231
July, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
umor KING’S BUSINESS . . . B y M artha S. H ooker
dismay. “ See what I am coming to ! I am spoiling myself with this wretched fruit. I will have done with it forever.” Rushing out into the gar den, he seized an ax that lay close at hand, and started hewing away at the trees with all his might. So it was not a great while before all the trees and bushes that had borne such evil fruit were cut down and cleared away. The ax that did all this hard work had on its blade two words, “Good Resolve.” “Now,” thought he, “there is an end forever of all that bad fruit. How glad I am 1” But the foolish boy had
THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S GARDEN
“ Oh,” said Will very thoughtfully, “ I never thought o f that.” And then the stranger continued, “And besides, if you open the gate and let me in,* I will be your servant, and plant all kinds of good and pleasant fruits which you shall eat to your heart’s enjoyment.” How nice and pleasant this all sounded to Will, and though something within re minded him that the garden really belonged to the King, and that he ought not listen to such wicked suggestions, yet in a few minutes the gate had been opened and the stranger was inside. And now for a time all seemed just as pleasant as the stranger had promised. Will lived at ease in his little house, and the newcomer did all the work. In a very little time, the garden was planted with all kinds o f trees and shrubs. Now the soil of which the garden was made was very wonderful. So fertile was it that the seeds and shrubs were no sooner planted than they began to grow apace, and in a very little while were yielding fruit. When the fruit was quite ripe, the stranger took Will round the garden and bade him eat freely whatever he liked. Will ate greedily all kinds of fruit, which tasted very sweet to him, at least while he was
here once lived a great and powerful King who ruled over a very large and beautiful country. In the midst of his possessions, he chose a place one day where he thought he would like to plant a lovely garden. He had the land cleared o f all the wild trees and bushes and weeds, and round it he placed a high wall. In the wall, he had one gate made with locks on the inside so that the garden should be secure from all intruders. In the corner o f the garden was a little house with every requirement to make the person to whom he gave the charge of his garden happy and contented. At length, the King chose a boy named Will to be the one who should live in the garden. He showed him every part of it: the fertile soil in which he was to plant his seed, the little house in the corner in which he was to live, the high walls all round, and the gate with the bolts and bars which was to make him secure from all comers, i “ The garden is to be yours,” said the King, “till and plant trees and shrubs,
forgotten one thing. The roots were all there still , and in a wonderfully short time all the work of the ax called “Good Re solve” was undone, and there were the fruit trees yielding fruit more abundantly than ever. And worse than all, the old craving for the evil fruit returned, and Will was eating away just as before. One evening as he walked about the gar den, feeling very unhappy, he heard a gen tle knocking at the gate, and heard a fsweet voice say, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in.” Looking round, he saw at the gate One standing so quiet and patient, with such a loving gentle face, that poor Will’s heart went out to Him in love at once. In His hand that knocked upon the gate Will saw the scar of a dreadful wound, and also in His feet and other hand, in which He bore a light. Upon His brow, He wore a crown, not a jeweled, golden crown, but one of thorns. He looked as if He had stood there knocking a long, long while, and had oft repeated, unheeded, His loving invitation. And as Will listened, something seemed to say within him, “This patient, loving One will make all things different in your garden. He will drive the stranger from thè garden and will undo all his shameful work.” There was a struggle for a moment in Will’s heart, for the evil stranger had come, and was standing by his side urging him to keep fast the gate. “He will take away your liberty and make you His slave,” whispered the stran ger. “He will sow His own seed and root up mine.” But here the stranger overstepped him self. “Then,” cried Will, “ if that be so, I do most gladly receive Thee in to be my Mas ter and Lord, and to undo the evil work of this most evil one.” And with that the bolts were withdrawn, the gate thrown open, and the Saviour entered. Again the gate was closed and bolted fast. But where was the stranger? He had slipped out the very moment the Saviour had entered, and he never gained access again.
which shall yield good fruit, which one day I will come to gather. Whatever seed and roots you desire to plant, you have only to ask for them, and they shall be sent at once.” Having said these and many other kind words of counsel and advice, the BCing departed and left Will standing proud and happy among his new possessions. “ See,” he cried aloud, “I am master o f it all!” He had no sooner said this than he heard a voice that said, “ Oh, no, you’re not!” Looking around in sur prise to see who had spoken, Will saw standing just outside the close-shut gate a tall stranger, with a dark face and eyes that seemed to look r i g h t through Will as he gazed at him. “ Oh, no, you’re not,” re peated the stranger, “as I will very easily show y ou ; you are only the servant of the King who put you here, and who is a cruel, hard master, who does not love you or wish you well. After you have toiled hard, tilling his ground and planting his seed, he will come and ga ther all the fruit himself, and you will have nothing at all for your trouble.”
eating. Afterwards, he found what he had eaten turned very bitter and made him ill. And yet, in spite of this, he found he could not leave the fruit alone, but had so strong a craving for it that he ate night and day. Will had often asked the stranger to tell him what were the names o f the fruits he had
planted, but the stranger had always refused, till at last one day, weary with his constant request, he took him around the gar den, and pointing to the trees, ; gave them their names: Anger, Self-Will, Pride, Lying, Cheating, Unkindness, Uncleanness, and a dark, clinging, far- spreading vine c a l l e d Strong Drink. One day, after he had been feeding upon this evil f r u i t f o r m a n y months, he found in one o f the rooms of his little house a very ancient mirror. As he gazed into this glass, he was amazed to find a cruel, hard, deceitful face there, very much like the stranger who had sown the evil seeds in his garden. “A h !” said he, in
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