The Bossier banner., 1894-08-16

good while ago. When that tree was
planted, it was so split and bruised and
barked men said nothing would ever
grow upon it, but no sooner had that
tree been planted than it budded and
blossomed and fruited, and the sol
diers' spears were only the clubs that
struck down that fruit, and it fell into
the lap of the nations, and men began
to pick it up and eat it, and they found
in it an antidote to all thirst, to all
poison, to all sin, to all death-the
smallest cluster larger than the famous
one of Eshcol, which two men carried
on staff between them. If the one
apple in Eden killed the race, this one
cluster of mercy shall restore 1t.
| Again, the church in my text is ap-
propriately called a garden because it
is thoroughly irrigated, No garden
could prosper long without plenty of
water. l have seen a garden in the
midst of a desert, yet blooming and
luxuriant. All around was dearth
and barrenness, but there were pipes,
aqueducts reaching from this garden
up to the mountains, and through
those aqueducts the water came
streaming down and tossing up into
beautiful fountains until every root
and leaf and flower was saturated.
That is like the church. The church
is garden in the midst of great
desert of sin and suffering. 1t is
well irrigated, for tour eyes are 1nto
the hills, from whence cometh our
| help" From the mountains of God S
strength there flow down rivers of
gladness. There is a 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 un-
clean, water tossed high up in the
lignt 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. I 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, 1 got in, and then the gar
dener went far up above the stairs of
stone and turned on the water. l 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, sanctifeation
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 Films" with II
palm trees.
Hark, 1 hear the latch at the garden
gate, and | look to see who is coming!
[ hear the voice of Christ, 81 am come
into my garden" l 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 thyself." :"
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. l will never forsabe thee.
Take courage little longer, and l w ]
steady thy tottering steps, and | 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 we'll! I have seen thy tears; I
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 I
see Jesus going up another garden
path, and see great excitement among
the leaves, and 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 I
say: ''Stop, Jesus, don't kill those
beautiful flowers" He turns to me
and says: 81 have come into my gar
den to gather lilies, and l mean to take
these up to higher terrace and for the
garden around my palace, and there
will plant them and in better soil and
in better air. They shall put forth
brighter leaves and sweeter redolence,
and no frost shall touch them forever" "
And looked up into His face and said:
''Well, it is His garden, and He has a
right to do what He will with it. Thy
will be done''-the hardest prayer d
man ever made
l notice that the fine gardens some
times have high fences around them,
and can not get in. 1t is so with the
Kings garden. The only glimpse you
ever get of such a garden is when the
king rides out in his splendid carriage.
1t is not so with this garden-the Kings
garden. throw wide open the gate
and tell you all to come in. No mouop-
oily in religion. Whosoever will, may.
Choose now between desert and a
garden. Many of you have tried the