The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-11
REV. DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMONS
A Characteristic Discourse on "The
Voices Of Gardens and Fields"
The Campfire Plant as Typical of Christ
An Eloquent Plea in Behalf of Solomon's
Song-RestOrativ Powers Of Grace

dt Il ne damptons, MS SUBJECT Oelng, " OicSS
OF Gardens and Fields" Following is
the first sermon in the series. preached to day,
/ from the text:
| My beloved is unto cluster of campfire in
the vineyards of En-ged.-Song of Solomon, l., Ia.
"Solomous Song has been considered by
many as fit only for moonstruck sentimentalists;
written by a voluptuary, the story of man
crazed by fair maiden fit neither for family
prayers nor for church. Indeed we must admit
that there were years in Solomon's life when he
had several hundred more wives than he was en-
titled to; but he repented of his sin, and God
chose him to write some of the best things about
| Christ that have ever been written. Besides
that, / think the criticism of modern times upon
! the immodesty of the Bible comes with poor
| grace from century in which the writings of
| George Sand come to their fortieth edition. and
Christians cannot get to the prayer meeting be-
cause they have tickets for places of amusement
so depraved that they make the BLACK Crook
respectable I think, however, as far as can
see, in my stupidity that there are things
turned out upon the community to-day that bid
fair to do more damage than the Song of Solo
| mon.
l. Hear, now. one of his fresh and fair descrip-
tons of Jesus. If l had twenty years to preach
| 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 many symbols
| of Jesus that have never been discoursed upon.
| Why should we employ all our time examin
ing few lilies, when the Bible is great garden
] filled with fuchsias, and with Gafodils, ana with
amaranths, and with evening prmroses for the
close of life's day, and crocuses at the foot
| of the snowbank of sorrow, and heartsease
| for the troubled, and passion-howers planted
at the foot OF cross, and morning glorles
| spreading out under the slendors of the
breaking day2 Some years ago / discoursed
| to you about ''the white hairs of Jesus" and
some of the newspapers supposed it was mere
| fancy of my own--the poor fools not knowing
the Bible speaks of Christ: ellis head and His
| hairs were white like wool, as 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
| places. From shelving of the mountain, 400
| feet high, waters came down in beautiful bap-
| tism the faces of the leaves the grapes intox-
| icate with their wine pomegranates with
juices bursting from the rind; all frnits and flow
| ers, and aromatic woods-among the sweetest of
| these the campfire plant of the text. It's flow
ers are in clusters like lilac-graceful, fra
| grant. symbolcal of Jesus; for my beloved is
! unto cluster of campfire from the vine
| yards of En- gedi."
The name of Caesar means power; the name
| of Herod means cruelty the name of Alexander
means conquest; the name of Demosthenes
| means eloquence; the lame of Milton means
| poetry; the name of Benjamin West means paint.
| ing the name of Phidias means sculpture; the
name of Beethoven means music; the name of
| Howard means reform; but the name of Christ
means love. 1t is the sweetest name that ever
melted from lip or heart. AS you 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; there are hun
dreds of hearts here which, if opened would
| first offer to you the name of Jesus.
But how shall / talk of the sweetness of
| Christs pardon to those who have never felt it;
of the sweetness of his comfort to those who
have refused his promise; of the sweetness of his
| face to those who have turned their back upon
| his love2 Now, great many people may think
| this Is merely sickly sentimentalism. Jonathan
] Edwards was a cool man. He was harsh in
some of his opinions he was never afflicted with
/ any sentimental ardor; and yet. when the name
| of Christ was mentioned it threw him into
transport Paul was cool ogician, with nerves
mistaken in the Mediterranean shipwreck-a
| granite nature. comfortable with the whole
| world against him, shaking his fist in the face of
the governments of earth and the forces
of darkness y yet the thought of
| Christ thrilled him, transported him, over
| whelmed him. John Knox was unbending
| in his nature, and hard in some respects. The
fash of his indignation made the Queen SILVER
| and the Duchess quake; yet he sat down as a
| little child at the feet of Jesus. Solomon was
surrounded by all palatial splendor-hs ships
| going out from Ezion- geber on voyages OF three
| years. bringing back all the wonders of the
world; his parks afiOat with myrrh and franklin
| cense and a-rustle with trees brought from for
| eign lands the traces of his stupendous gardens
| found by the traveller at this day. Solomon sits
down in this place to think of Christ the alto
| gether lovely and the altogether fair; and whilst
! seated. there comes breath of the spices and
aromatic woods, and of the blossoms, in through
| the palace window, aud he cries out, MY be-
| loved is unto me a cluster of campfire from
| the vineyards of En- gedi"
| But remark further: This campfire plant of
the text was a symbol of Christ in the fact that
| il gives coloring From the Mediterranean to
| the Gauges the people of the East gathered it.
| dried the leaves, pulverized them and theE used
them as dye for identifying garments or their
| own persons It was that fact that gave the
camphire- plant of the text it's commercial value
| in the time of Kine Solomon type of my Lord
| Jesus, who beauties, and adorns, and colors
| everything He touches.
have no faith In that mans conversion whose
religion does not color his entire life. 1t was
| intended to do. If a man has the
grace of God in his heart it ought to show
itself in the life. There ought to be this
! cluster of campfire" in the ledger. in the
roll of government securities in the medical
| prescription, in the law book. A religion is of
| no value to a merchant unless it keeps him
| from putting false labels on his goods; to the
| pasterer, unless 1t keeps him from putting up
ceiling when he knows it will crack in six
months; or to the driver, unless it keeps him
| from flashing his horses to eight miles an hour
| when the thermometer is at 90o; or to the farm.
| or, unless it keeps him from putting the only
sound pippins on the top of the barrel or to the
| shoemaker unless it keeps him from substitut-
| ing brown paper for good leather IN the soles.
In other words, the religion of Christ is good for
everything or it is good for nothing. The grace
of God never affects us by piecemeal. If the heart
! is changed the head is changed, aud the liver is
changed, and the spleen is changed, and the
hands are changed, and the feet are changed
and the store is changed and the house
is changed and everything over which the man
| has any influence comes to a complete and radi-
cal change. The religion of the Lord Jesus
| Christ is not pot of hyacinth to be set in par
lor bay window for passers by to look at. and to
be examined only by ourselves when We have
company; but it is to be perfume filing ell the
of heart "a clusfer of camnhira frnnn