Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-12
A SCENE OF SUMNER.
DIR. TALNAGE CONTINUES HIS SERIES W
HOLIDAY DISC0URSES
The Bible a Great FaulASsS POsm-Ths
Garden of Life, It's Flowers and
Fruits Revealed in De-
hghtfal Discourse.
Ts,eoram to ae Register.


ing his series of Rural Sermons, entitled,
''Voices of Gardens and Fields" F" the Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage, D. D., to-day
preached from the Song of Solomon, ch. V,
vi: 81 am come into my garden" He
said:
The Bible is great poem. We have in
it faultless rhythm, and bold imagery, md
startling antithesis, and rapturous lyric,
and sweet pastoral, and instructive MARIA
tive, and devotional psalm; thoughts ex-
pressed in style more solemn than that of
Montgomery, more bold than that OF Mill
ton, more terrible than that of Dante, more
natural than that of Wordsworth, more i'm
passioned than that of Pollock, more tender
than that of Cowper, more weird than that
of Spencer. This great poem brings
oil the gems of the earth into its coronet,
and it weayes the flames Of Judgment into
its garlands, and pOuEs eternal harmonies
in its rhythm. Everything this book
touches it makes beautiful, from the plain
stones of the summer threshing floor to the
daughters of Nahor filling the trough for
the Camels; and the fish pools of HeshbOn
M to the Psalmist praising God with dis
passion of storm and whirlwind, and job
leading forth Orion, Arcturus and the Pie
iades.
NV text leads us into
SCENE OF SUMMER
redolence. The world has had great
many beautiful gardens. Charlemagne
added to the glory of his reign by decree
inc that they be established all through the
realm-deciding even the names OF the
flowers to be planted there. Henry w., at
Montpelier, established gardens Of bewitch-
ing beauty and luxuriance, gathering
! into them Alpine. Pyrenean
and French plants. One Of the
sweetest spots on earth was the garden OF
ShenstOne, the poet. His writings have
made but little impression on the world;
but his garden, "The LeasOwes," will be
immortal. To the natural advantage OF
that place was brought the perfection OF
art. ArbOr, and terrace, and slope, and
rustic temple, and reservoir, and urn and
| fountain here had their crOwning. Oak
| and yew and hazel put forth their richest
| foliage. There was no life more diligent,
no soul more ingenious than that OF Shcn-
stone, and all that diligence and genius
he brought to the adornment of that one
treasured spot. He gave three hundred
pounds for it; he sold it for seventeen
thousand. And yet am to tell you to-
| day Of
/ A RICHER GARDEN
than any have mentioned. 1t is the gar
/ den spoken of in my text, the garden of
/ the Church, which belongs to Christ, for
nv text says SO. He bought 1t, He plant
ed it, He owns it, and He shall have it.
Walter Scott, in his outlay at Abbotts-
ford, ruined his fortune; and now, in the
crimson flowers of those gardens, you can
almost think or imagine that you see the
blood of that old mans broken heart. The
pavment of the last one hundred thousand
hounds sacrificed him. But have.tO tell
Won that Christ's life and Christ's death
were the outlay ofthiS beautiful garden Of
the Church. of which my text speaks. Oh,
how many Sighs, and tears and pangI, and
agonieS! Tell me, ye women who saw
Him hang! Tell me, We eXeGutiOners who
lifted Him and let Him down. Tell me,
thou sun that didst hide; We rocks that
fell. Christ loved the Church and gave
Himself for it" If tho garden of the
Church belongs to Christ, certainly he has
a right to walk in it. Come, then, o
blessed Jesus, to-day; walk up and down
these aisles, and pluck what thou wilt OF
sweetness for Thyself!
The Church, in my text, is appropriately
compared to a garden, because it is place
of choice flowers, of select fruits, and Of
thorough irrigation.
That
WOULD BE A STRANGE GARDEN
in which there were no flowers. If no.
where else they would be along the borders
or at the gateway. The homeliest taste
will dictate something, if it be the old
fashioned hOllyhoek, or dahlia, or dattodll;
but if there be larger means, then you will
find the Mexican cactus and blazing azalea,
and clustering Oleander. Well, now,
Christ comes to His garden and He plants
there some of the brightest spirits that
ever fowered upon the world. Some OF
them are violets, ulcOnspicuOus, but sweet
"a heaven. You have to search and ind
them. You do not see them very often,
perhaps, but YOU find where they have
been by the frightened face OF
the invalid, and the sprig of geranium
on the stand, and the new window cur
tain keeping out the glow Of the sunlight.
They are, perhaps, more like the renuncu-
lus creeping sweetly along amid the
thorns and briars of life, giving kiss tor
sting; and many man who has had In his
way some great black rock of ftroublc has
found that they have covered 1t all over
with fiowery jcssamine runningin and out
amid the crevices. These flowers in Christ's
garden are not like the sunhOwer, CANDY
in the light, but wherever darkness hover>
over soul that needs to be comforted,
there they stand, night-blooming cereuSes-
But in Christ's garden there are plants that
may be better compared to the Mexican
cactus-thorns without, lOyeliness within
men with sharp points of character. They
wound almost every one thai
touches Othem. They are hard tC
handle. Men pronounce them nothing
hut thOrns, but Christ loves them not
vithstanding all their sharpnesses. Many
l y HAL udS nstSA -
tivate. and it has only been through
severe trial he has raised even the smallest
scrap Of grace. A very harsh minister
was talking to very placid elder, and tht
placid elder said TO the harsh minister
t.Doctor. | do wish you would cOntro
your temper" "Ah," said the minister
TO the elder, ~ control more temper il
five minutes than you do in five years.
1t is harder for some men to do right thar
: for other men to do right The graet
that would elevate you TO the seventh
heaven might not keep your brother from
knocking man down. / had FRIEND
who came to me and said: II dare not joir
the church" Il said: Why" ''0h,
: be said, ~ have such violen
temper. Yesterday morning / wa
crossing very early at tn
Jersey City ferry, and saw q milkmai
: Dour a large amount Of water into tn
milk can, and said TO him: Think tina
D will do and he insulted me, and knock
E ed him down. Do you think ought 3
! ioin the ehurch?'' Nevertheless, that yer.