St. Landry democrat., 1886-07-24
1ALMAGE'S SERMON.
Opening of a Series on the "Voices
of the Gardens and Fields"
Subjects Suggested by the Preachers sun-
mer Ramblings-The Campfire Plant
40 Typical of Christ-The Re-
storatlve Power of Grace.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage opened a new
series of sermon on special topics at
"'The Hamptons." N. Y, on a recent Sab
bath, the "Voices of the Gardens n
Fields'' being the theme. His text was:
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of cam
phire IN the whey ards of En- ~gedi.-Song OF
Solomon, t., II.
"Solomou's Song' has been considered
by many as fit only for moonstruck senti-
mentalists; written by a voluptuary; the
story Of a man crased by a fair maiden;
fit neither for family prayers nor for
church. Indeed we must admit that there
were Years in Soiomon's life when he had
several hundred more wives than he was
entitled to; but he repented of his sin, and
God chose him to write some of the best
things about Christ that nave ever been
written. Besides that, I think the criti-
cism Of modern times upon the immodesty
OF the Bible comes with poor grace from a
century in which the writings of George
Sand come to their fortieth edition, and
Christians can not gett to the prayer meet
ing because they have tickets for places of
amusement SO depraved that they make
the "Black Crook" respectable. 1 think,
however, as far as I can see, in my stupid
Ity, that there are things turned out upon
the community to-day that bid fair to do
more damage than the Song of Solomon.
Hear, now, one of his fresh inc fair de-
scriptions of Jesus. II 1 had twenty
years TO preach I would like to employ ten
of Them in bringing out to observation
those representations Of Christ that have
as yet been passed by. | do not know why
the pulpit should hover over a few types
of Christ when there are so many symbols
of Jesus that have never been discoursed
upon. Why should we employ eur time
an examining q few lilies, when the Bible
is a great garden filed with fuchsias, and
with daffodils, and with a~maranths, and
with evening primroses for the close of
LIES day, and crocuse at the foot of the
snow bank Of sorrow, and heartsease for
the troubled. and passion flowers planted
at the foot of a cross, and morning glories
spreading out under the splendors of
the breaking daya Some years g I dis
coursed to you about sthe white hairs of
Jesus" and some Of the newspapers sup
posed it was a mere fancy Of my own-the
poo fools not knowing that in Revela-
tions, the first and fourteenth, the Bible
speaks of Christ:
His head and His hairs were white like
wool. rs white as snow
symbolizing the eternity of Jesus.
Terraced on the side of the mountain
were the vineyards Of En-gedi. Oh, they
were sweet placesl From a shelving of
the mountain, four hundred feet high,
waters came down in beautiful baptism ON
the faces of the leaves; the grapes intoxi-
cate with their wi wine: pomegranates
with juices bursting from the rind; all
fruits and flowers and aromatic woods
among the sweetest Of these the campfire
plant of the text. Its flowers are In
clusters like our liiac-graceful, fragrant,
symbolical of Jesus; for
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of
campfire from the vineyard of En- gedi.
win carry out the idea of my text, and
in the first place show you that this
campfire plant of the text was a symbol
of Christ, because of its fragrance. If I
had a branch Of it and should wave it in
your midst, it would fill all the house with
its redolence. The campfire, as we have
1t, is off ensive to someI but the campfire
plant of the text had a fragrance gracious
to all. The vineyards of En-gedi bathed
in 1.-THE branches, the buds, the blossoms,
dripping with sweetness, typical Of the
sweetness of Christ.
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believers ear!
1t soothes his sorrows, heals his wo n /
And drives away his fear.
The name of Cesar means power; the
name of Herod means cruelty; the nam
of Alexander means conquest; the name
of Demosthenes means eloquence; the
MARIE OF Milton means poetry; the. name
of Benjamin West means painting; the
name of Phidias means sculpture; the
name Of Beethoven means music; the nan
of Howard means reform; but the name
of Christ means love
1t is the sweetest name that ever melted
from lip or heart. As o open an old
chest that has long been closed, the first
thing that strikes you is the perfume of the
herbs that were packed amid the clothing;
SO there are hundreds of hearts here which,
If opened, would first offerto you the name
of Jesus. Have you not seen Him? Through
the dark night of your sin has he not
flashed upon your vision? Beautiful when
he comes to help, beautiful when he comes
to save. A little child was crying very
much during the time of an eclipse. It
got 90 dark at noon that she was afraid
and kept sobbing, and could not be ST.
until after awhile the sun came out
again, and she clapped her hands, and
said: 90, the sun! the sunn Some Of
s1s have been in the darkness of our sin;
eclipse after eclipse has passed over our
soul: but after awhile the Sun Of Right
poured his beams upon our
hearts, and we cried: "The SUM
the sunlD Beautiful dawn in the
straw of the Bethlehem khan!
Beautiful in His mothers shawl,
a fugitive to Egypt! Beautiful with his