The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-05-11


word. Always cold, always precise, Away,
passfvs--beautiful snowdrop, but don't like
him. would rather have one Giant OF bat.
tie than 5000 snowdrops
Give me 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
that Is 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 II know they
ought TO be there, but always snowdrops.
You have seen In some places perhaps n
century plant. do not suppose there is
person in this house who has ever seen moro
than one century plant in full bloom, and
when you see the century plant your emo
tions are stirred. You look at II and say,
This flower has been gathering up its beauty
for whole century, and 4 VIII not bloom
again for another hundred years" Well. 1
have to tell you that In this garden OF the
church, spoken OF in my text, there is a CEN
tury plant.
In has gathered up It's bloom from all the
ngss OF eternity, and 10 centuries ago II put
forth its glory. II IL not only q century plant,
but passion dower-the passion flower OF
Christ, q crimson flower, blood ut the root
and blood on the leaves, the passion flower OF
Jesus. 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. 10 all the Nations know.
Sure the whole earth would love nim too.
Thou, the Christ OF oil tho ages. has. gar
ments smelling OF myrrh and aloes and cas-
sia out OF the ivory palaces.
go further and say the church OF Christ
n appropriately compared to a garden be-
cause OF its thorough irrigation. There can
be no luxurfant garden without plenty OF
water. saw garden In the midst Of the
desert amid the Rocky mountains. said,
"How Ia II possible you have so many
flowers, so much rich fruit, In a desert fof
miles aroundp'' suppose some OF you have
seen those gardens. Well, they told me they
had aqueducts and pipes reaching up 10 the
hills, and the SHOWS melted on the Sierra
Nevada and the Rocky mountains and then
poured down In water TO those nqueducfs,
and II kept tho fields In great luxuriance.
And thought TO myself-how like the CIR.
een of Christ All around II the barrenness
Of sin and the barrenness OF the world, but
our eyes are unto the hills. from whence
cometh our help. There "a river the
streams whereof shall make glad the city OF
our God. the fountain Of gardens and streams
from Lebanon. Water 10 snka the thirst
water to refresh the fainting. water 10 wash
tho unclean. water to toss up in fountains
under the sun OF righteousness until you can
see the rainbow around the throne
wandered in n garden OF Brazilian casbcw
nut, and saw the luxuriance Of those gar.
dens was helped by the abundant supply OF
water. came 20 II on day when stranger.
wero not admitted. but by "A strange coinci.
dence, at the moment l got in, tho kings
chariot passed and the gardener went up on
the bill and turned on the water. and IL came
flashing down the broad stairs OF stone until
sunlight and wave In gleesome wrestlo tum-
bled at my feet. And 30 II Is with this garden
or Christ. Everything comes from above
pardon from above, peace from above, COM
tort from above, sanctihcatlon from above.
Streams from Lebanon. Oh. the consolation
In this thought Would God that the garden
ers 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! IL Is the Gardener, who passes
In through the garden gate. He comes
through this path OF the garden and He
comes to the aged man, and He says "Old
man. l come to help thee; I come TO
strengthen thee. Down to hoary hairs will
shelter thee i will give thee strength at tho
time OF old age. l will not leave; will
never forsake thee. Peace. broken hearted
old man 1 will be thy consolation forever"
And then Christ. the Gardener, comes up
another path Of the garden. and He secs a
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 preserve thy soul" And then the Gar
dener comes up another path OF the garden.
and He comes where there are some beautiful
buds. and say, "Stop. o Gardener do not
break them or" But He breaks them OFF.
tho beautiful buds, and | see "a great fiutter
among the leaves, and | wonder what lie IL
doing, and He says II do not come TO
destroy these flowers. l am only going TO
plant them In higher terrace and
In the garden around Ny pal
ace. have come into My garden to gather
lilies. j 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 II now, and
He has a right 10 come. We look into the
face OF the Gardener as He breaks of the bud,
ana we say Thou art worthy TO have them
2 by will be done" The hardest prayer C.
a.,reaved father or mother ever uttered
o. rhy will be done"
But you have noticed that around every
kings garden there is high wall You may
have stood at the wall OF a kings court and
thought, How / would like to see that gar
den" and while YOU were watching the
gardener opened the gate, and the royal
equipage swept through II, and you caught
glimpse OF the garden but only a GLIMPSE
for then the gates closed.
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 when they might reyel
In the garden How many there are who
are seeking In the garden OF this world that
satisfaction which they can never find!
IL was so with Theodore Hook, who made
all nations laugh while he was living And
yet Theodore on certain day, when In the
midst OF his revelry he caught a glimpse OF
his own face and his own apparel in the
mirror, said; ''Thnt Is true. / look lust as
iam-lost, body, mind, soul and estate, lost -
Ana so II was with Shenstone about his gar
den, OF which spoke in the beginning OF my
sermon. He sat down amid all its beauty
and wrung his hands and said, ~ have lost
my way to happiness l am frantic hate
everything j hate myself IA u mad man
ought to- Alas, so many Il, the gardens OF
this world are looking for that flower they
never can find except In the garden OF Christ |!
Substantial comfort will not grow
In natures barren sol.