FOURTH ANNUAL FLOWER SERMON. 31 



man 



with the wheat; I cannot understand or explain why the 

 noxious deadly weed springs up close by the flower fragrant 

 and beautiful or the green herb, sweet food for beast and 

 cattle and man ; I cannot understand the vigorous life of 

 the pestilential plant which uncontrolled bj; 

 over wide field and kills the life of the green grass* 

 But I can understand that I behold, how the wisdom of 

 man learned by experience, even the same wisdom that God 

 hath written in other books by His servants the Prophets, 

 may strengthen the good that it shall overcome the evil. 

 But see how constant, how unceasing, are the gardener's 

 care and diligence to prevent that thorny enemies shall 

 destroy the young life of his plant ; how not once or twice, 

 but again and again, day after day, he doth pluck them up 

 by the very roots, and yet it is probable, in the very handling 

 doth scatter the seed to quickly spring up as new enemies 

 to be again assailed. And all the time he strengthens by 

 culture the growing plant, that by and by it may be itself 

 strong enough to resist the invader who would occupy its 

 home. But the evil will always threaten the life of that 

 which is good until the end come and all evil shall have 

 been cast out of God's world. In less time than was re- 

 quired to make the wondrous garden wherein we walk to-day 

 would it revert to a condition of primal waste, if left to 

 itself, uncultivated, abandoned by the master ; but the time 

 shall come when good shall have been made so mighty every- 

 where that evil shall be powerless to overcome it, and the 

 Lord God shall walk amid His redeemed ones in the garden 

 of the new earth wherein only righteousness shall flourish. 

 To help forward and onward this glorious consummation, 

 He calleth to us ever, bv everv voice that soundeth, from 



from tree and vine, from 



Overcome 



eth and travaileth in pain together until now 



q groan- 



* ♦ * 



em 



)tion." Therefore dig down deep 

 in every garden of thine own soul, of thine own household, 

 of the city wherein thou dwellest, of the nation whereof 



