FOURTH ANNUAL FLOWER SERMON. 29 



His hand, and 



He wills shall be brought 

 Him of the man for whom 



made. 



Heredity and environment, original nature and artificial 

 development, these the conditions to determine character 

 and quality of flower and fruit, for the operation of the 

 natural laws is unchanging and unfailing; seed time and 

 harvest, summer and winter, the sunshine, the dew, and 

 the rain, these shall be for all alike. 



Shall it not be so, as well, in the home-garden where the 

 branches of the fruitful bough run over the wall ? 



Heredity, alas, that most awful law in God's universe, will 

 still hold its sway. The sins of the fathers shall be visited 



the tree must bear fruit after its kind, 

 jod. the dew from heaven, even the 



upon the children; 



grace 



storm 



summer 



world. Then the environment, the environment, what 

 shall it be? The training, the development, this is ours to 

 determine, and so in large measure the resulting character 

 and perfection of the flower or fruit. "Can any good 

 thing come out of Nazareth ? p ' was the natural question of 

 the old time. No matter how good the seed planted, no 

 matter how regular and unfailing the sunshine and the rain, 

 can any flower bloom in that fetid atmosphere, can any 

 fruit come to perfection under such conditions of mildew 

 and blight? We know the secret of the growing there of 

 the very flower of humanity, the absolute perfection of 

 manhood, but men and brethren, still I plead that we learn 

 the special revelation of God in the flower garden, that by 

 careful training we mav change the character of the plants 



environment 



measure 



2T0W 



up to be. As well may our gardener 

 expect the new product of peculiar beauty if he shall give 



