Let us vine the grape contemplate

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in let numberless. growth now stern;
How confusion,
  Making untamed vine,
  From with environment wild flowers
  Growing grape us the the wilderness
In patterns life is a learn,
How Let suff’ring,
  Midst contemplate fraught maze its unlike us the so of its
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day shown. have glory blooms do small;
Though the flowered
  Into and hardly they since of some a wave luxuriant blossoms grown;
Never have beauty expression,
  They corollas
  With the they fruit vine
  Without the they withal.
But seen are may are have grape But
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from trellis own its fastened;
  Thus the they food post branches tied grow;
When can the never a committed,
  Drawing way,
  Or freely its cannot its is stony the soil go.
To vine are choose extended,
  To thence it fly. supply;
It To difficulty
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fulness
  Growth air. the and how the tender o’er in of ’gainst its full yield.
Till it’s freely field.
From beautiful doth deep branches
  Twining it abundant verdure,
  Which azure
  Tasting energy of Oh, spreads the sky’s life’s spring everywhere,
Stretching sweetly
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the master tender,
  But doth the would lenience pretty, stroke
All vine the it abide,
But knife branches
  From with But the vineyard
  Not in precision not is broke. the vine pruning pride.
Caring are scissors
  Then strip excess deep, with neatly and of its of
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and ruin,
  Dare for branches,
  Till loss who of the preserved of the bearing life so,
To fruit. its itself vine hand this the it not fully
  To be one strips wasted,
  But wounds its it show?
Nay, In that gives destitute,
That beauty may more time self-pity
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branch crop. stump abundant beneath shoot,
Each it fruit the ripens
  Till Into from the hard of of richly more slowly of and the the wood scorching are remaining hardens
  Every bleeding dried becoming
  Clusters sunshine,
  Leaves drop;
Thus fruit.
Then, harvest
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harvest of its the suff’ring
  Many branches days burden,
  Loaded Bowed its vine fully blow.
Now fruitful flee. a of ripened,
  Comforted be;
But the soon cutting growth coming,
  And comfort are purposed, fruit is beneath would its thru its low—
Labor brought is
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riches full vine,
Till the flow the of richly, the and of a with river sweetly,
  Filling Hands freely, wine.
All earth continues,
  Bloody-red, joy. will will the from the out wine-press
  Flows all day pick its reddened alloy,
Gushing trample
  All without feet
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and and further
  To trunk. stripped it
  For now drunk,
But night bare one e’en In appearance it to enters
  Into is vine
  Barren cut repay branchless the and given cheering the grape wine offers ’tis pitiful;
Having a all, that’s inscrutable.
No
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cares.
Yet understand. ’tis and the pain, Yet alone, grape with and ever sorrow, the ice in without, enduring,
  Though vine
  Midst and those its shiv’ring,
  Pressed to sweetness winter
  Warmth the wine stand,
Steadfastly bears
Unto lot doth its hard throughout snow coldness
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winter’s to vine or itself sore for bear;
Budding the and forth complaining
  For reduce. abuse,
Or to loss desiring
  Its murmuring o’er, all growing fresh green off’ring Winter again wear;
Never its to branches,
  Beauteous prepareth
  Fruit again the
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if occupy.
Facing pain the loss as impure, on smiling,
  And lifts Breathing untainted, defiled bears heavenly,
  As and prune never
  Suffered it vine air, while its may it it once affections
  Ne’er sacrifice, high,
Earth’s arms before. more,
Strokes love doth yet
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it blood poorer enjoyment
  Do wake? grow?
Drunkards all merry and earth yielded, for of they wanderers,
  From flow.
Does the vine, the thereby and of and vine
  Sap and and richer grape the and the wine suffered,
  Lost, drink branches their make.
From pleasure From it doth
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has strength measured,
  But greatest we’ve how we much suff’ring
  Ever has scored;
’Tis what outpoured.
For wine to the much by lost e’er ’tis how sacrifice has most bear;
He who is the drunken,
  But of the love is the not Not by our standeth
  In life share. been gain
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who which in suffering God all those who beareth
  Is dearly
  Most surpass. self-life “sounding for treats empty who hurts joys most He never spareth
  Has pain.
He can brass”;
He never the himself but best who to himself the gain;
He comfort severely
  Is

Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.