Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-08-07
DR.. TALMAGESl SERMON.
THE GARDEN OF THE CHURCH.


faultless rhythm, and bold imagery, and
startling antithesis, and rapturous lyric, and
sweet pastoral, and instructive narrative, and
devotional 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 imprisoned 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 judg.
ment into its garlands, and pours eternal
,harmonies into its rhythm Everything this
book touches it 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 diapason Of
storm and whirlwind, and Job leading forth
Orion, Arcturus and the Pleiades.
Ny 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 decreeing that they
be established all through the realm-de-
Gliding even the names of the flowers to DO
planted there. Henry w., at Montpelier,
established gardens of bewitching beauty
and luxuriance, gathering into them Alpine
Pyrenean and French plants. One Of the
sweetest spots on earth was the garden of
Shsnstone, the poet His writings have made
but little impression on tho world, but his
garden, The Seasons, 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 GROWING. Oak and yew and hazel put
forth their richest foliage. There was no life
more diligent, no soul more ingenious than
that of Shenstone, and all that diligence, and
genius he brought to the adornment of
that one treasured spot He gave R3O0 for
it; he sold it for 9l7,00O. And yet am
to tell you to-day of a richer garden than
any ] have mentioned 1t is the garden
spoken of in my text, the garden of the
church which belongs to Christ, for my text
owns it, and He shall have it. Walter Scott,
in his outlay at Abbotsford, ruined his for
tune, and now, in the crimson flowers of
those gardens, you can almost think OF imag-
inc that you see the blood of that old mans
broken heart. The payment of the last 91O0,-
500 pounds sacrificed him. But have left
to tell you that Christ's life and Christ's
death were the outlay of this beautiful gar
den Of the church of which my text speaks.
Oh, how many signs, and tears, and pangs,
and agonlesl Tell me, ye women who saw
Him hang. Tell me, ye executioners who
lifted Him and let him down. Tell me,
thou sun that didst hide, ye rocks that fell.
for it" IL the garden Of the church belongs
to Christ, certainly He has right to walk
in it. Come then, Oh 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 q garden, because it is place
OF choice flowers, of select fruits and of
thorough irrigation. That would be strange
garden in which there were no flowers If
nowhere else, they would be along the bor-
ders or at the. gateway. The homeliest taste
will Dictate something, il it be the old-fash-
Toned hollyhock, or dahlia, or daffodil, or
coreopsis: but if there be larger means, then
you will find the Mexican cactus, and dark
veined arbutelion, and blazing aZalea, and
clustering oleander. Well, now, Christ comes
to his garden and be plants there some OF the
brightest spirits that ever Powered upon the
world. Some of them are violets, unconspic-
uous,, 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 in
valid, and the sprig of geranium on the
stand, and the new window curtains
keeping out the glare of the sun
light. They are, perhaps, more like
the ranunculus, creeping sweetly along
amid the thorns and briars of life, giving
kiss for sting, and many man who has had
in his way some great black rock of trouble,
have found that they have covered tall over
with nowery Jessamine running in and out
amid the crevices. These Christians in
Christ's garden are not like the suDfiower,
gaudy in the light, but whenever darkness
movers over soul that needs to be comforted
there they stand-night-bloomi cereuses.
Butin Christs garden there are plants that
may be better compared to the Mexican cac-
tus-thorns 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 all their sharpnesses. Many
man has had very hard ground to cult
vate, and 1t has only been through severe
trial he has raised even the smallest crop Of
grace very harsh minister was talking
to q very placid elder, and the placid elder
said to the harsh minister: 'Doc-
tor l do wish you would control
your temper" "Ah," said the minister to
the elder: 81 control more temper in five
minutes than You do in five years" 1t is
harder for some men to do right than for
other men to do right. The grace that would
elevate you to the seventh heaven might not
keep your brother from knocking a man
down. bad friend who came to me and
said: u dare not join the church." said
"Whyp "Oh," he said, ~ have such a vio-
lent temper. Yesterday morning l was cross
ing very early at the Jersey City ferry and
saw milkinan pour large amount Of water
into the milk can and said to him, 4 think
that will do and he insulted me and
knocked him down. Do you think ought
to join the church.n Neveri heless, thak very
same man who was so harsh in his behavior
loved Christ, and could not speak of sacred
things without tears of emotion and affec-
ton. Thorns without but sweetness within
tho best specimen of Mexican cactus l ever
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's garden
who are always radiant, always impressive
more like the roses of deep hue that we oc-
casionally find, called giants Of battle
the Martin Luthers. st. Pauls, Crysostoms,
Wickliffes, Latimers and Samuel Ruther-
fords What in other men is a 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 a Pentecost When they fight
1t is ThermopylR. When they die it is
martyrdoIn You find great many roses
In the gardens, but only a few giants of
battle" Men say: "Why don't you have
more OF them in the churchY' / say, ''Why
don't you have in the world more Humboldts
AMI Wellingtons" God gives to some ten
talents; to others, one
In this garden Of the church which Christ
has planted also find the snowdrops, beau
tiful but cold-looking, seemingly another
phase OF winter. l mean those Christians
who are precise in their tastes, unimpas.
stoned, pure as snowdrops and as cold. They
never shed any tears, they never get excited,
they never say anything rashly, they never
do anything precipitately. Their pulses
never futtsr. their nerves never twitch, their