| bless God that this Garden of Christ
has gates on all sides. that they are
open by day, opened by night, and
whosoever will may come in. Oh, how
many there are die in the desert when
they might revel in the garden! 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 wa:
living. And yet Theodore Hook on a
certain day, when in the midst of his
revelry, he caught glimpse of his OWL
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 Shenstont
about his garden, of which / spoke il
the beginning of my sermon. He sal
down amid all its beauty and wrune
his hands, and said. II have lost my
way to happiness; am frantic; hate
everything; hate myself as madmar
ought to-" Alas! SO many in the gar
) dens of this world are looking for tina
flower they can never find except in tn,
: garden of Christ.
Substantial comfort will not grow
In natures barren soil
All we can boast till Christ we know
In vanity and toll
How many have tried all the foun
tains of this worlds pleasure, but neve
tasted of the stream from Lebanon
How many have reveled in other gar
dens to their souls ruin but neve
p]dclied one flower from the garden o
our God. swing open all the gates o
the garden and invite you in, whateve
your history, whatever your sins
whatever your temptations, whateve
, your trouble. The invitation comes n,
more to one than all; "Whosoever will
let him come"
The flowers of earthly gardens soor
fade, but, blessed be God, there are gar
lands that never wither, and through
the grace of Christ Jesus we may ente
into the joys which are provided for u
I at Gods right hand. Oh, come into tn
= garden. And remember, as the closinl
thought, that God not only brings Il
I into the garden here, but it is gardeI
a all the way with those who trust anC
: love and serve Him, garden al
: through the struggles of this life, gan
a den all up the slope of Heaven.
i There everlasting spring abides
5 And uever-withering flowers.
0 Death, like a narrow stream, divides
q That Heavenly land from ours
The Author of Famous Phrase.
It was not, as Sir John Lubbock
/ reported to have said Mr.. Sullivan VIII
, discussing licensing arrangements i
{ the house Of cOmrOnS described a pal