Rare Exotics Need Care

^’■The more superyiatural things are, the more we need diligence to preserve them. A strange plant an exotic reqtcires more care than a native of the soil. Worldly desires, like nettles, breed of their own accord; but spiritual desires need a great deal of ctcltivating.” The more spiritual the duty, the sooner the soul wearies of it. An illustration of this is seen in the case of Moses, whose hands grew weary in prayer, while we never read that Joshua’s hands hung down in fight. Spirituality is a tender plant, and without great care it soon flags, while sin needs neither hoeing nor watering, but will spring up in the dark, and flourish even amid the wintry frosts of trouble. The fair flower of grace is, however, so precious that God himself has promised to tend it. What must be the value of that plant of which the Lord hath said, “I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day”? Let us watch and pray, and never dream that things will go well with us if we neglect these necessary duties. No spiritual grace will thrive if we neglect it. We ought to be very diligent” in our spiritual husbandry; nor should our labour be grudged, for the fruit will well reward our pains.