Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-07-30
lR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE GARDEN OF TIE CHURCH.

mons OOnBt Nst 1.
The Bible is great poem; we have in It
faultleSS rhythm, and bold imagery, and
startling antithesis, and raptuTous lyric, aud
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 Iante; more natural than that
of Wordsworth; more impas med 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 ludg-
mont into its garlands, and pours eternal
barmonies into its rhythm. Everything this
book touches it makes beautiful, from the
plain stones of the summer threshing floor to
the daugh' ers of Major filling the trough for
the camels, and the fsh-pools OF Heshbon up
TO the Pa mist praising God with diapason Of
storm and whirlwind, and Job leading forth
Orion, Arcturi and the Pie AIDES.
My 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 decre9ing that they
be established all through the Tealm-de-
Gliding even the names Ct the flowers to be
planted there. Henry ~, at Montpelier,
established gardens of bewitching beauty
and luxuriance, gathering into them Alpine,
Pyrenean and French plants One of the
sweetess spots on earth was the garden of
Slenstone, the poet. His writings have made
but little impression on tie world, but his
garden, The Seasons, will be immortal. 70
the natural advantage of that place was
brought the perfection OF art. Arbor and
terrace ami slope aud rustic temple and
reservoir aud urn and fountain here had
their crowning Oak and yew and hazel put
forth their richie t foliage. There was no life
more diligent, no soul more ingenious than
that of Shenstone, ard all that diligence, and
genius he brought to the adornment of
that one treasured spot. He gave E3O0 for
it; he sold it for El7 900. And yet l am
to tell you to-day of a richer gar den than
any l have mentioned. 1t is the garden
spoken of in my text, the garden of tie
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 at Abbotsford, ruined his for
tune. and now, in the crimson flowers of
those gardens, you can almost think or imag-
inc that you see the blood of that old mans
broken heart. The payment of the last Gl00,-
600 pounds sacrificed him. But l have left
t. tell you that Christ'S life and Clrist's
death were the outlay Of this beautiful gar
den of the church of which my text speaks
Oh, how many sighs and tears, and pangs,
AMI agonicsI 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 hile, We rocks that fell.
"Christ loved the Church and gave himself
for it, If 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 aud down these aisleS, and pluck
what Thou wilt of sweetness lor Thyselt
The church, in my text, is aOpropriat aly
compared TO garden, because it is a pla e
Of choice flowers, of select fruits and of
thorough irrig aSion. That would lie a strange
garden in which there were no flowers. Ii
nowhere else, thoy would be along the Dor
ders or at tho gateway. The homeliest taste
will dictate something, if it be the oll-fash-
Toned hollyhock, or dahlia, or dafICdil, or
coreopsis; but if there be larg n means, then
you will find the Mexican ca ctus, AMI dark
veined arbutelion, and blazing q alea and
clustering o!eander. Well, now, Christ comes
to his garden and he 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 seq them
very often, perhaps, but you find where they
have been by the frightened face of the in
valid, and tho 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 thorrs 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 it all over
amid the crevices. 1hese Christians in
Christs garden are not like the suDiower
gacdy in the light, but whene, or DARKNESS
hoverS over a soul that needs to be comforted
there they stand-nigh tbooming cereuses
But in Christs garden thare are plants that
may be letter compared to the Mexican cac-
tuS-thorDS without; lovelineSS within-men
with sharp points of character. They wound
almost every one that touches them. They
are hard 10 handle. Men pronounce them
nothing but III lrns, but Christ loves then,
notwith stan ling all their sharpneSses. Many
man has had II very hard ground to Guilt
vate, and it has only been through severe
trial he has raise1 even the smallest crop of
grace. A very harsh minister wal talking
to very PLACID! elder, and the placid elder
said to the harsh minis err: doc
=, tor, / do wish you would control
your temper" "Ah," said the min ster tt
the elder, 81 control more temper in five
minutes than you do in five years" 1t il
harder for some men to do right than fol
other men to do right The grace that would
elevate you to the seventh heaven might mo-
keep your brother from knocking q MAJ
down. Rad friend who came to me anC
said: III dare not join tle church." said
why" "Oh, he slid, II have such vic
lent temper. Yesterday morning was cross
ing very early ct the Jersey City ferry ant
saw a milkman pour a la ge amount Of waite
into the milk can IN l said to him, Il tn n
that will do and he irsIlted me and
knocked him down Do you think | ough
to join tie chur, l." Never heless, that YER
sar man who was so harsh in his behaviO
loved Chri-t, and could not speak of acre
things without tears of emotion and atie(
ton. Thorns without but sweetness With
the best specimen Of Mexican cactus l eve
saw.
There are others planted in Christ's garde
who are always radiant, always impressive
more like the roses of deep hue that we oC
casionally find, called giants of battls"-
the Martin Luthers, st. Pauls Crysostoms
Wickliffes, Latimers and Samuel Ruther
fords. What in other meA is a spark, i
them is conhag grafton. When they sweat
they sweat great DROPS Of blood. When the
pray, their prayer takes fire. When the
pea b it is Pentecost. When they figh
it is Thermopyle.o When they die it is
martyrdom. You find great many rose
in the gardens, but only few giants G
battle" Men say: "Why don't you hay
more of them in the church!n l say, "Wh
don't you have in the world more Humboldt
AM Wellingtons" God gives to some te
talents; to others, one.
In this garden of the church which Chris
has planted l also find the snowdropi, beat
tiful but col1-looking, seemingly anothe
phase of winter | mean thoSJ Christian
who are precise in their tastes, unimna
stoned, pure as snowdrops and as coli. The
never shed any tears, they never get excite
they never say anything rashly, they neve
do nything precipitately. Their pulse
never ilutt4r. their nerves never twitch, thei
Indignation never boils over. They liv
longer than most people; hut their life is
minor key They never run up to abov
the staff. In their musi, of life they have n
staccato passages. Christ planted them i
the church and they must be of some servic
or til " would not be there; snowdrops, a
ways snowdrops.
But | have not told you of the most beauti
full fowerin all this garden spoken of in tn
text. Ii you see Century" plant YOU
nrnnt0n OF rtnd Won ttNVhnt II,