The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMONS
The Text of the Second of the Rural
Series from the Song of Solomon,
Wherein the Church Is Appropriately Spoken
of as Such-The Flowers, Precious Fruits
and Weeds that 1t Contains.

T. Dewitt Talmage, D. D.. preached from the
song Of Solomon, ch. ", l. II amcome into
my garden" He said:
The Bible is a great poem We have in 1t
faultless rhythm, and bold imagery, and start
ling autithess, and rapturous lyric, and sweet
pastoral, and instructive narrative, and devotion
al psalm; thoughts expressed in style more sol
emn than that of Montgomery, more bold than
that of Milton, more terrible than that of Dante,
more natural than that of Wordsworth, more
impassioned than that of Pollock, more tender
than that of Cowper, more weird than that OF
Spenser. This great poem brings all the gems
of the earth into its coronet and 1T weaves the
flames of judgment into its garlands and pours
eternal harmonies in its rhythm. Everything
this book touches it makes beautiful, from the
plain stones of the summer thrashng floor to
the daughters of Major filing the trough for the
camels; and the fish.pools of Heshbon up to the
Psslmist praising God. with diapason of storm
and whirlwind, and Job leading forth Orion,
Arcturus and the Pleiades.
It is the garden spoken of in my text, the gar
den of the church, which belongs to Christ, for
my text says So He bought it, He planted it,
He owns it. and He shall haveit Walter Scott
in his outlay at Abbo sford ruined his fortune
and now in the crimson flowers of those gardens
you can almost think imagine that you see
the blood of that old mans broken heart. The
payment Of the last 100000 pounds sacrificed
him. But l have to tell you that Chrsts life
and Christs death we're the outlay of this beauti-
full garden of the church. of which my text
speaks. Oh, how many signs, and tears, and
pangs, and agonies Tell me, We women who
saw Him hang! Tell me- We executionsrs who
lifted Him and let Him down. Tell me, thou
sun that didst hide; ys rocks that FELL Christ
loved the church, and gave Himself for it" If
the garden of the church belongs to Christ, GER
tainly He has right to walk in it. Come then.
blessed Jesus, to-day; walk up and down
these aises, and pluck what Thou wilt of sweet
ness for ThySelf
The church, in my text, is appropriately COM
pared to garden, because it is place of choice
flowers, of select fruits, and Of thorough lrriga-
ton.
That would be a strange garden in which there
were no flowers. If nowhere else they would be
along the borders or at the gateway. The home
Hest taste will dictate something, If it be the
oldfashioned holyhock, or dahia, or daffodil;
but if there be larger means, then you will find
the Mexican cactus, the blazing azalea, and
clustering oleander. Woll, now, Christ comes
to His garden, apd He plants there some Of
the brightest spirits that ever Powered upon
the world. Some of them are violets, in
conspicuous but sweet as heaven. You have to
search and find them. You do not see them
very often, perhaps, but you find where they
have been by the frightened face of the invalid,
q
new window-curtains keeping out the glow of
the sunlight. They are, perhaps, more like the
ranunculus creeping sweetly along amid the
thorns and brars of life, giving kiss for sting;
and many a man who has had in his way some
great black rock of trouble, has found that they
have covered it all over with fowery jas
mine running in and out amid the crevices.
These flowers in Christs garden are not like
the sundowers. gaudy in the light. but wherever
darkness hovers over the 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
-Jhorns without. loneliness within; men with
sharp points of character They wound almost
every one that touches them. They are hard to
handle Men pronounce them nothing but
thorns. but Christ loves them notwithstanding
their sharnnnssssss Many nan has had very hard
ground to cultivate and it has only been through
severe trial that he has raised even the smallest
scrap of grace.
There are others planted in Christ's garde,i
who are always radiant, always impressive
more like the roses of deep hue that we
occasionally find called Giants of Bat
Chrysostoms, Wycliffes, Latmers and Samuel
Rutherfords. What in other men is spark, in
them is conhagration. When they sweat,
they sweat great drops of blood When they
pray, their prayer takes fire. When they preach,
it is Pentecost When they fight, it is a
Thermopyl@. When they die, it is martyr
dom, You find good many roses in the gar
dens. but only few "giants of battle" Men
say: ''Why don't you have more of them in the
church, say: "Nhy don't you have in the
world more Humbcldts and Wellingtons" God
gives some ten talents. to another one.
In this garden of the church which Christ has
planted also find the snowdrops beautiful, but
cold-looking, seemingly another phase Of winter
l mean those Christians who are precise in their
tastes, unimpassioned, pure as snowdrops, and
cold. They never shed any tears; they never
get excited; they never say anything rashly
they never do anything precipitately; theirpulses
never futter their nerves never witch their in
dignation never boils over. They live longer
than most people, but their life is in a minor
key. They never run up to SC above the staff
In their music of life they have no staccato pass
sages. Christ planted them in the church. and
they must be of some service or they would not
be there snowdrops. always snowdrops
But have not told you of the most beautiful
flower in all this garden spoken of in the text
If you see century plant your emotions are
startled You say: "Why, this flower has been
a hundred years gathering up for one bloom, and
it will be a hundred years more before other
petals will como out" But have to tell you of
a plant that was gathering up from all eternity
and that nineteen hundred years ago put forth
its bloom never to wither. 1t is the passion
plant of the cross. Prophets foretol' it;
Bethlehem shepherds looked upon it in the
bud; the rocks shook at the bursting, and the
dead got up in their winding-sheets to see its
full bloom 1t is a crimson fower-blood at the
roots, blood on the branches, blood on all the
leaves. Its perfume is to fill all the nations
It's breath is heaven. Come, o winds from the
north. and winds from the south. and winds
from the east. and winds from the west, and
bear to all the earth the sweet-smelling SAVIOR of
Christ, my Lordi
His worth if all the nations knew
Sure the whole earth would love Him too.
Again: The church may be appropriately com
pared to garden, because it is place Of select
fruits. That would be strange garden which
had in it no berries, no plums, or peaches, or
apricots. The coarser fruits are planted in the
orchard or they set out on the sunny hillside;
but the choicest fruits are kept in the garden.
So In the world >outside the church. Christ has
planted great many beautiful things-patience,
charity, generosity integrity but he intends the