West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-04-12
FLOWERS.
DR. TALMAGEs SUNDAY SERMON
Lessons Taught by tho Angels of the
Grass

ne ctothe youP'-Luke xii, %:
The lily is the queen Of Bible flowers The
rose may have disputed her throne in modern
tunes and won IL; but the rose originally
had only five petals It was under the long
continued and intense gaze OF the world that
tne rose oiushed into its present beauty. In
the Bible train, cassia and hysSop and frank
incense and myrrh and spikenard and cam
phire and the rose follow the lily. Fourteen
times in the Bible is the lily mentioned: only
Twice the rose The rose may now have
wider empire, but the lily reigued i'm the time
on esther; IN the time of Solomon, in the
time Of Christ
Casar had his throne on the hills Tho
MY had her throne in tho valley. In the
greatest sermon that was ever preached
there was only one flower and thata lily The
bedford dreamer, John Bunyan, entered the
house OF the interpreter and was shown a
cluster OF. flowers, and was told to consider
the lilies"
We may study or reject other sciences ut
our option; It is SO with astronomy, it is so
with chemistry, it is so with Jurisprudence
II Is so with physiology, IL is so with geology
out the science OF botany Christ commands
us to study when he says Consider the
nneS Measure them from root 70 tip OF
gracefulness OF their poise. Hear the wills.
per OF the white lips of the Eastern and of
the red lips Of the American lily.
Belonging to this royal family of lilies is
the lily OF the Nile, the japan lily, the Lady
Washington OF the Sierras the Golden Band
lily, the Giant lily of Nepaul, thd Turks Can
lily, the African lily from the Cape of Good
HOPE. All these lilies have the royal blood
IN their veins. But i take the lilies of my
text this morning as typical of all flowers
ana THIS Easter day, garlanded with all this
opulance OF floral beauty, seems TO address us
saying; Consider the lilies, consider the
azallas, consider the fuchsias consider tho
geranlums, consider the ivies, consider the
hyacinths, consider the heliotropes consider
the oleanders" With differential and CRATE
Ini and Intelligent and worshipfu souls, con-
slider them. Not with insipid sentimentalian.
or with sophomore vaporing, but for grand
and practical and everyday and IL need be
homely uses, consider them.
nm Inc flowers are the angels Of the grass.
They all have voices. When the clouds
speak, they thunder; when the whirlwinds
speak, they scream; when the cataracts
speak, they roar: but when the flowers speak
they always whisper. 1 stand here 20 inter
pref their message. What have you to saw
oh we angels of the grass, to this worshipfui
multitudel
This morning mean to discuss what flow
ers are good for. That is my subject: What
are flowers good for.
L ! remark, in the first place, they are
good for lessons of Gods providential care.
That was Cbrist's first thought An these
mowers seem TO address us to-day, saying:
God VIII give you apparel and food. We
have no wheel with which to spin, no loom
with which to weave, no sickle with which
70 harvest, no well sweep with which TO draw
water; but God slakes our thirst with the
dew, and God feeds us with the bread of the
sunshine, and God has appareled us with
more than Solomonic regality. We are
prophetesSes OF adequate wardrobe IL God
so clothed us, the grass OF the field will he
not much more clothe you, oh ye of little
Men and women of worldly anxieties, take
this message home with you. How long has
Tod taken care of your Quarter Of the
Journey OF lifel half the journey OF lfel
three quarters the journey of lifel Can Won
not trust Him the rest OF the wayl God does
not promise you anything like that which
the Roman Emperor had ON his table at vast
expense-5O0 nightingales tongues-but He
mas promised TO take care of you He has
promised you the necessities, not the luxuries
bread, not cake. If God SO luxuriantly
clothes the grass of the field, will he not pro-
vide for you, his living and immortal chill
dreni He will.
No wonder Martin Luther always had a
hover on his writing desk for inspira-
ton. Through the cracks OF the prison
noor flower grew up TO cheer Picci-
ola Mungo Park, the great traveller and
explorer, had his life saved by a flower
He sank down in the desert to die, but seeing
a hover near by, it suggested Gods mercifui
care, and he got up with new courage and
Travelled on to safety said the flowers are
the angels Of the grass. 1 add now that thew
are the evangels of the sky.
IL III you insist on asking me the question:
What are flowers good forl respond: They
are good for the bridal day The bride must
have them on her brow and she nllst have
them in her hand. The marriage altar must
De covered with them. A wedding without
flowers would be as inappropriate as a wed
ding without music. At such time they are
for congratulation and prophecies of good
80 much OF the pathway of life is covered
upwith thorns, we ought to cover the begin
ming with orange blossOms
Flowers are appropriate on such occasions
Tor IN ninety-nine out Of a hundred cases il is
the best fhiraor baf l,
The world may criticise and pronounce it an
1naputude, and may lift it's eyebrows in sur
prise and think it might suggest something
better; but the God who sees the twenty
forty, fifty years of welded life before they
have begun arranges all for the best SO
that flowers, in almost all cases, are appro-
pirate for the marriage day. The divergences
OF disposition will become correspondences
recklessness viii become prudence, frivolity
VIII be turned 70 practicality
There has been many an aged widowed
soul VINO had carefully locked bureau, and
IN tho bureau box, and ia the box a folded
paper, and in the folded paper a half blown
rose slightly fragrant. discolored. carefully
pressed She put IL there forty or fifty wear,
ago. On the anniversary day OF her welding
she VIII go TO the bureau, she will lift the
box she viii unfold the paper and to her
eyes VIII be exposed the half blown bud, and
tine memories Of the past will rush upon her
and a tear will drop upon the flower: and
suddenly ~ ~ TRANSPORTED. and there Ia a
sur IN the dust Of the anther, and IL rounds
out and II Is full Of life, and IL begins x,
tremble in the procession up the church aisle.
ana the dead music Of a half century AGO
comes thrOhbing through the air: and van
lsped taces reappear, and right hands are
loined, and manly voice promises: ~ viii
Tor better or worse" and the wedding march
thunders a galvO Of Joy at the departing
crowd; but sigh on that anniversary daV
scatters the scene. Under the deem fetched
breath, the altar, the flowers. the cougratu-
lating groups are scattered, and there Is
nothing left but a trembling hand holding A
faded rosebud, which is put into the paper.
ana then INTO the box and the box carefully
paced in toe bureau, and with q sharp. sud
oen click Of the lock the scene is over.
Ah, my friends, Jet not the prophecies OF
tne howers On your wedding day be false
BfOphecet BE blind ~ each others faults
MAKE the most ~ each others exceliences.
above an, do not both get mad az oncei re-
member the vows. the ring on the third finger
o. TIE left hand, and the beuediction or the
I'll N you insist on asking me the question.
W nat are howers good fOr3 + answer Ia ~
80 good 70 honor and comfort the ol,aoqu.es
ne worst cash ever made fra the eide 81
Ut p00r earth a the cash " the grave. H.
- aeep, 10 is 80 cruel. 10 is 30 incurabIe that
~ DEEDS something to cover H. np Flower
tor the casket. flowers for the hearso flower
Tor tho cemetery.
What contrast between grave in conn.
ty. churchyard, with tho fence broken
d0Wn and the tombstone aslant. ana tbo
neighborinR cattle browsing amid the foul-
lsln "aiks and the Canada thietles. and