(Reprinted from Help and Food, April, 1911.)

One of the secrets of good gardening is to be an indefatigable enemy of weeds. Preventing their growth necessitates the stirring of the soil; and the more the soil is stirred, the better the crop grows and the greater the yield. So with the Christian:the more sincerely and earnestly he takes sides with God against himself, the more he will grow; the weeds of his evil nature will not be able to develop, and this will cause the new nature to have deeper roots, greater growth, richer and more abundant fruit.

This means, of course, that such a gardener must be industrious, early and late, against the enemy, because of his love for the goodly plants which grow in his garden.

And what is the finest garden of earth compared with the garden of heaven in the believer's soul? If that one is worth all the care, labor, industry, bestowed upon it; if it is worth rising up early and watching it late; if it deserve all this toil, all this enriching and watering, which after all is but for a short season, what of this wonderful garden of the soul, whose fragrance and fruit are to abide forever? Is it not worth while to cultivate it? Shall we be industrious for what passes away, and careless and idle for what passes not away?

But, after all, does not the gardener enjoy his labor? Is he not happy in his toil, even before fruit-time comes? And is there not holy joy in all our Christian labor and exercises of soul? Can we fall on our knees in supplication about this or that temptation, fear, need, or service, without rising up again comforted and blessed? Does not every victory over ourselves and our circumstances make us sing and praise the grace of our great High Priest, and increase our acquaintance with God? And is not this, of itself, true bliss?

May the Lord break up all our slothfulness of heart, all our apathy concerning sin-sin, not in our brother, but in our self; for we can easily be fierce against the mote in our brother's eye while blind to the beam in our own.

May He also break up all self-complacency, for there is no weed more destructive in the garden of the soul. We are so proper, so faultless, so free from what would mar the lofty opinion which our fellows have of us, that we can scarcely realize our incessant dependence on Him who is at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. Or we think ourselves beyond the experience of men in whom the Spirit dwelling "maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Let all weeds be rooted out, that Christ, Christ alone, Christ our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption, may stand before the soul as our all. Thus will our individual souls flourish, and practical unity will be with love, holiness, and power.