Sharon and the lily-of-the-valley. These are beautiful emblems of the
Christ-life in the Christian soul. The river which flowed through Eden's
literal garden represents the deep, broad river of peace which flows in
the heart which has tasted of redeeming love.

A young heart filled with the mild, meek spirit of Christ, and a young
life laden in rich profusion with kind words, generous deeds, and
gentle, modest ways, is the most beautiful object that ever graced this
mundane sphere. Angels look down and marvel, and throughout all heaven
is awakened songs of joy and praise. It is your privilege to be filled
with Jesus now; to be clothed in white and walk in purity. It is also
your privilege as you journey down life's way to grow more kindly; to be
more and more like Jesus; for the sweet graces of heaven to bloom more
beautifully in your heart and life; and the beauty of your young
Christian life to give way to more beauteous ripened age. If you attend
to all Christian duties and live in prayer and devotion to God, your
soul will become more and more weighted down with the riches of heaven,
and, looking out through the casement, your soul will hail with joy the
convoy that has come to bear it to its home of eternal rest.

The Savior in speaking of himself said, "I am the vine," and in speaking
of Christians he said, "Ye are the branches," and speaking of God he
said, "My Father is the husbandman." This very clearly and strikingly
illustrates the duty of a Christian, and the position he occupies.
Christians sustain the same relation to Christ that the branches do to
the vine. As the branch receives life through the vine and bears fruit,
so the Christian receives life through Christ and bears fruit. The
object of fruit bearing is the glory of God. You should be desirous of
bearing as great an abundance of fruit as possible, and do all you can
to increase your fruitfulness, since "herein is God glorified, that you