Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-07-22
The GARDEN OF THE CHURCH.
DR.. Talmage Continues His Sc
ries of Rural Sermons on
Summer Topics. 1851.
Christ's Chosen Flower Plot
Full Of Spirit Blossoms
of Every Variety.
Some Of the Kinds of Plants to be Found
in the Lords Garden. o..
Special to the Kansas city Times,


Gardens and Fields" the Rev. T. De Witt
Song of Solomon, V. 6: 81 am come into My
garden" he said:
The Bible is great poem. We have in 1t
faultless rhythm and bold imagery, and start
ling antithesis, and rapturous lyric, and sweet
pastoral, and instructive narrative, and deyo-
tional psalm; thoughts expressed in style
more solemn 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
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 cOro-
net and it weaves the flames of Judgment into
its garlands and pours eternal harmonies into
itsrhythm. Everything this book touches 1t
makes beautiful, from the plain stones Of the
summer threshing floor TO the daughters of
Major filling the trough for the camels; and
the fish pools of Heshbon up to the psalmist
praising God with dapasOn of storm and whirl-
wind and Job leading forth Orion, Arcturns
and the Pleiades
RICH GARDENS OF THE WORLD.
Ny text leads us into scene of summer red
olence The world has had great many
beautiful gardens. Charlemagne added to
the glory of his reign by decrceing that they
be established all through the ream-dccd-
ing even the names of the flowers to he planted
there. Henry ~, at Montpelier, established
gardens of bewitching beauty and luXuriancc
gathering into them Alpine, Prycuean and
French plants. One of the sweetest spots on
earth was the garden Of ShenstOnc, the poet.
His writings have made but little impression
on the world; but his garden, "Thc Lea
sowes," will be immortal. To the natural adj
vantage of that place was brought the perfec-
ton of art Arbor and terrace and slope and
rustic temple and reservoir and urn and fOun-
tain here and there browning. Oak and yew
and hazel put forth their richest foliage
There was no life more diligent, no soul more
ingenious than that of Shcnstoue, and all that
diligence and genius he brought to the adOrn-
ment of that one treasured spot He gave $500
for it; he sold it for el7,0OO. And yet am to
tell you to-day Of a richer garden than any
have mentioned.
CHRIsT's CHERISHED FLOWER SPOT.
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 il, He planted
It, He owns 1t, and He shall have IT, Walter
Scott in his outlay at Abbotsforl ruined his
fortune; and now in the crimson flowers OF
those gardens you can almost think or i'm
sagine that you see the blood of that old mans
broken heart The payment of the last
100000 sacrificed him. But | have TO tel
you that Christ's life and Chrlst's death were
the outlay of this beautiful garden of the
church, of which my text speaks, o, how
many signs and tears, and pangS, and az
onleS Tell me ye women, who saw Him hang
Tell me, We eXecutiOncrs who lifted Him anC
let Him down! Tell Inc, thou sun that dds
hide We rocks that fell! Christ loved tn,
church and gave Himself for it, II the gar
: den Of the church belongs to Christ. certainl,
.He has right 10 walk in it. Come, then, {
> blessed Jesus to-day; walk up and down thes,
aisles, and pluck what Thou wilt of sweetnes
for myself The church in my text, is ap
propriately compared to garden, because j
Is a place of choice flowers, OF select fruits
and Of thorough irrigation. That would lie
strange garden in which there were no flowers
II nowhere else they would be along the boz
ders or at the gateway. The homeliest tast
will dictate something, If it be the Old fasl
Toned hOLyhoCk or dahlia, or datfOdil; but
there be larger means, then you will find tn
Mexican cactus, and blazing azalea, and clu,
tering oleander.
SPIRIT BLOSSOMS OF ALL KINDS
Well, now, Christ comes to His garden an
He plants there some of the brightest spirit
that ever Powered upon the world. Some c
them are violets, unconspicuous, but swet
as heaven. You have to search and fin
them. You do not see them very often, pc
haps, but you find where they have been
the frightened face Of the invalid and IL
sprig OF geranium on the stand, and the ne
window curtains keeping out the glow of til
sunlight. They are, perhaps more like Ii
ranunculus, creeping swcotly along amid Il
thorns and briars Of life, giving kiss for stin.
and many man who has had in his way son
great black rock of trouble has found til:
they have covered it all over with lowerv ie
samines running in and out amid the crcvice
These flowers in Christ's garden are not lii
sunfowers gaudy in the light, but WHEREBY
darkness hovers over 4 soul that needs
be ComfOrtcd, there they stand night blOOr
in 'hris At al ha
are plants that may be better compared to Il
Mexican Cactus-thorns without loveline
within-men with sharp points Of charactC
They wound almost every one that touch
them. They are hard to handle Men pr
nounce them nothing but thorns, but Chri
loves them Notwithstanding all their shar
nesses Many man has had a very han
ground to cultivate, and it has only bee
through severe trial he has raised even Il
smallest crop Of grace
THORNS wITHOUT-swEETNESS WITHIN.
A very harsh minister was talking to a vel
placid elder, and the placid elder said TO ii
harsh minister: doctor, do wish YOU won
control you temper "Ah,n said the minist
10 the elder, Il control more temper in fl
minutes than you do in five years. II
harder for some men to do right than (
other men to do right, The grace that Won
elevate you to the seventh heaven might II
keep your brother from knocking man dow
had a friend who came to me and said:
dare not join the church, / said: "Why
'O," he said, II have such violent tempe
Yesterday morning was crossing very ear
at the Jersey City ferry, and | saw milkmi
pour large amount of water into the mi
can, and said to him: Il think that will Dc
and he insulted me. and knocked him dow
Do you think | ought to join the church
Nevertheless that very same man, who was
harsh in his behavior, loved Christ and cou
not speak Of sacred things without tears
emotion and affection. Tborns withou
sweetness within-the best specimen OF Me-
can cactus i ever saw.
There are others planted in Christ's gard
who are always radiant, always impressive
more like the roses of deep hue that we ocC
sionally find called giants of battle;" 4
Martin Luthers, st. Pauls, ChrysOstums, Vic
lifts, Latimers and Samuel Rutherford
What in other men is a spark, in them is
confagration. When they sweat they swe
great drops Of blood. When they pray the
prayer takes fire. When they preach it i:
pentecost. When they fight It is Therm
pyle. When they die 1t is martyrdom. Y
find great many roses in the garden but on
a few giants of battle" Men say: "W
don't you have more Of them in the church
j say: why don't you have in the wor
more HumbOldts and WellingtOnsw G
gives to some ten talents, to another one.
sNOwDROPS IN THE CHURCH.
In this garden of the church which Chr
has planted also find the snOwdrOps bea
tiful but cold looking, seemingly anotf
phase oil winter. l mean those ChliStians W
are precise in their tastes, unimpassionC
pure as suowdrops and as cold. They mex
shed any tears, they never get excited, III
never say anything rashly, they never do al
thing precipitately Their pulses never fl
ter, their nerves never twitch. their lndigl
ton never boils over. They live longer tn
most people, but their life is in a minor k
They never run up to c above the staff.
their music Of life they have no staccatO D
sages. Christ planted them in the chur
and they must be Of some service or II
would not be there; snowdrops, always snc
drops. ..
But have not told you OF the most beat
full flower In all this garden spoken of in
text. II YOU see a century plant your emetiC
are started Yau say, "Why this flower |
been hundred Years gathering up for
bloom, and 1t will be hundred years more
fore other petals will come OUT But b.
TO tell you OF plant that was gathered
from all eternity, and that nineteen hund
years ago put forth its bloom never to will
IL is the passion ant Of the cross Proph
foretold 1t; Bethlehem shepherds looked ul
II in the bud; the rocks shook at its bu
ing; and the dead got up in their windi
sheets TO see its full bloom. II is a Grim
nower--blood at the roots, blood on
branches, blood on all the leaves Its !
fume Is 70 fill all the nations Its breath