The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-08-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Second Discourse of the Series on
"Voices of Gardens and Fields"
The Church Militant as the Garden Of
Christ-Its Labors, Fruits and Flowers
Heroic Laborers-The Voice
of the Gardener.

OF the Gardener
Rev, T. Dewitt Talmage delivered the
second of his series of discourses on
"voices of Gardens and Fields" at "The
Hamptons," taking for his text:
am come into my garden.-solomon's
Song, WI.
He said: The Bible is great poem. We
have in its faultless rhythm, and hold inn
agery, and startling antithesis, and rap
turous lyric, and sweet pastoral, and in
structive narrative, and devotional psalm,
thoughts expressed in style more solemn
than that of Montgomery, more bold than
that of Milton, mere terrible than that Of
Dante, more natural than that Of Words
worth, more impassioned than that of
Pollok, 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 it weaves the
flames of judgment into its garlands, and
pours eternal harmonies in its rhythm.
beautiful, from the plain stones of the
summer threshing floor to the daughters
of Nabor filling the trough for the camels,
and the fish-pools of Heshbon up to the
Psalmist praising God with diapason of
storm and whirlwind, and Job leading
forth Orion, Arcturus and Pleiades.
My text leads US into scene of summer
<edolence. The world has had a great
many beautiful gardens. Charlemagne
added to the glory of his reign by decree
ing that they be established all through
the realm-deciding even the names of the
flowers to be planted there. Henry ~, at
Montpelier, established gardens of be-
witching beauty and luxuriance, gather
ing into them Alpine, Tyrenean 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 this place was
brought the perfection Of art. Arbor, and
terrace, and slope, and rustic temple, and
reservoir, and urn and fountain here had
their browning. Oak and yew and hazel
put forth their richest foliage. There was
no life more diligent, no soul more in
genious than that of Shenstone, and all
that diligence and genius he brought to
the adornment of that one treasured spot.
He gave $1,000 for it; he sold it for $S5, 900.
And yet am to tell you to-day of richer
garden than have mentioned.
1t is the garden spoken of In. my text,
the garden of the church, which belongs
to Christ, for my text says so. He bought
it, he planted it, he owns it. and he shall
have it. Walter Scott in his outlay al
Abbotsford, 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 payment of the last 5000
sacrificed him. But / have to tell YOU
that Christ's life and Christ's death were
the outlay Of this beautiful 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 hangl Tell me, ye executioners
who lifted him and let him down! Tel
ME, thou sun that didst hide; ye rocks
that fell! '.Christ loved the church and
gave himself for it." If the garden of the
church belongs to Christ, certainly he haa
right to walk in it. Come, then, @
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 garden, because tits q placs
of choice flowers, of select fruits, and o.
thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden in which
there were no flowers. II nowhere else
they would be along the borders or at tn.
gateway. The homeliest taste will dictat,
something, If it be the old -fashioned holly,
hook, or dahlia, or daffodil; but il there b.
larger means, then you will find the Next
can cactus. and blazing azalea, and clus
tering oleander. Well, now Christ come
to bis garden, and he plants there some o
the brightest spirits that ever foweret
upon the world. Some Of them are violets
unconspicuous, but sweet as heaven. Yo,
have to search and find them. You do no
see them very often, perhaps, but you fin,
where they have been by the brightene.
face OF the invalid, and the sprig of ger
anium on the stand, and the new window
curtains keeping out the glow of the sun
light. They are, perhaps, more like tn
ranunculus, creeping sweetly along ami,
the thorns and briars Of life, giving kis
for sting; and many a man who has ha,
In his way some great black rock o
trouble, has found that they have covere,
1t all over with the fowery jessamine run
ming in and out amid the crevices. Thes
flowers in Christ's garden are not like sun
flowers, gaudy in light, but whereve
darkness hovers over a soul that needs t
be comforted, there they stand, night
blooming cereuses. But in Christ's garde
there are plants that may be bet
ter compared to the Mexica
castus-thorns without, loveliness within
men with sharp points of character. The,
wound almost every one that touche
them. They are hard to handle. Me
pronounce them nothing but thorns, bu
Christ loves them notwith standing a.
their sharpnesses. Many man has ha,
avery hard ground to cultivate, and
has only been through severe trial he ha
raised even the smallest scrape of grace.
A very harsh minister was talking to
very placid elder, and the placid elder sal
to the harsh minister:
doctor, do wish you would contrc
your temper"
"Ah," said the minister to the elder. +"
control more temper in 1--WE minutes tina,
you do in five years."
It is harder for some men to do riph