SEASONS

The things which are seen are types of the things which are not seen. The works of creation are pictures to the children of God of the secret mysteries of grace. God's truths are the apples of gold, and the visible creatures are the baskets of silver. The seasons of the year find their parallel in the little world of the man within. We have our winter-dreary, howling winter-when the north wind of the law rushes against us, when every hope is nipped, when all the seeds of hope lie buried beneath the dark clods of despair, when our soul is fast fettered like a river bound with ice, no waves of joy or flowings of thanksgiving. Then thanks be unto God, the soft south wind breathes upon our soul, and at once the waters of desire are set free, the spring of love comes on, flowers of hope appear in our hearts, the trees of faith put forth their young shoots, the time of the singing birds come in our hearts and we have joy and peace in believing through our Lord Jesus Christ. That happy springtime is followed in the believer by a rich summer when his graces, like fragrant flowers, are in full bloom, loading the air with sweet perfume, and fruits of The Spirit, like citrons and pomegranates swell into their full proportion in the genial warmth of the Sun of Righteousness. Then comes the believer's autumn, when his fruits ripen and his fields are ready for the harvest, the time has come when The Lord shall gather together His "pleasant fruits," and store them in heaven. The feast of ingathering is at hand, the time when the year shall begin anew, an unchanging cycle, like the years of the right hand of The Most High.