spiritual garden, a garden for the soul and for eternity. Observe, therefore, that a garden is a place selected, enclosed and fenced to keep it from intrusion; and that this is ordinarily compared with the surrounding common ground. And so we sing, and sing truly, too,— "Zion's a garden wall'd around, Chosen and made peculiar ground, A little spot enclosed by grace Out of the world's wide wilderness." A garden is a spot formed and arranged by labour and skill in distinction from what is natural; for there is nothing in the natural soil but weeds: all in it besides is sown or planted. And in the church we have the fruits of the Spirit, which "are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." "We are," says the apostle, "his workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." A garden requires much careful attention. Something is always required to be done, in planting, or sowing, or weeding, or pruning, or propping, or preserving, or watering. And says God of his church, under this image, "I the Lord do keep it;" so that it has divine care. "I will water it every moment." And, lest any hurt it, "I will keep it night and day:" nor will he ever relax his vigilance over it. And herein is the safety of believers, who are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." A garden is a place of pleasure and delight. We are told that "the Lord God taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in them that hope in his mercy;" that "the prayer of the upright is his delight;" that their prayers are sacrifices with which he is "well pleased :" that their service is the odour of a sweet smell. In a word, it is also a place of profit too. It yields not only flowers but fruits. The church is always "filled with all the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God." Some gardens yield the owner his chief income. God derives his principal revenue of honour from his church. has, therefore, said, "I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory, the people from whom I derive my glory principally." And indeed God is more honoured by the ordinary actions of real Christians than by all the religious services of all the unregenerate men upon the earth. He SEPT. 6.-I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded. Sol. Song vi. 11. He enters his garden to walk there; he enters it to enjoy his pleasant fruits there, for they are all his own. He loves to hold intercourse and communion with his saints. But here he speaks of entering it for another purpose, for the garden is his own, and it is so valuable that he will not treat it with neglect, or overlook it. No; "I went down," says he, "to see the fruits of the valley;" for the garden is low, and the church is lowly. "I went down to see the fruits of the valley." He comes into his garden especially to examine the state of his church. He looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any that seek after him. He said to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I scen righteous before me in this generation,"-causing them all, as it were, to pass before him. And in the parable of the marriage-feast, we are told the king came in to see the guests, and saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment. Why, he is continually inspecting his church. And how qualified is he for this! "His eyes are as a flame of fire;" distance and darkness are nothing to him. "The darkness and the light are both alike to him." "The darkness shineth as the light." "Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering." There is no disguise that can screen from his penetration. And what is his aim when he comes to examine? Not to ascertain who are learned, but who are "wise unto salvation;" not who are rich, but who "are rich towards God;" and whether "our souls prosper." Yes, he "comes down to see the fruits of the valley," to look after the reality of these fruits, to observe the degree of these fruits, whether we "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," according to the time of our standing, and the advantages with which we have been favoured. And our Saviour said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." Observe, it is not said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear fruit," but "that ye bear much fruit." A husbandman does not call in his neighbours to go out and see and admire his field, or his meadow, if he has only an ordinary crop: no, but it is when he has an unusual one; then he says, "Come; did you ever see any thing like this?" Well, so it is here; and when his people increase with all the increase of God, when they are "filled with all the fulness of God," then their profiting will appear unto all, and “herein will their Father be glorified, that they bear much fruit," and so will they abundantly appear "to be his disciples." SEPT. 7.-Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? Isa. ii. 22. PERHAPS there is nothing to a person of a tender spirit that is more productive of distress than disappointment in friendship; and it is well when the providence of God, as well as Scripture, thus addresses us. We can turn to him, as the church did in the days of Micah, and say, "Therefore I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Sometimes we lose our friends from infirmity, temper, ignorance, prejudice. Others of them,-who are rotten at the very core,— these were sure to fail us in the hour of distress. They were friends for prosperity. As soon as ever David experienced the affliction which arose from the rebellion and treason of his son, when, with his head uncovered, and barefooted, he walked up the side of the Mount of Olives, where afterwards stood the garden of Gethsemane, in which his son and his Lord agonized, one ran to him and said, "Behold, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." It was on this occasion that he said, "It was not an enemy that did this; then I could have borne it: but it was thou, -a man mine equal, my guide, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company." Then it was that he said, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness." Thus it was with Job. Job therefore says, "My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away, which are black by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: what time they wax warm they vanish; when it is hot they are consumed out of their place.' Thus it was with Paul: when he had appeared unto Cæsar, and when he was going to Rome, in order to appear before the emperor, the brethren came down from Rome along the fine Appian Way, as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns,-fifty-two miles: when Paul saw this "he thanked God, and took courage." rely upon these in the evil hour. Alas! no; Surely he could not even upon one of them; and therefore says he, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." "To him that is afflicted, pity should be shown from his friend, but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty." We may meet with cold sympathy, if it deserve the name; but, instead of assisting us in our trouble, many may seem to take advantage of our distress. SEPT. 8.-God commanded me to make haste. VIEWING this as applying to Christians now, let us observe on what the command is founded. There is a distinction between moral and positive duties. Positive duties are right because they are commanded; moral duties are commanded because they are right. They are founded on the very nature of things. The apostle therefore says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." It is commanded, but it is commanded because it is right. We may, therefore, always be satisfied with the revealed will of God, because we are sure that it is founded on rectitude. And here the commandment of God with regard to the important concerns and interests we have mentioned, "to make haste," is founded on three principles. First, He commands us "to make haste," because of the importance of the thing itself. It is not a trifle; it is our life. We cannot neglect it without infinite loss, and plunging ourselves into lamentation and mourning and woe. If religion be any thing, it is every thing; and if it is important at all, it is all-important, or, as the Saviour calls it, it is the "one thing needful." "Godliness is profitable," says the apostle,-profitable unto solitude, profitable unto society, profitable unto prosperity, profitable unto adversity, profitable unto life, profitable unto death. "Nay," says he; "godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Secondly, He commands us to "make haste," because of the limitation of our opportunities. We have only one season in which to regard these things; then all is over. "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor repentance, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest;" there morrow, fore, says Solomon, "Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." But here several circumstances are to be mentioned in regard to this only season of attention. This only season is short. "What is thy life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." This only season is uncertain as well as short. "Boast not thyself of tofor thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." "Man," also, says Solomon, "knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them." Then this only season has also much in it that is not applicable to any serious and important service. This is the case with the whole of infancy, and much of childhood and youth. This is the case very much with lawful business, and allowed recreation, and also necessary sleep. We may also observe that, of this only season for action, many favourable periods may fail before the close of it; and if the time continues, as Jeremiah says, "the harvest may be past and the summer ended, while we are not saved." Then of this only season much is already gone. We have only a day, and with some the sun has risen very high. "It is high time to awake out of sleep." And if this applies to all, with what force will it apply to those who have reached sixty, or seventy, or more! Thirdly, He commands us "to make haste," because of the advantages to be derived from ardour. It is often said (and is literally true) that "the lazy take the most pains." They make no progress, because every thing becomes a diversion or a hinderance. They have, therefore, to begin again and again. How often have we succeeded beyond all expectation when we have applied ourselves with decision and vigour! There is a pleasure in acting with vigour, which the listless, and inert, and lounging, and yawning, never know. We are never in such a happy state of mind as when we are in a tone of application. For, say the slothful, "See, there is a lion in the way: how shall I advance?" But zeal clears the way of the lion, removes these impediments, and even turns them into auxiliaries. |