Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-09-07

=
pavement. coming down from step 10
step until IL came SO near | could hear
the musical rush. and all over the high.
broad stairs it came fOaming. flashing.
roaring down. until sunlight and wave
in gleesome wrestie 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. sanctiiication from above.
Waters oT Salvation.
Would that now Gcd would turn on
the waters of salvation. that they
might dow down through his heritage.
and that this day we might each find
our places to be "Elims" with II wells
of water and threescore and ten palm
trees.
Hark. hear the latch of the garden
gate. and look to see who is coming.
hear the voice of Christ. Il am come
into my garden" | say. Come in. O
Jesusi We have been waiting for thee:
walk all through the paths. Look at
the flowers: look ut the fruit: pluck
that which thou witt 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; take courage Il little longer and
Will steady thy lettering steps and |
viii soothe thy troubles and give thee
rest. Courage. old man" Then Christ
goes up another garden path. ana he
comes TO soul in trouble and SAYS:
Peace! All is we'll have seen thy
tears. | have heard thy prayer. The
Sh nl
moon by night. The Lord shall pre-
serve thee from all evil; he will pre-
serve thy soul. Courage. o troubled
spiritr
Then / sec Jesus going up another
garden path. and | 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 of flowers. sharp and clean
from the stem. and | say: stop. Je-
SuS. Do not kill those beautiful low
| ers." He turns TO me and SAYS. u have
come into my garden to gather lilies.
| and mean TO take these up to q high
err terrace, 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 look
ed up into his face and said: well. It
is thy garden, and thou hast right to
do what thou wilt with it. Thy will
be done"-the hardest prayer u man
ever made.
Taking the BEST.
1t has seemed rs il Jesus Christ took
the best. From many of your house
holds the best one is gone. You know
that she was too good for this world.
She was the gentlcSt in her t3ays, the
deepest in her affection. and when at
last the sickness came you had no faith
IN medicines. You knew that the hour
of parting had come, and when. through
the rich grace OF the Lord Jesus Christ.
you surrendered that treasure you
said: Lord Jesus. take tit is the
best we have. Take it. Thou art wor-
thy" The others in the household may
have been OF grosser mold. She was
of the finest.
The heaven OF your little ones will
not be fairly begun until you get there.
All the kindncsses. shown them by inn
mortals will not make them forget
you. There they are. the radiant
throngs that went out from your
homes. 1 throw kiss TO the sweet
| darlings. They are all we'll now i'm the
palace. The crippled child has sound
foot now. \ little lame child says.
MA, will be lame in heaven?" "No.
my darling, you won't be lame In heav-
en- a little sick child says, MA. will
1 he sick In hcavcnT' 'No. my dear.
you won't be sick i'm heaven" a little
blind child says, MIA. will be blind
in heavenF' mo, my dear. you wont
be blind in heaven" They are all well
there.
notice that the fine gardens some
times have high fences around them.
and / cannot get in. IL is so with u
kings garden. The only glimpse you
ever get OF such n garden is when the
king rides out in his splendid carriage.
1t is not SO with this garden. this
Kings garden. ] throw wide open the
gate and tell you all TO come I'm. No
monopoly I'm religion. Whosoever will,
may. Choose now between n desert
and garden. Many of you have tried
the garden OF this worlds delight. You
have found IL has been q chagrin. So il
was with Theodore Hook. He made
all the world laugh. He makes us
laugh now when we read his poems.
but he could not make his own heart
laugh. While in the midst of his fes.
tivities he confronted looking glass.
and he saw himself and said: There,
that is true. | look just as | am, done
up in body. mind and purse" So il
was of ShcnStonc, of whose garden |
told you at the beginning OF my SER
mon. He sat down amid those bowers
and said: Il have lost my road to hap
piness- am angry and envious and
frantic and despise everything around
me just as it becomes n madman to
do"
Christ the Only Rest.
ye weary souls, come into Christ's
garden today and pluck little hearts
ease. Christ is the only rest and the
only pardon for perturbed spirit. Do
you not think your chance has almost