The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-07-06

and leaf and flower was saturated
That is like the church. The church
is garden in the midst of a great
desert of sin and suffering. 1t il
well irrigated. for tour eyes are unto
help" From the mountains of God.
strength there flow down rivers OF
gladness. There is river, the stream
whereof shall make glad the city OF
our God. Preaching the Gospel is one
of these aqueducts. The Bible is an
other. Baptism and the Lords supper
are aqueducts. Water to slake the
thirst, water to restore the
faint, water to wash the I'M
clean, water tossed high up in the
light of the sun of righteousness,
showing us the rainbow around the
throne. Oh, was there ever a garden
SO thoroughly irrigated? You know
the beauty of Versailles and Chats
worth depends very much upon the
great supply of water. 1 came to the
latter place (Chatsworth) one day when
strangers are not to be admitted, but
by an inducement, which always seemed
as applicable to an Englishman as an
American, l got in, and then the gar
dener went far up above the stairs of
stone and turned on the water. / saw
it cleaning on the dry pave
ment, coming down from step to
step, until it came SO near 1 could
hear the musical rush, and all over
the high, broad stairs it came foaming,
flashing, roaring down until sunlight
and wave in gleesome wrestle tumbled
at my feet. So it is with the church of
God. Everything comes from above
pardon from above, joy from above,
adoption from above, sanctifcation
from above. Oh, that now God would
turn on the waters of salvation that
they might flow down through his her
itage and that this day we might each
find our places to be "Elims," with ~
wells of water and threescore and ten
palm trees.
Hark, hear the latch at The garden
gate, and l look to see who is coming!
L hear the voice of Christ, 81 am come
into my garden" / say: "Come in, o
Jesus; we have been waiting for thee.
Walk all through these paths. Look
at the flowers; look at the fruit. Pluck
that which thou wilt for myself"
Jesus comes into the garden and up to
that old man and touches him and
says: almost home, father. Not many
more aches for thee. | will never
leave thee. will never forsake thee.
Take courage little longer, and viii
steady thy lettering steps, and 1 will
soothe thy troubles and give thee rest.
Courage, old man." Then Christ goes
up another garden path, and he comes
to soul in trouble and says: peace;
all is well! l have seen thy tears;
have heard thy prayer. The sun shall
not smite thee by day, nor the moon by
night. The Lord shall preserve thee |
from all evil. He will preserve thy soul. |
Courage, o troubled spirit!' Then 1
see Jesus going up another garden |
path, and l see great excitement among
the leaves, and l hasten up that garden
path to see what Jesus is doing there,
and, 10, he is breaking off flowers,
sharp and clean, from the stem, and 1 |
say: stop, Jesus, don't kill those
beautiful flowers" He turns to me
md says: 81 have come into my gar
len to gather lilies, and mean to tax.
.hese up to higher terrace and for the
garden around my palace, and there l
will plant them and in better soil and
n better air. They shall put forth
brighter leaves and sweeter redolence,
md no frost shall touch them forever"
md l looked up into His face and said:
Well, it is His garden, and He has a
light to do what He will with it. Thy
will be done"-the hardest prayer a
nan ever made.
l notice that the fine gardens some
lines have high fences around them,
nd | can not get in. 1t is so with the
iing's garden. The only glimpse you
yer get of such garden is when the
ing rides out in his splendid carriage.
t is not so with this garden-the Kings
arden. 1 throw wide open the gate
nd tell you all to come in. No monop-
ly in religion. Whosoever will, may.
hoose now between a desert and
arden. Many of you have tried the
arden of this worlds delight.
,ou have found it has been a chagrin.
o it was with Theodore Hook. He !
,ade all the world laugh. He makes
S laugh now when we read his poems,
ut he could not make his own heart i.
lugh. While in the midst of his fes-
ivities he confronted a looking glass,
nd he saw himself and said: There, .
hat is true. l look just as am-done
p in body, mind and purse" So it
'as with Shenstone, of whose garden
told you at the beginning of my SER ..
lon.
He sat down amid those bowers
nd said: Il have lost my road to hap
mess. am angry, and envious, and
'antic, and despise everything around
e, just as it becomes mailman to
D." Oh, we weary souls, come into :
hrist's garden to-day and pluck {
little heartsease! Christ is the 7
NY rest and the only pardon .
II perturbed spirit. Do you not 1,
link you dhance has almost come? a..
on men and women who have been .
aiting year after year for some good =
,portunity in which to accept Christ, '
1T have postponed it five, ten, twen- -
:, thirty years, do you not feel as if :.
wv your hour of deliverance and par v
IN and salvation had come? Oh. man.
hat grudge hast thou against thy v
,or soul that thou wilt not let it be p
we'd? / feel as if salvation must come
wv to some of your hearts.
Some years ago vessel struck on the r,
cks. They had only one lifeboat. In O
at lifeboat the passengers and crew Il
ere getting ashore. The vessel had q
undered and was sinking deeper and is
eper, and that one boat could not o.
Ike the passengers very swiftly. A 81
tie girl stood on the deck, waiting for fl
r turn to get into the boat. The boat a