The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-10-11

Englishman rs IN American I got
in, and then the gardener went far
up above the stairs Of stone and
turned on the water. I saw it gleam-
ing on the dry pavement, 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-par-
don from above, JOY from above, adop-
ton from above, sanctification from
above.
Would 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 IL wells of water and threescore
and ten palm trees.
. hark! I hear the latch of the gar
den gate. and I look to see who 10
coming. I hear the voice of Christ.
II am come into My garden" l say:
Come in. o Jesus! We have been
waiting for Thee. Walk all through
the 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. I will never leave thee.
Take courage little longer, and !
will steady thy tottering steps, and
I will soothe thy troubles and give
thee rest. Courage, old man." Then
Christ goes up another garden path,
and He comes to a soul in trouble
and says: Peace! All is well. 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 I see great excite
ment among the leaves, and hasten
up to 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. Do not kill those beautiful
flowers" He turns to me and says:
Il have come into My garden to gath
er lilies, and mean to take these up
to a higher terrace for the garden
| around my palace, and there I will
plant them, and in better soil and in
better air they shall put forth bright
er leaves and sweeter redolence, and
no frost shall touch them forever"
And looked up into His face and
said: "Well, it is Thy garden and
Thou hast right to do what Thcu
wilt with it. Thy will be done!"-'
the hardest prayer man ever made.
notice that the fine gardens some
times have high fences around them
and cannot get in. 1t is so with
kings garden. The only glimpse you
ever get of such garden is when
the king rides out in his splendid car
riage. It is not so with this garden
this Kings garden. throw wide
open the gate and tell you all te
come in. No monopoly in religion
Whosoever will may. Choose now be
tween a desert and a garden. Many
of you have tried the garden Of thi'
worlds delight. You have found il
has been a chagrin. So it was will
Theodore Hook. He made all th'
world laugh. He makes us laugh nov
when we read his poems. But HI
could not make his own heart laugh
While in the midst of his festivitie'
he confronted looking glass, ant
he saw himself and said: "There
that is true. 1 look vt as 1 am
done up in body, Mid and purse
So it was of Shenstone, of whose gar
den told you at the beginning o
nv sermon. He sat down amid thos
bowers and said: II have lost m.
road to happiness. I am angry an
envious and frantic and despise every
thing around me just as it becomes
madman to do"
Owe weary souls, come into Christ
garden to-day and pluck ittl
heartsease. Christ is the only res
and the only pardon for perturbe
spirit. Do you not think your chanc
has almost come? You lnen an
women who have been waiting yea
after year for some good opportunit
in which to accept Christ, but hav
postponed it 5, 10, 20, 80 years. d
you not feel as if now your hour G
deliverance and pardon and salvatio
had come?
Some years ago vessel struck 0
the rocks. They had only one lif'
boat. In that lifeboat the passenger
and crew were getting ashore. Th
vessel had foundered and was sinkin
. deeper and deeper, and that one boa
could not take the passengers yer
i swiftly. A little girl stood on tn
deck waiting for her turn to get int
the boat. The boat came and wen
, came and went, but her turn did ns
seem to come. After awhile she coul
} wait no longer. and she leaped ON Il
: taffrail and then sprang into the Sc
, orvino To the boatman: "Save n