d hang their heads,
like the dear flowers in your bouquet?

And if people sought their refreshment among all those sweet and
wholesome things, conversation would no longer be the difficult and the
dry thing it is in many a company. There would be something to talk
about worth talking of; and men of sense would venture to talk sense,
even to women; and gossip would go down. How much more interesting is
a butterfly, than the curtains of the house across the way!--

The world is full of joys and pleasures and wonders, even yet, outside
of Eden. So full that as I said, you can only begin to taste them all,
in all your life. I think it is stated that no ordinary life-term
would suffice for the thorough study of merely the great family of
orchids. And all these things which I have named (the list is really
much longer), yes, every one of them, rightly used, will ennoble you,
and build you up, and refresh you, with every time of using. Not like
the snail which crawled up three feet every day and fell back two feet
every night: onward and upward shall be your course; with soul and body
and mind re-created, restored by right means, to right ends. Only make
one rule to yourself: where anything is doubtful, let it alone.

If you tell me I do not know the fascination of these other things, I
tell you that I do; and in one line at least have known it as deeply as
any one could. But I have also known, that with the coming of Christ
into my heart, with the new knowledge of his presence, the old taste
fell dead in a moment, and never arose again. I cannot say it was not
much to give up, for it was _nothing_. The former fascination fell
off, like the dry skin of a chrysalis when the butterfly spreads its
wings. And here we reach the very point of the whole difficulty. For
with all their crosses, privations, and givings-up, the Lord's people
are not meant to dwell in any land of darkness or of drought. Listen
to some of the promises.

"The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands
shall be stronger and stronger." [3]

"They go from strength to strength." [4]

"They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." [5]

For why?

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength." [6]

I believe the words are true for the body as for the mind. It is
nowhere promised that you shall not be tired; but so waiting, so
living, so abiding by the head waters of all strength, the most lovely,
fresh, ever-renew