St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-05

FIELDS AND FLOWERS.
DR.. Talmage Begins Series Of Rural Ser
mons Entitled Voices of Gardens
and Fields"
The Distinguished Preacher Sees in Mod
ern Life Things More Damaging
Than the Song Of Solomon.
A Discourse on the Campfire Plant,
Which is Graceful. Fragrant and
SymboHca1 of Christ.
Heaven Place of Doxologies, but Not
Dfrges--Banqueting, but No
Funeral Baked Meats.
FIELDS AND FLOWERS.
DIR. Talmase's Sermon.

Dirges-.Banqueting but No
Funeral Baked Meats.
DIR. Talmase's Sermon.
Special to the Globe.
THE HAMPToNs," July Awhile the
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, D. D.. is absent
from his pulpit in Brooklyn and recreating
in the country, he continues to preach. TAX
Ing subjects suggested by summer scenes
and surroundings. and his discourses consti-
tuting a course entitled ''Voices of Gardens
and Fields" Following is the first sermon
eli the series, preached to-day from the text,
my beloved is unto me as a cluster Of cam
phire in the vineyards of Engedi." Song
of Solomon, CHI. i: V. IA. Solomon's song
has been considered by many as fit only for
Hnoonstruck sentimentalists: written by a
volumptuary, the story of man crazed by
a fair maiden; fit neither for family pray
ers nor for church. Indeed, we must adj
nit that there were years in Solomon's
life when he had several hun
dred more wives than he was entitled to;
but he repented of his sin, and God chose
him to write some of the best things about
Christ that have ever been written. Be-
sides that, think the criticism of modern
tunes upon the immodesty of the Bible
comes with poor grace from century in
which the writings of Georges Sand come
to their fOrtieth edition, and Christians
cannot get to the prayer-meeting because
they have tickets for places of amusement
SO deprayed that they make the 'Black
Crook respectable. [ think. however, as
far as can see. in my stupidity, that there
are things turned out upon the community
to-day that bid fair to do more damage
than the song of Solomon. Hear, now,
one Of his
FRESH AND FAIR
descriptions of Jesus. If / had twenty
years to preach l would like to employ ten
of them in bringing out to observation
those representations of Christ that have
SIS vet been passed by. l do not know why
lLe pulpit should hover over few types of
Christ when there are so many symbols of
Jesus that have never been discoursed upon.
Why should we employ all of our time in
examining few lilies when the Bible is a
great garden filled with fuschias, and with
datfodilS, and with amaranthS, and with
evening primroses for the close of life'S
day, and crocuses at the foot of the snow
bank of sorrow, and heartSeaSe for the
troubled, and passlon-fower planted at the
foot ofHa cross and morning glorieS spread
ing out under the Splendors of
the breaking day? Some years ago,
I diScourSed to you about 1.-The white hairs
of Jesus" and some of the newspapers sup
posed it was mere fancy of my own-the
poor fools not knowing that in Revelation,
the first and the fourteenth, the Bible
speaks of Christ, ''his head and his hairs
were white like wool, as white as snow
symbolizing the eternity of Jesus. Ter
raced Oh the side ofthe mountain were the
vineyards of En-gedi. o, they were sweet
places! From shelving of the mountain.
400 feet high, waters came down in beauti-
full baptism on the faces of the leaves; the
grapes intOXicate with their own wine;
pomegranateS with juices bursting from the
find; all
FRUITS AND FLOWERS
and aromatic woods-among the sweetest
of these the camphire-pla OF the text.
Its flowers are in clusters like our lilac
graceful, fragrant, symbolical of Jesus; for
''ny beloved is unto me as a cluster of
campfire from the vineyards of En-gedi."
The grace of God never affects us by piece
meal. If the heart is changed the head is
changed, and the liver is changed, and the
spleen is changed, and the hands are
changed, and the feet are changed, and the
store is changed, and the house Is changed,
and everything over which the man has any
influence comes to a complete and radical
change. The religion of the Lord Jesus
Christ is not pot of hyacinth to be set in
a parlor bay-window for passers-by to look
at, and to be examined only by
ourselves when we have company; but it
is to be a perfume filling all the room of
the heart as "a cluster of campfire from
the vineyards of En-ged." The trouble is
men do not take their religion with them
The merchant leaves it outside the counter
lest it disturb the goods. The housekeeper
viii not let her religion trail its robes in the
Kitchen on washingday. The philosopher
will not let his religion come in amid the
batteries, lest it get galvanic shock. But
tell you, unless your religion goes with
you everywhere, it goes nowhere That
religion was intended to color all the heart
md the life. But, mark you, it was a
bright color. For the most part it was an
orange dye made of this campfire plant,
one of
THE MOST BRILLIANT OF ALL
the colors; and so the religion of Jesus
Christ casts 10 blackness or gloom upon
the soul. 1t brightens up life; it brightens
up everything. There is no more religion
IL a funeral than there is in a wedding; no
more religion in tears than in smiles
David was no better when he said he cried
out of the depths of hell, than he was
when he said that his mouth was filled with
laughter and his tongue with singing. The
best men that l have ever known have
laughed the loudest. Religion was in
tended to brighten up all our character.
Take out the sprg of cypress from your
coat and put in "a cluster of
campfire from the vineyards of En-
sedi." Religions ''ways are ways of
pleasanthess and all her paths are
peace" l have found it so. There are
hundreds in this house who have found it
SO. l remark again, that the campfire
plant Of the text was symbol of Jesus
Christ, because it is a mighty restorative
You know that there is nothing that stats
respiration so soon in one who has tainted
as camphor, as we have it. Put upon a
sponge or handkerchief, the effects are al
most immediate. Well. this campfire
plant of the text, though somewhat differ
ent from that which we have, was pun
gent aromatic, and in that respect it be-
comes a type of our Lord Jesus Christ.
who is the mightiest of all restoratives
have carried this camphire-plant
INTO THE SICK ROOM,
afSer the doctors had held their censulta-
ton and said there was no hope and nothing
more could be done, and the soul bright
ened up under the spiritual restorative.
There is no fever, no.marasmus. no neural
gia. no consumption, no disease of the body
that the grace of God will not help. Iwish
that over every bed of pain and through
every hospital of distress we might swing
this s'cluster of campfire from the vine
CARDS of En-gedi." Christ's hand is the soft
ess pillow, Christs pardon is the strongest
stimulus, Christ's comfort is the mightiest
anodyne. Christ's salvation is the grandest
restorative. 1t makes a man mightier
than his physical distress.
Art thou weary? Art thou languid? Art
thou sore and distressed?