August 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
488
The Garden of the Soul B y K . L. B. "Thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring o f water whose waters fa il not” (Isa. 58:11).
The flowers of the garden are all suggestive of the graces of the Spirit which the Master Gardener is ever seeking to raise in the garden of our souls. “Thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us fo rth to triumph in the beloved one and who diffuseth by us the fragrance o f the knowledge o f Christ in every place” (2 Cor. 2 :1 4 ). What flowers are being grown in the garden of your soul? Is the white lily.of purity there? “B lessed are the pure in heart fo r they shall see God.” What about the red rose of love? “N ow abideth faith, hope and love, but the greatest o f these is love.” No garden is complete with out this queen of flowers. “L ov e never faileth.” - May your friends find in the garden of your soul that little violet of humility? “B lessed are the poor in spirit: fo r theirs is the kingdom o f heaven.” “L ov e vaunteth not itself.” Some prefer to. crowd their gardens with the brazen sunflower that looks down upon all the other flowers and draws from the soil the goodness that belongs, to the other plants. The delicate carnation should be there—the flower that speaks of tenderness and sympathy. Are we, like our Master, ■ ready ever to “condescend'to men o f low estate” ? ,'Sweet alysstim, that persistent lit tle white flower so suggestive of sweet temper, should be found in your soul’s garden. “L ov e su ffereth long and is kind.” It is “not easily provoked.” It is “slow tó exposé, eager to. be lieve the best, always hopefu l” (1 Cor. 13:17, Moffat). How different is this flower from the thistle and smart weed which grows sò profusely in the souls of some men ! Then there is the forget-me-not of unselfish thought fulness of others. “B ea r ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law o f Christ.” And lastly we would mention a flower more rare, but most beautiful. Does not trailing arbutus suggest patience? Hiding itself away under the leaves, when trodden upon it fills the air with fragrance. “We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation w ork- eth patience.” Some prefer to grow poison ivy, that most attractive growth which instantly pays you back if you but touch it. A P lace of F ruitfulness V. A garden is also a F R U IT FU L SPOT . It is not merely for foliage and flowers. The Christian man is to be “like a tree planted by the rivers o f water, that bringeth fo rth his fru it in his season. H is le a f also shall not wither.” “Herein is my Father glorified,” says, the Gar dener of our souls, “that ye bear.much fruit.” I f real sal vation is in the heart, it is certain to be manifested in an active beneficence. The life rooted in Christ feels itself related to others. It exists not for its own selfish ends,
HAT more beautiful figure could be found to describe the normal Christian life than that of a watered garden? I. Little can be produced on an unprotected plot. It must be separated off from the wil derness So that it shall not longer be a thor oughfare for vehicles or rude feet, or a lodging place for wild beasts. As the writer for the first time came into California, he was allured by the beautiful green spots that began to dot the outer edge of the bar ren desert. Someone had fenced off a piece of ground and, given it water. The Christian life is a life in the world, yet fenced off from it. God has promised to surround it by an invisible protective fence.;- "The L o rd hath set apart'him that is godly fo r H im s e lf’’, (Psa. 4 :3 ). “A s the mountains are round about Jerusalem , so the L ord is round about H is people from henceforth even fo rev er” (Psa. 125:2). No longer is it a prey for the beasts of lusts, or a thorough fare for every vile, thought. F urrowed and F ertile garden of the soul in which our Lord desires to raise something beautiful ? Do we complain that His plow runs too deep; His hoe is too sharp? Let us remember that He knows best how to prepare- His garden. Chastening seems to us grievous, “nevertheless, afterw ard it yieldeth the peaceable fru it o f righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). The sorriest life is the life that has known no sorrow. The Psalmist came to see the value of submitting to God’s ' plow, for he writes : “B efo re I was afflicted I zvent astray, but now have I kept thy word. It was good fo r me that I have been afflicted ; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psa. 119:67, 71). I I I . - A-garden is a FERT ILE - SPOT . Something must be added to its soil to make it productive to the high est degree. So too, the Christian life must be enriched by prayer, by the means of grace, by the influences of God’s provi dences, and above all, by the application of the promises of God’s Word. “Whereby are given unto Us exceeding great and precious prom ises;' that by these ye might be partakers o f the divine nature (2 Pet. 1 :4 ) . “I zuill never fo rg et thy precepts,” says the Psalmist again, “fo r voith them thou hast quickened me” (Psa. 119:92-93). When prayer and Bible study have no regular place in a life, how can anything worth while be produced in the garden of the soul? F ascinating F lowers IV . A garden is a FASC INAT ING SPO T because there are Fragrant Flowers there. What garden would be complete without these? II. A garden is a FURROW ED SPOT . The ground is in a state of cultivation. Weeds and stones that occupy the ground and prevent useful growth, must all be worked out. The gardener is not satisfied that it should produce anything less than its best.. He bestows upon it ceaseless care, .for what chance would he ' have if he left it to natural selection? Do we think no cultivation is needed in this
A garden is a FENCED -IN SPOT .
but to save sinners and help saints. “T h o se, that be planted in . the house o f thé L ord shall flourish in the courts o f dur God. They.shall still bring fo rth fru it in old age.” “Faith without works is dead." V I. The garden must be a FRE SH EN ED SPOT . The most important factor of all, is the water supply. Fences, fertilizer
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