DO THAT HE BIDS THEE by Gertrude E. Judson

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 25, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 46.

DO THAT HE BIDS THEE.

By Gertrude E. Judson

BY GERTRUDE E. JUDSON.

"In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good." Eccl. 11:6.

It was only a little garden The Master gave to her hand, Though she longed with a great heart longing For many acres of land; For she longed to raise for her Master Sweet blossoms, both rich and rare, Not a paltry few, but numbers great, All fragrant and pure and fair.

The Master looked down on her kindly, For her heart was right, he knew; But to some are given great numbers, To many are given but few. And one of the seeds that he gave her Seemed fresh, and it promised fair, And she planted it with the others, And watered them all with care.

And this seed repaid her care and love, And its leaves grew fresh and green, But in vain she looked for bud or bloom— Leaves, only leaves to be seen. Impatient she grew with the tardy plant; Oh, where are the blooms that should be? I've wasted my love and time and care, For flowers I never shall see.

So from her garden she plucked it up, This plant with leaves but no bloom, And tossed it out of her way aside, For fairer plants to make room. All faint and scorched by the burning sun, All bruised and riven and sore, It longed in vain for the hand it loved That had watered it o'er and o'er.

The Master came into the garden To look at his plants so fair; He missed the plant with nothing but leaves, Where never a bloom was there. There was the hole in the damp brown earth, Where the roots had burrowed deep. But, "Oh, where is the plant?" the Master said, "The plant that I gave you to keep?"

"Thy work was to water, care, and keep; The increase to give is mine; Do thou thy task, whether blossom fair Or only the leaves be thine."