Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-04-13
The FloWers--Dr. Talmage's
Poetic Discourse on the An
gels OF the Grass.

BROOKLYN, n. Y, April 1.-The
/ Tabernacle was gorgeously decorated
with flowers and palms this morning
in honor of Easter and Rev. DIR. Tai
mage's return from his Western jaunt
II was packed To its utmost capacity
aud many hundreds were turned
away. The Doctor preached on The
Angels of the Grass, " taking for his
text Luke xli:2S: 1T, then, God so
clothe the grass, which is today in
the field and tomorrow is cast into
the oven, how much more Will he
ciothe you?"
TIE flowers are angels of the
grass" be said They all have vol
ces. When the clouds speak they
thunder; when the whirl-winds speak,
they scream; when the cataracts
speak, they roar, but when the flow
e speak, they always whisper. L
stand here to interpret their their
message. What have you to say, .,
We angels Of The grass TO this worship
| tul multitude?
WHAT FLOWERS ARE GOOD FOR.
"This morning to discuss what
flowers are good tor-that is my sub
ject. What are flowers good for? l
remark, in the first place, they are
good for lessons of Gods providen-
tial care. That was 'Christ's first
thought. If you insist on asking me
the question what are flowers good
for, l respond, they are good for the
| bridal day. The bride must have
them on her brow and she must have
them in her hand; the marriage altar
must be covered with them, A wed
ding would be as Inappropriate as a
wedding without music. So much OF
the pathway of life is covered up
with thorns we ought to cover the
beginning with orange blossoms.
''If you insist on asking me the
question, What are flowers good for!
l answer, they are good to honor and
comfort the obsequies The worst
cash ever made into the side of our
poor earth is the cash of the grave.
1t is SO deep, it is so cruel, it is so
unconquerable that it needs some
thing TO cover it up. Flowers Tor the
casket, flowers for the hearse, flowers
for the cemetery.
"Ob! yes, flowers are almost hn-
man Botanists tell US that flowers
breathe, they take nourishment, they
eat. they drink, they are sensitive;
they have their likes aud dislikes;
the sleep, they wake; they live in ia
miles; have their ancestors and their
descendants; their birth, their burial
their cradle, their grave. The zeph
| yr rocks the one and the storm digs
the trench for the other The cow
slip must leave its gold, the lily must
leave it's silver, the rose must leave
it's diamond necklace OF morning dew.
| Dust to dust. So we come up, we
prosper, we spread abroad, we die as
| the fower-as the flower
| THE FLOWERS OF EASTER.
"But, my friends, flowers have no
| grander use than when on Easter
| morning we celebrate the reanimatlon
of Christ from the catacombs. All
the flowers of today spell resurrection.
There is not nook or corner in all
the building but is touched with the
incense. The women carried spices
to the tomb of Christ and dropped
spices ell around about the tomb, and
from these spices have grown all the
flowers of Easter moru, The two
white-robed angels that hurled the
stone away from the door of the tomb,
hurled it with such violence down
the hill that it crashed in the door OF
the worlds sepulcher, and millions of
the stark and dead shall come forth;
and so twist all the festal flowers oil
this church with the festal flowers OF
the chapeis and cathedrals of all
| Christendom into one great chain
and with that chain L line
The Easte. morning of 1888
with the closing Easter of the worlds
MISREPRESENTATION. May the Lord
OF peace that brought again from the
dead our Lord Jesus, that great shep
herd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenat, make you
perfect in every good word do His
will"