FIRST ANNUAL FLOWER SERMON. 107 



hill, near Capernaum, He delivers His wonderful Sermon on 

 the Mount, and looking down along the slopes to the Sea of 

 Galilee He observes the profusion of beautiful wild flowers 

 carpeting the earth. He is telling His disciples of the wis- 

 dom and goodness of God. He has just framed for them 

 that sweetest of prayers, " Our Father who art in heaven." 

 He is in a land of flowers. Palestine, it is said, has 2,500 

 species of flowering plants, twice as many as in all Great 

 Britain. He says to His disciples, look out upon the flowers. 

 They brighten the fields. They please the eye. They cheer 

 the spirits. They sweeten hfe. And be not content with 

 looking, but *' Consider the lilies of the field," consider 

 them thoughtfully and learn from them. The Father in 

 heaven provides the beautiful flowers. They toil not for a 

 living — as you and others do — you, Peter and Andrew 

 and James and John in fishing, and Matthew at the money 

 counter, and men everywhere in labor of hand or head ; 

 neither do they spin, as must your wives and daughters and 

 sisters for needed raiment of clothing, and yet I say unto 

 you that " Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 

 one of these beautiful flowers." And if God take care for 

 these in their growth and tenderness and beauty, shall He 

 not take care of you? God's care and wisdom and good- 

 ness towards men our Blessed Lord is pressing, and He 

 uses for argument the same care and wisdom and goodness 

 as shown in the growth of the flowers. 



Let us also ''consider" and learn. That superabun- 

 dance of 2,500 kinds of flowers in Palestine! The very 

 thought comforts our soul. For if God do so much that 

 seems not actually necessary to please our eye of sense, 

 and to satisfy and uplift our love of beauty, we can feel 

 sure of the thought that the same loving goodness will all 

 the more work to help and guide and save us, and the same 

 Infinite Wisdom will go on to provide things unutterable 

 of brightness and beauty for the higher life coming. 

 When, passing in your carriage by a thatched dwelling of 

 some poor laborer in England, or by the wretched tene- 



